Okay, so I thought I would change it up a bit today and make a list of some of the weirdest musical instruments that I could find from around the world, some of them you may have heard of, others I expect will probably be new to you. Anyway, I hope I can at least attempt to mildly entertain you and somehow you may even learn a thing or two.
1. Didgeridoo
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| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didgeridoo |
The didgeridoo is the world's oldest instrument that is still being played today, thought to be over 40,000 years old. It is a wind instrument believed to have originated in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. Traditionally didgeridoos were made from eucalyptus tree trunks or bamboo, but today didgeridoos are made from a large variety of materials such as glass, leather, ceramic, plastic, aluminium and other metals. You may not realise it but nowadays the didgeridoo is so versatile that it can heard in almost every style of music, rock, jazz, blues, pop, hip hop, electronic, techno, funk, punk, rap etc. The once traditionally 'Australian' didgeridoo is now owned, made and played by people from all corners of the globe.
2. Pikasso Guitar
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| http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/lots-of-strings-attached-1 |
This instrument is named after the renowned artist, Pablo Picasso, because of its likeness to the cubist artist's works. The Pikasso Guitar was created by luthier Linda Manzer, specially for guitarist Pat Metheny. He is one of only a couple of people in the world that is able to play this strange instrument. The guitar, with four necks, two sound holes and 42 strings, took over two years to build (approximately 1000 hours). When all 42 strings are strung up to high tension, the Pikasso Guitar is under approximately 1000 lbs pressure. Altogether it weighs about 6.7 kg or 14 3/4 lbs.
3. Singing Ringing Tree
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| http://www.kuriositas.com/2011/07/singing-ringing-tree.html |
The Singing Ringing Tree is a wind powered sound sculpture in a tree-like shape, overlooking Burnley, in Lancashire, England. The sculpture was finished in 2006, and was created by the Panopticons arts and regeneration project as one of a series of four sculptures. The sculptures are located all across East Lancashire as symbols of the renaissance of the area. The Singing Ringing Tree is three metres tall and is made up of over one hundred stacked pipes of galvanised steel of varying lengths, orientated to lean into the directions of the prevailing wind. As the wind passes through the different lengths of pipe, it plays different chords. The idea is that each time you visit the tree, you will hear a different song. In 2007, the sculpture won the National Award of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for architectural excellence.
4. Theremin
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| Léon Theremin http://thereminsociety.com/ |
The Theremin is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact invented by the Russian musician, Léon Theremin in 1919. It was the first ever entirely electrical instrument, and also the first one you didn't need to touch to play, so in its day it was ground breaking in many ways. It is controlled by two metal antennas that can sense the position of the musician's hands and therefore you are able to control pitch with one hand, and volume with the other. The sounds are then amplified and played through the loudspeaker that is attached. The instrument is associated with an 'eerie' sound because it was used in movie soundtracks such as The Day the Earth Stood Still and in the theme tune for the ITV drama Midsomer Murders.
5. Pyrophone
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| http://www.ugress.com/post.asp?id=960 |
Originating in the 1800's, the Pyrophone is also known as the fire organ, or the explosion organ. It is powered by combustion or rapid heating, which means that to be able to play it, a part of it needs to be on fire. Of course it is all completely safe, and can be powered easily and safely with gasoline and propane, and everything can be controlled, including the explosions that force exhaust down the pipes to make the sounds. However, even so it can be dangerous and needs to be played carefully. At first, it was created purely as an experimental instrument but after a while it began to be played for music. Nowadays, it is very rare for a Pyrophone to be played.
6. Zeusaphone
Also known as the 'Singing Tesla Coil' or 'Thoremin', the Zeusaphone's name comes from 'Zeus', the Greek Lightning God, and 'Sousaphone'. The Zeusaphone is basically just a normal Tesla coil that has been designed to play music. According to wikipedia, it "uses low-voltage, high-frequency current to create music by adjusting the spark output." You can play anything from the Mario theme tune to the latest chart music on them. You may recognise this strange instrument from the 2010 film The Sorcerer's Apprentice, in which it was featured, I have put the relevant scene to the left. It's hard to say who exactly invented the Zeusaphone, but it was first played in public in 2006.
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