Unusual Musical Instruments

From the unique to the just plain weird, there are many ways people share their musical visions

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Tromba Marina The Tromba Marina (aka Marine Trumpet) is a single stringed instrument, popular in the early 18th century. Although the instrument is clearly not a trumpet, nor does it even resemble a trumpet, it is still referred to by its name because the peculiar placement of the bridge gives the string a buzz which, supposedly, resembles a trumpet. It sounds more like a Stroh Violin to be, but heck what do I know. Composers in the past never took this instrument so seriously anyhow. To quote Marcello, the Tromba Marina is an instrument “for the composer to use if he wants to captivate the crowds”. It was a Venetian thing. Scroll down on this page to find a recording.

Tromba Marina

The Tromba Marina (aka Marine Trumpet) is a single stringed instrument, popular in the early 18th century. Although the instrument is clearly not a trumpet, nor does it even resemble a trumpet, it is still referred to by its name because the peculiar placement of the bridge gives the string a buzz which, supposedly, resembles a trumpet. It sounds more like a Stroh Violin to be, but heck what do I know.

Composers in the past never took this instrument so seriously anyhow. To quote Marcello, the Tromba Marina is an instrument “for the composer to use if he wants to captivate the crowds”. It was a Venetian thing.

Scroll down on this page to find a recording.

Filed under Music Instrument Trumpet 18th Century Vivaldi Strings Venetian

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Contrabassoon For many common instruments, you can find a contra counterpart. This essentially means that the instrument you know and love has been made much, much larger. Here is the contrabassoon. It plays an octave lower than a regular bassoon, and unlike it’s counterpart, it wraps around two and a half times, so the bell (a fancy word for the place where the sound comes out) points downwards. It kind of sounds like your uncle’s voice when he first wakes up in the morning and falls out of bed.

Contrabassoon

For many common instruments, you can find a contra counterpart. This essentially means that the instrument you know and love has been made much, much larger.

Here is the contrabassoon. It plays an octave lower than a regular bassoon, and unlike it’s counterpart, it wraps around two and a half times, so the bell (a fancy word for the place where the sound comes out) points downwards.

It kind of sounds like your uncle’s voice when he first wakes up in the morning and falls out of bed.

(Source: kirkhamilton.com)

Filed under Music Instrument Classical Bassoon Contrabassoon Large

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Make beats on anything

thebangersbiz:

Celluon’s Magic Cube. “The device employs laser technology to pick up users’ finger movements. The platform works as a keyboard, multi-touch mouse and handwriting recognition device. It works with all computers and smartphones and will set you back just $169 USD.” Via Slamxhype and the homie Graham Scott L.

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Pipa The Pipa is a 4 stringed lute originating from China. Its name originates from the forward and backward movement (p’i/p’a) used to pluck the strings. Having been traced as far back as the Qin Dynasty, it is one of the oldest instruments in China. The Pipa can be played/picked with 60 different techniques. If good technique is developed, it can be picked VERY fast.  Listen here.

Pipa

The Pipa is a 4 stringed lute originating from China. Its name originates from the forward and backward movement (p’i/p’a) used to pluck the strings. Having been traced as far back as the Qin Dynasty, it is one of the oldest instruments in China.

The Pipa can be played/picked with 60 different techniques. If good technique is developed, it can be picked VERY fast. 

Listen here.

(Source: summerthundermusic.com)

Filed under Music Instrument China Lute Pipa Traditional Chinese

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Musical Saw Festival

Hi,

I saw your post about the musical saw and I thought you might be interested to know that there is a whole festival dedicated to this instrument, in New York: http://www.MusicalSawFestival.org There are lots of videos on their website from previous festivals.

Also - in the movie ‘Another Earth’ (came out in 2011) there is a beautiful musical saw scene. You can see a video of this scene on the composer’s website: http://www.scottmunsonmusic.com

Filed under Music Instrument Saw Musical Saw Festival submission

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Erhu The Erhu is a chinese fiddle of sorts which consists of two strings. Part of the Huqin instrument family, this instrument radiates its sound from its hexagonal sound body. The bow is built in between the two strings, and cannot be removed unless strings are changed. Having been used as early as the Tang Dynasty, the Erhu has been a definitive piece of Chinese culture for centuries. Over time, it has been used in many musical forms, such as in accompaniment for opera, as solo performance, or in a Western orchestra style.  As described in this video, the instrument’s range replicates the human voice, making it representative of sadness and human suffering. However, it can also be quite melodic.

Erhu

The Erhu is a chinese fiddle of sorts which consists of two strings. Part of the Huqin instrument family, this instrument radiates its sound from its hexagonal sound body. The bow is built in between the two strings, and cannot be removed unless strings are changed.

Having been used as early as the Tang Dynasty, the Erhu has been a definitive piece of Chinese culture for centuries. Over time, it has been used in many musical forms, such as in accompaniment for opera, as solo performance, or in a Western orchestra style. 

As described in this video, the instrument’s range replicates the human voice, making it representative of sadness and human suffering. However, it can also be quite melodic.

(Source: classifieds.justlanded.com)

Filed under Music Instrument China Erhu Violin Fiddle Chinese Instruments

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Mouth Bow Essentially, the mouth bow is an instrument made from a flexible piece of wood and a string. Probably one of the first instruments ever created (from hunters who decided to use their bow & arrows to make sounds), the mouth bow has been developed in many different places. In southern France, cave paintings rom 15,000 BCE have been found that depict images similar to that of a mouth bow. In Brazil, the Berimbau is a well known instrument. Sometimes, the mouth bow can even be found in Appalachien old-time music. With a combination of distorting the mouth, hitting the string with a stick, plucking, and even bowing, the mouth bow can make a variety of sounds. Like this guy does!

Mouth Bow

Essentially, the mouth bow is an instrument made from a flexible piece of wood and a string. Probably one of the first instruments ever created (from hunters who decided to use their bow & arrows to make sounds), the mouth bow has been developed in many different places. In southern France, cave paintings rom 15,000 BCE have been found that depict images similar to that of a mouth bow. In Brazil, the Berimbau is a well known instrument. Sometimes, the mouth bow can even be found in Appalachien old-time music.

With a combination of distorting the mouth, hitting the string with a stick, plucking, and even bowing, the mouth bow can make a variety of sounds.

Like this guy does!

(Source: buffy-sainte-marie.blogspot.com)

Filed under Music Instrument Mouth Bow Appalachien France Bow and Arrow