8 Weird musical instruments you may have never heard of
Posted on 17 March 2015
There's a whole host of musical instruments in the world that people play. Many countries have their own instruments that are tied to their culture and history. Of course, some instruments, like the piano and the guitar are recognized wherever you go. But what about those other instruments that many of us have never heard about. This is a short list of instruments that man has created to make music.
Pyrophone If you want to make an explosive debut in the world of music you could play the Pyrophone. This organ is played by explosions and fire. If you play this instrument you need to watch out for burns. It was invented by Georges Frédéric Eugène Kastner. These were invented around the 19th Century.
The Great Stalacpipe Organ Another Organ on our list is built into a cave. The Stalacpipe Organ was designed by Leland W. Sprinkle inside the Luray Caverns near Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, USA. It took him 3 years to finish.
Glass Armonica Also known as hydrocrystalophone. This instrument uses a series of glass bowls or goblets of different sizes to produce musical tones through friction. The Glass Armonica in the video was invented by Benjamin Franklin.
The Singing Ringing Tree Another huge musical instrument that nobody needs to play. This 3 meter high musical tree was designed by architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu of Tonkin Liu. It is made up of galvanised steel pipes of that harness the energy of the wind.
Theremin Many people may be familiar with the Theremin. It is one of the most well known weird musical instruments. Yet only a few people are able to gesture music out of it. Leon Theremin patented this electronic musical device in 1928. This instrument has been used in several movies. Once you hear the eerie, haunting sound it is quite possibly from the Theremin.
Musical Road Have your ever driven across a road and all of a sudden you hear music playing and your radio is turned off? Well there are several roads around the world that will play music when you drive across them. Grooves are placed in the road and when you drive over them the vibration causes music. There are 4 musical roads you can drive over in the world: Asphaltophone, Melody Road, Singing Road, and the Civic Musical Road.
Washboard Aside from being able to do the laundry on a washboard you can make some pretty great music too. Practice enough and you might even find yourself in a band. You can use spoons or a thimble to play the washboard.
Vegetables There is an orchestra group in Vienna that plays music using vegetables. While we peel, slice, and cook our greens, they play music with them. The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra officially started in 1998. Before they play they always have to shop for the right 'ingredients'. Although their music may not appeal to all listeners.
There are lot more weird musical instruments out there. Who knows you might even invent a musical instrument that will take the world by storm. Or maybe we'll add it to our list.