Unusual Musical Instruments

Subcontrabass Flute

The Subcontrabass Flute is one of the largest flutes in existence with over 15 feet of piping. It plays three octaves below the average C flute. Ocassionally, it is referred to as the "gentle giant" due to its massive size and gentle sound. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

Tanpura/Tambura

The tampura is an Indian drone instrument. Although it looks like a sitar, it contains no frets. Its main purpose is to accompany the voice. The instrument comes in 3 styles: Miraj, Tanjore, and Tamburi.

Musical Saw

One of the most resourceful musical instruments around. The musical saw is played by holding the handle tightly between your legs, bending the saw (holding it with a clamp so you don't cut your hand off!) and bowing the straight edge.

It sounds like a mix between an opera singer and an alien UFO, with perhaps a taste of Theremin. Plus, it's totally badass.