Top 5 Strange Instruments from Across the World | ProAudioLand Musician News (2024)

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What is the strangest musical instrument? ›

From its chance 1920s invention in Russia, the theremin beguiled Hollywood and sparked a musical revolution, writes Norman Miller. The theremin sometimes seems like an instrument from Earth's future or another world.

Instruments are classified using 5 different categories depending on the manner in which the instrument creates the sound: Idiophones, Membranophones, Chordophones, Aerophones, & Electrophones.

1. Acoustic/Classical Guitar. The guitar is undoubtedly one of the world's most-played musical instruments.

1. Violin. The violin is a wooden stringed instrument that's part of a larger family of similar instruments. It's the smallest and highest-pitched instrument in its family and normally has four strings, although some violins can have five.

Nonvocal musical instruments like the oboe, cello, and violin, have been described as resembling the human voice.

The oldest musical instrument in the world, a 60,000-year-old Neanderthal flute is a treasure of global significance. It was discovered in Divje babe cave near Cerkno and has been declared by experts to have been made by Neanderthals. It is made from the left thighbone of a young cave bear and has four pierced holes.

Orchestra Instrument Families: Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion | Oregon Symphony.

What is the most powerful musical instrument? ›

The carillon is a musical instrument usually housed in the bell tower of a church. The instrument is comprised of a minimum of 23 bronze bells, which are played by striking a keyboard to form a melody, or rung simultaneously to sound a chord.

If you ask a pianist or composer why the piano is called the King of Instruments, there's a good chance they'll tell you its because of its incredible tonal range and versatility. The piano covers the full spectrum of tones and notes found in all other orchestra instruments.

The percussion section of an orchestra most commonly contains instruments such as the timpani, snare drum, bass drum, tambourine, belonging to the membranophones, and cymbals and triangle, which are idiophones. However, the section can also contain aerophones, such as whistles and sirens, or a blown conch shell.

Although many feel it takes longer to master, the piano is a bit easier to actually play. If we look at the technical differences, the theory that goes into mastering both is quite different.

It's called the octobass (a.k.a. octobasse) and was built in 1850 by French instrument maker Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume.

The easiest instruments to learn are ukulele, harmonica, bongos, piano, and glockenspiel. Learning these instruments as an adult will be straightforward and accessible, and we've included step-by-step tips for each below.

1. Ukulele – Easiest Instrument to Learn and Play. Loved for their tropical sound, ukuleles are really easy to learn which is why they have become extremely popular in recent years. Well over a million ukuleles are sold every year.

Ukulele is often considered a happy instrument and often referred to as the happiest instrument in the world.

Participants judged the human voice as the most frequently used sad instrument, with the 'cello, viola, violin and piano completing the top five.

What is the most nerdy instrument? ›

The accordion is possibly the most nerdy instrument on the planet, until someone figures out a way to operate a digeridoo with a Guitar Hero controller. But for now, the crown certainly goes to Swedish musician and electronics engineer Linus Åkesson.

The violin (or viola or cello) is often said to be the instrument closest to the human voice.

The theremin is distinguished among musical instruments in that it is played without physical contact. The thereminist stands in front of the instrument and moves their hands in the proximity of two metal antennas.

Harpsichord

We've already referenced the Harpsichord as a parent of the modern piano. Physically, it looks very similar to an upright piano, only smaller. The significant difference between a harpsichord and a piano is how the sound is made.

“Hurrian Hymn No. 6” is considered the world's earliest melody, but the oldest musical composition to have survived in its entirety is a first century A.D. Greek tune known as the “Seikilos Epitaph.” The song was found engraved on an ancient marble column used to mark a woman's gravesite in Turkey.

The enchanting history of Ben Franklin's glass armonica — 'the first musical instrument ever invented by an American' Benjamin Franklin may have helped give birth to a new nation, but the glass armonica was the Founding Father's “most cherished creation,” according to English professor Corey Mead.

The Neanderthal Flute, found in the cave of Divje Babe in Slovenia, is thought to date back at least 50,000 years, making it the oldest known musical instrument in the world. It was discovered by archaeologists in a cave near the Idrijca River in 1995.

The Violin

The violin is considered one of the most beautiful sound producing instruments in the world. It is also one of the oldest which has been around for centuries. Furthermore, the violin has hardly changed during all those years. For various musical genres, the violin is an integral and important part of it.

A hydraulophone is a tonal acoustic musical instrument played by direct physical contact with water (sometimes other fluids) where sound is generated or affected hydraulically. The hydraulophone was described and named by Steve Mann in 2005, and patented in 2011.

Throughout its voyage, it has brought along musical traditions and idioms that still live on in our music today. To me, this makes the banjo the quintessential “American” instrument. Next time you're at a concert and someone pulls out a banjo – try and think past the current image you might have of the instrument.

What is the most expensive instrument? ›

MacDonald Stradivarius Viola – $45,000,000

In the number one spot for the most high-priced instrument of all time is the MacDonald Stradivarius. But surprisingly, it's not a violin, but a Viola and part of the reason it's so expensive is that there are reported to be only ten Stradivarius violas in existence today.

The strings are the largest family of instruments in the orchestra and they come in four sizes: the violin, which is the smallest, viola, cello, and the biggest, the double bass, sometimes called the contrabass.

Answer and Explanation: The smallest instrument in a traditional orchestra is the piccolo. A piccolo is a flute but is much smaller in size. The piccolo is higher in pitch than the flue.

5 Tuneful Origins of Celebrated Musical Instruments – Did you know there are over 1,500 musical instruments? These musical instruments are broken down into six major categories. The musical instrument categories include bowed strings, woodwind, brass, percussion, keyboard, and the guitar family.

The guitar is the center of all musical shows these days. It is considered to be the smartest and the coolest of all musical instruments. As compared to various other band members, guitar players get the most attention during a performance.

The theremin (/ˈθɛrəmɪn/; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named after its inventor, Leon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928.

No strings, no keys… The theremin is a very unique musical instrument : not only the first electronic one in history, but also the only one that is being played without any contact. The thereminist plays “in the air”, interacting with two electromagnetic fields.