TOP 10 most bizarre musical instruments

Cigar box guitar

The instrument from JN Guitars catches the eye at first glance with its unusual angular shapes and non-standard number of strings. It looks a bit like a cigar box with a fretboard. The model has a built-in wooden resonator with one cone, so it will find its use, especially in the world of musical genres such as country, blues, ragtime or bluegrass. The guitar is played with a pick, but players also use an old African-American strumming technique called “finger picking”, where the thumb strums the bass line and the other fingers the independent melody and chords, so that the resulting effect gives the impression that two guitars are sounding at the same time. Another speciality is the use of open tunings, which uses the technique of sliding and vibrating a metal or glass ring (or the neck of a bottle) across the strings, creating a strange wailing and expressive sound effect.

Sound like something out of a horror film

It's called the theremin and it's probably the only instrument in the world that can be played without any contact. It is a successful remake of one of the oldest electronic musical instruments, which dates back to 1917. The tone is created by bringing the fingers, palms or arms closer to the antenna and to the control surface of the device, while the distance of the hand from the antenna changes the character of the tone. It is difficult to describe, it resembles the sound of a violin string or even a human voice. The peculiar monotonous sound predisposes the theremin for use in experimental or film music. It has been popularly used by the creators of horror and sci-fi films, but it has also appeared on the recordings of real legends of pop music. For example, Led Zeppelin used it in the song Whole Lotta Love, Alice Cooper in The Eyes of Alice Cooper or Uriah Heep in Magician's birthday.

A UFO with a "fly" history

This oddity owes its placement in our ranking to its alien appearance, unique mysterious sound and interesting circumstances of creation. Its creators, the designer duo Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer from Switzerland, introduced it to the world at the turn of the millennium under the name Hang. The idea was born during a trip to the Caribbean islands. They were enchanted by the magical sound of local metal drums. Little did they know what an avalanche of interest they would unleash by launching their Hang. The spiritually minded creators were so taken aback that they finally decided to completely back out of the plans for mass production of the Hang drum and declared that they would only produce the instrument in limited numbers and basically only manually. The chance was given only to those interested who sent a letter to the manufacturers with convincing reasons why they should be the lucky owners of the Hang drum. In the end, the manufacturers announced the end of production anyway. However, several other producers responded to the gap in the market, and brought the instrument to its present form with various changes. The similarity of the current Handpan with the original Hang drum is obvious at first glance, the differences are in the tuning and the structure of both instruments. However, today's Handpans have preserved their magical and esoteric sound.

Children's trumpet

Most children's instruments are made as scaled-down versions of adult instruments. The bizarre jHorn very successfully attacks every child's first signal system since first contact. This pseudo-trumpet in children's design is tuned in the key of Bb and has the same register as a standard tenor trombone, euphonium or baritone horn and allows a range of up to 3 octaves. However, it is not made of metal, but of plastic. The intention to create a fully-fledged practice instrument for children aged 4 and up, has worked out well for the creators. It weighs just over half a kilo, and simple water and soap are sufficient for cleaning. Practical, isn't it? The idea comes from the NUVO brand, and in their range of hybrid instruments you can also find plastic versions of the flute, clarinet or saxophone.

Musical instrument for non-musicians

Kalimba is an over 1000-year-old musical instrument from Africa. It is operated by simply pressing the metal slices with your thumbs. Rich sound, easy operation and pleasant ergonomics make the kalimba a favorite musical instrument for non-musicians. The instrument encourages experimentation, and playing it is not difficult. It is ideal for the development of children's motor skills and is also popularly used in music therapy.

Finish playing, roll up and go!

The common idea of what a keyboard instrument should look like will probably be taught a good lesson in this case. The Mukikim piano can be bent and rolled in any way thanks to the silicone material. But don't be fooled by this fun party look. It has all the features of a regular piano, including a variety of sounds, a built-in speaker, and compatibility with MIDI devices. All of this makes it a favorite musical toy for a child, as well as a practical instrument on the go.

Ironing board or guitar?

This Hawaiian invention is played exclusively seated. The Lap steel guitar is placed on the player's thighs and playing is a bit like using an ironing board. The stretched sound is created by sliding a steel bar or tube (called bottleneck or slide) over hard metal strings and strumming with metal thimbles. This playing technique was introduced to the world by the Hawaiian Joseph Kekuku back in 1895, and in addition to traditional genres such as country and blues, the rich sound of the lap steel guitar also stands out in jazz or rock.

Cuckoo whistle

Probably no other bird has inspired such many compositions in the history of serious music. The motif of the cuckoo was used in their compositions by Gustav Mahler, Antonio Vivaldi or, for example, Beethoven or Handel. They try to imitate the cuckoo with clarinets, flutes, even pianos, but none of these instruments can imitate it as faithfully as this little cuckoo whistle. See for yourself!

Rain Catcher

With a sound similar to a sonic boom, this shiny gentleman has served faithfully in the service of various American marching or Dixieland bands. The sousaphone is a close relative of the better known helicon or tuba. Unlike wind instruments with a similar range and depth of tone, sousaphones are characterized by a forward facing bell with a diameter of up to 50 cm. When played, they are worn hung around the torso. The first sousaphones were still manufactured with an upward-facing bell, which is why they earned the derisive nickname "rain catchers". Somewhat undeservedly. Today, a high-quality sousaphone is considered an exclusive instrument that you'll pay as much for as a new car.

Keyboard you blown into

Melodica is a marvel from the accordion family of instruments. It is operated by both blowing and pressing the keys at the same time. It is actually a kind of hybrid between harmonica, accordion and piano. Melodicas are particularly popular with children because of their ease of use, but they have also appeared in songs by some of the world's most iconic pop bands, such as UB40 (Kingston Town) and Depeche Mode (in the final passage of Everything Counts).