It’s suggested that every child should ideally learn to play a musical instrument or at least give it a try, as it serves as an excellent exercise for the brain (besides offering many other benefits).
While instruments like keyboards, piano, guitar are quite popular, there are some really weird/strange looking instruments out there. Let’s take a look at few of them.
Glass Harmonica
Glass Harmonica (also known as bowl organ) was invented by Benjamin Franklin, and is similar to playing wine glasses (uses the same principles).
The player has to slide the bowls with wet fingers (so that the bowls rotate) to create the desired notes. The unique design allows multiple notes to be played at once, thus creating some hauntingly beautiful sounds.
Great composers such as Mozart and Beethoven used the glass harmonica for their music arrangements, and it was a popular instrument back in its day. Sadly, this instrument is hardly used nowadays.
The Wheelharp?
The Wheelharp looks like an antique instrument, something that belonged to the time of Beethoven and Mozart, but it’s actually not that old.
In fact, it’s quite a modern instrument that was created a decade back by Jon Jones, so it’s definitely not an antique.
It was designed for use by a single musician to command their own string orchestra.
How Is It Played?
As a performer, you have access to 61 bowed strings (covering a chromatic scale), but it’s actually played using a keyboard, that is laid horizontally (in an arc).
In terms of sound, you get more natural sounds similar to a classical string instrument (and not something like a modern synthesizer).
Is it Difficult to Learn?
The initial looks of the instrument might suggest that it’s difficult to learn & play.
So, is it really difficult to Learn?
Not really, as it’s a keyboard instrument, you just press down on a key, and it plays a note, you don’t need any special technique.
So no hurting fingers or building callouses, which you have to do with instruments like violin and guitar!
Although all musical instruments take years to master!
How Much Does it Cost?It definitely doesn’t come cheap, not even close to most other keyboard instruments that are available.
They are priced in the range of the more expensive digital grand pianos.
The most elaborate version of the Wheelharp, covering five octaves, is priced around $12k.
Three to Four octaves are cheaper, available for $10k to $11k.
So it’s not cheap! I mean you just can’t gift it to someone on their birthdays or on some festive occasion.
Wooden Music Box Powered by Marbles
Its really hard to believe that someone can really make music out of this design, but it does work. The Wintergatan Marble Machine is built and composed by Martin Molin, and the machine is a complex mix of pulleys, levers, gears, and 2,000 marbles.
Although the video looks amazing, the design looks time consuming; in fact, the music machine took 14 months to make (the creator initially thought he would complete it in two months).
When the user turns a lever, 2,000 marbles roll through different paths and eventually hit various instruments. The music box can be programmed to play music in different keys.
Zadar Sea Organ
This is one instrument that a human being cannot play; its a popular sea organ (sort of a musical experiment) built under marble stairs in Zadar, Croatia.
As waves crash over a series of tubes of the Zadar organ, harmonious sounds are created which then echo over the steps.
More Weird Instruments
Our Top 10 Favourite Weird Musical Instruments
Also Read: Unique Electronic Music Instruments.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
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