Picasso guitar (The Picasso Guitar)
The Picasso guitar is a strange musical instrument created in 1984 by Canadian string luthier Linda Manzer for jazz guitarist Patrick Bruce Metheny. It is a harp guitar with four necks, two resonator holes and 42 strings. The instrument was named because of its resemblance to those depicted in the famous paintings (1912-1914), the so-called analytical cubism of Pablo Picasso.
Nikelharpa
Nickelharpa is a traditional Swedish stringed musical instrument, the first mention of which dates back to around 1350. A typical modern nyckelharpa has 16 strings and 37 wooden keys that slide under the strings. A short bow is used to play. The sound produced by this instrument is similar to the sound of a violin, only with more resonance.
glass harmonica
The glass harmonica is a rather unusual musical instrument, consisting of several glass hemispheres of various sizes, mounted on a metal axis, which is partially immersed in a resonator box with diluted vinegar. When touching the edges of the glass hemispheres, rotating by means of a pedal, the performer extracts gentle and pleasant sounds. This musical instrument has been known since the middle of the 17th century. Interestingly, in some German cities it was banned by law, since in those days it was believed that the sound of the harmonica had too much effect on the state of mind of people, frightens animals, causes premature birth, and even leads to mental disorder.
Erhu
The Erhu, also called the "Chinese violin", is an ancient Chinese bowed stringed instrument created in the seventh century. It is an original two-string violin at the bottom, to which a cylindrical resonator is attached, equipped with a snake skin membrane. A very versatile instrument, it is often used as a solo instrument, as an accompaniment instrument in Chinese opera, as well as in modern music genres such as pop, rock, jazz, etc.
Zeusaphone (Zeusaphone)
Zeusaphon, or "musical lightning", "Tesla coil singing" is a form of plasma loudspeaker. It is a Tesla coil that has been modified to produce sounds accompanied by the beautiful glow of air ions in a high voltage electric field. The term "Tesla coil singing" was coined by David Nunez after a public demonstration of the device on June 9, 2007 in Naperville, Illinois, USA.
Hydrophone (Hydraulophone)
A hydrophone is a strange acoustic musical instrument that operates on the principle of converting vibrations of liquids into sound. It has several holes through which streams of water beat and when one of the streams is blocked, the instrument produces a sound formed not by air, but by water. It was invented by Canadian scientist and engineer Steve Mann. The world's largest hydrophone is located in the Ontario Science Center, Canada.
The Singing Tree at Barnley
The Singing Tree is a unique musical sculpture located in the Pennines near the city of Burnley in Lancashire, England. The sculpture was built on December 14, 2006 and is a three-meter structure consisting of galvanized steel pipes of different lengths, which, thanks to wind energy, emit a low melodic rumble.
Theremin
Theremin is an electric musical instrument created by Russian physicist and inventor Lev Theremin in 1919. The main part of the theremin are two high-frequency oscillatory circuits tuned to a common frequency. Electrical vibrations of sound frequencies are created by a vacuum tube generator, the signal is passed through an amplifier and converted into sound by a loudspeaker. Playing the theremin consists in the fact that the performer controls its work by changing the position of the palms near the antennas of the instrument. By moving the hand around the rod, the performer adjusts the pitch, and gesturing around the arc allows you to influence the volume. By changing the distance of the musician's palms to the instrument's antenna, the inductance of the oscillatory circuit changes, and as a result, the frequency of the sound. One of the first and most prominent performers of this instrument was the American musician Clara Rockmore.
Hang
In second place in the list of the most unusual musical instruments in the world is the Hang, a musical percussion instrument created in 2000 by Felix Rohner and Sabina Scherer from the Swiss city of Bern. It consists of two interconnected metal hemispheres with a resonator hole 8–12 cm in size.
stalactite organ
The most unusual musical instrument in the world is the Stalactite Organ. This is a unique musical instrument located in the Luray Caves, Virginia, USA. It was created in 1956 by mathematician and scientist Leland Sprinkle, who spent three years processing stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the cave to get the perfect sound. After that, he attached a hammer to each of them, controlled by electricity from the organ keyboard. This instrument covers an area of 14 square kilometers and is the largest musical instrument in the world.
Picasso guitar (The Picasso Guitar)
The Picasso guitar is a strange musical instrument created in 1984 by Canadian string luthier Linda Manzer for jazz guitarist Patrick Bruce Metheny. It is a harp guitar with four necks, two resonator holes and 42 strings. The instrument was named because of its resemblance to those depicted in the famous paintings (1912-1914), the so-called analytical cubism of Pablo Picasso.
Nickelharpa is a traditional Swedish stringed musical instrument, the first mention of which dates back to around 1350. A typical modern nyckelharpa has 16 strings and 37 wooden keys that slide under the strings. A short bow is used to play. The sound produced by this instrument is similar to the sound of a violin, only with more resonance.
The glass harmonica is a rather unusual and rare musical instrument, consisting of several glass hemispheres of various sizes, mounted on a metal axis, which is partially immersed in a resonator box with diluted vinegar. When touching the edges of the glass hemispheres, rotating by means of a pedal, the performer extracts gentle and pleasant sounds. This musical instrument has been known since the middle of the 17th century. Interestingly, in some German cities it was banned by law, since in those days it was believed that the sound of the harmonica had too much effect on the state of mind of people, frightened animals, caused premature birth, and even led to mental disorder.
The Erhu, also called the "Chinese violin", is an ancient Chinese bowed stringed instrument created in the seventh century. It is an original two-string violin at the bottom, to which a cylindrical resonator is attached, equipped with a snake skin membrane. A very versatile instrument, it is often used as a solo instrument, as an accompaniment instrument in Chinese opera, as well as in modern music genres such as pop, rock, jazz, etc.
Zeusaphone (Zeusaphone)
Zeusaphon, or "musical lightning", "Tesla coil singing" is a form of plasma loudspeaker. It is a Tesla coil that has been modified to produce sounds accompanied by the beautiful glow of air ions in a high voltage electric field. The term "Tesla coil singing" was coined by David Nunez after a public demonstration of the device on June 9, 2007 in Naperville, Illinois, USA.
Hydrophone (Hydraulophone)
A hydrophone is a strange acoustic musical instrument that operates on the principle of converting vibrations of liquids into sound. It has several holes through which streams of water beat and when one of the streams is blocked, the instrument produces a sound formed not by air, but by water. It was invented by Canadian scientist and engineer Steve Mann. The world's largest hydrophone is located in the Ontario Science Center, Canada.
The Singing Tree is a unique musical sculpture located in the Pennines near the city of Burnley in Lancashire, England. The sculpture was built on December 14, 2006 and is a three-meter structure consisting of galvanized steel pipes of different lengths, which, thanks to wind energy, emit a low melodic rumble.
Theremin is an unusual electric musical instrument created by Russian physicist and inventor Lev Theremin in 1919. The main part of the theremin are two high-frequency oscillatory circuits tuned to a common frequency. Electrical vibrations of sound frequencies are created by a vacuum tube generator, the signal is passed through an amplifier and converted into sound by a loudspeaker. Playing the theremin consists in the fact that the performer controls its work by changing the position of the palms near the antennas of the instrument. By moving the hand around the rod, the performer adjusts the pitch, and gesturing around the arc allows you to influence the volume. By changing the distance of the musician's palms to the instrument's antenna, the inductance of the oscillatory circuit changes, and as a result, the frequency of the sound. One of the first and most prominent performers of this instrument was the American musician Clara Rockmore.
In second place in the list of the most unusual musical instruments in the world is the Hang, a musical percussion instrument created in 2000 by Felix Rohner and Sabina Scherer from the Swiss city of Bern. It consists of two interconnected metal hemispheres with a resonator hole 8–12 cm in size.
The most unusual musical instrument in the world is the Stalactite Organ. This is a unique musical instrument located in the Luray Caves, Virginia, USA. It was created in 1956 by mathematician and scientist Leland Sprinkle, who spent three years processing stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the cave to get the perfect sound. After that, he attached a hammer to each of them, controlled by electricity from the organ keyboard. This instrument covers an area of 14 square kilometers and is the largest musical instrument in the world.
Unique, inimitable or just unusual? Of course, such a tool should be admired, since people like everything non-standard. However, it should be borne in mind that if an unusual musical instrument is presented in a familiar form (for example, a piano), but at the same time sounds like a violin, then its “unusualness” is doubtful. In this case, the interest will be minimal. Another thing is when a guitar sounds like a guitar, but it has twelve necks. That's when it can not be called otherwise than "unusual".
Music and cookware
Sometimes other criteria work. If the instrument evolved, developed over time, it could change dramatically, move away from the canons and turn into an unusual musical instrument. An example is the trombones and trumpets in Glenn Miller's legendary orchestra. To muffle the sound, the musicians took ordinary kitchen bowls and covered the bells of wind instruments with them. The effect was amazing. The instruments sounded new.
This is how the mute arose - a special device for changing the strength and timbre, and in some cases the tone of the sound. But until the invention was patented, bowl-covered trombones were considered unusual in Glenn Miller's orchestra. The new sound opened up great opportunities for composers and especially for arrangers.
However, the mute is just an addition, but in general, an unusual musical instrument is characterized by other, deeper features that determine its exclusivity. First of all, it is a unique, special technique for extracting sound.
History of musical instruments
Man has been drawn to art since ancient times. Many folklore customs were accompanied by singing, and since the hands are free at this time, I wanted to play music somehow. This is how the first primitive musical instruments appeared. Bull veins were stretched over a piece of wood, resulting in a stringed plucked instrument. A barrel covered with an animal skin became a drum. Each next century brought new, more and more perfect musical instruments.
In the 16th century, the violin appeared, which immediately advanced the art of musical accompaniment. The noble instrument called "viola" required very delicate, careful handling. At different times, great masters began to appear - Amati, Stradivari, Guarneri - who made wonderful violins.
Later, in the 17th century, the harpsichord, the forerunner of the upright piano, was invented. The possibilities of musical accompaniment have become even wider.
Even in ancient times, man learned to blow into the hollow horns of animals, into sea shells and pipes carved from wood. And after people learned how to extract copper ore and smelt bronze, the simplest wind instruments began to appear, which were gradually improved - it was already possible to play simple melodies on them.
Drums were easier. Ordinary pumpkins turned into maracas, empty barrels became drums, and all together became a means for performing rhythmic "works" that musicians invented on the go.
First groups
The history of musical instruments is far from over, it continues today. And it is already clear that there will be no end. There are more and more new and plucked, a variety of wind, reed and embouchure, rocker and valve. About two centuries have passed since the time when musicians began to gather in ensembles, quartets, quintets, and later in large symphony orchestras. Various musical instruments, as well as all kinds of auxiliary devices, were combined for the purpose of concert activity.
Didgeridoo
This is a rare wind instrument, which is included in the category "the most unusual musical instruments in the world." It is made from a branch of the Australian Arnhamland tree, which has been eaten away by termites from the inside. The sound of the didgeridoo is low, vibrating, with continuous sounding it can have a therapeutic effect on the human respiratory centers and prevent the occurrence of sleep apnea syndrome (stopping breathing during sleep).
Alpenghorn and duduk are a variety of didgeridoo, and the direct successor is lituus, a wooden pipe about three meters long with an extension at the end and a mouthpiece made of mouflon horn. With the help of a unique instrument in 1738, Johann Sebastian Bach's cantata "Jesus Christ, the Light of My Life" was performed, in which the party for the lituus was written.
reed device
Unusual - these are two flattened hemispheres of brass, half a millimeter thick, with a diameter of 250 millimeters, tightly connected to each other. The upper part - the ding - is cut in such a way that eight segments with tongues are formed on its surface, sounding from light touches. Each of the seven reeds corresponds to one note, and the eighth sounds like F sharp. The lower part of the hang is a resonator called "gu", which greatly enhances the strength of the sound, evens out the timbre and gives the melody a special appeal due to its slight vibration.
The instrument was created by engineer Felix Rohner and musician Sabine Scherer in 2002. Later, they made the task more difficult and designed a one-piece hang, with better acoustic characteristics. The new instrument was shown to the public in 2009.
Viel, or hurdy-gurdy
Any reference book can tell about what musical instruments are in Europe. But not everywhere there is information about the hurdy-gurdy. This unique stringed instrument was invented by wandering monks who asked for alms, always accompanying their bows with music. On the body of an ordinary lute, melodic strings were stretched, and next to them - bass strings for a buzzing background. Along the string row, special levers were installed, dividing the strings into sections. A drum-bow revolved at the top. Touching the stretched strings, he made them ring.
The instrument is large, you cannot play it alone. The monks always played together. One turned the wheel, the other fingered the frets. In the 15th century, the lyre was reduced and it began to fit in the hands of one musician. It is characteristic that throughout Europe the viel was an instrument of wandering musicians, and in France playing it was considered an art.
Strings and wind
In the list of "unusual stringed musical instruments", the first place is occupied by the Aeolian harp. The principle of operation - the strings sound under the pressure of the wind. The ancient Greeks, in addition, built a resonator that amplified the sound. The harp, created in the 14th century, was forgotten for several centuries, and only in the 17th century the instrument was revived by two scientists: Athanasius Kircher and Giambatista de la Porta.
Currently, the Aeolian harp is located in the arbor of the same name in Pyatigorsk, the instrument is located in the center of the rotunda. And in the city of San Francisco (or rather, far outside the city) in 1967, landscape sculptors Aristide Demetrios and Lucy Ames built an Aeolian harp 27 meters high.
Music and air currents
You can learn about what musical instruments are movable by the example of a singing tree in the city of Burnley (Great Britain, Lancanshire).
The multi-meter-high structure is made up of metal pipes of different lengths and diameters and is a spiral expanding upwards. No matter where the wind blows from, its streams will surely fall into the pipes, and the metal tree will sing. And although the melody is conditional, it is still the music of nature. A deep vibrating sound is carried far around.
This unusual tool was created by Mike Tonkin, a London-based architect, and Anna Liu, a landscape designer.
laser music
Rare and unusual electronic musical instruments are very effective in use. Music as such is accompanied by a real laser performance, colorful and mesmerizing. In 1976, amateur musician Geoffrey Rose invented the laser harp, which operates on the principle of producing sound by touching the musician's fingers to a laser beam. Multi-colored electronic threads vibrating in the air imitate the stretched strings of an ordinary harp. As soon as you lightly touch the beam, the sound of a given tone is immediately heard, clear and sonorous.
In 1981, he included the famous electronic musician Jean-Michel Jarre in one of his performances, and after obvious success he began to use it when recording studio albums.
stalactite organ
Another unusual electronically controlled musical instrument was created by engineer Leland Sprinkle in one of the cave labyrinths in the American Inventor chose several dozens of stalactites in the vast Lurey cave, which, when struck with a hammer, made a sound corresponding to the tone of any note. Then he systematized the search results, after which he equipped each stalactite with a percussion mechanism. Having connected all the devices into one circuit, the engineer connected to it a computer with an electronic module containing a database of various melodies. It remains to select any song and press the button. A bright light flashed in the cave and music began to sound. The impression was amazing, because the natural acoustics in the underground labyrinth perfectly reflects the slightest nuances of sound.
glass harmonica
In the middle of the 18th century, all of London, from pubs to aristocratic salons, was embraced by fashionable entertainment - "Irish gadgets", that is, extracting sounds from thin glass glasses by sliding a finger along its edge. The tone of the sound depended on the level of the water poured into the vessel.
The notorious Benjamin Franklin, who was then the US ambassador to London, took up the manufacture of a musical instrument called the "glass harmonica" in his spare time. The principle of operation of the device consisted in the rotation of 48 glasses without legs of different sizes, mounted on one axis and half immersed in a bath of water. The touch of the musician's fingers to the edges of the rotating glasses caused a deep and strong sound. At the same time, it was even possible to select a melody by alternating touches on different parts of the glass set.
In the next few decades, the unusual instrument was a popular means of entertainment, but one day it was declared the cause of many ills, such as quarrels in the family, nervous breakdowns, and unreasonable anxiety of dogs and cats. The harmonica was banned and forgotten. However, a certain musician Bruno Hoffman not only continued to use the instrument, but even released several records recording his jazz compositions on a glass harmonica.
"Coil"
The unique instrument was created by a priest from the French city of Auxerre, Edme Guillaume. Not all churches and cathedrals had an organ, and all choirs needed musical accompaniment. The serpent, as the instrument is called, was a repeatedly bent pipe of their wood, covered with leather. Its total length was three meters, which made it possible to achieve a strong and beautiful sound. Six holes were located on the pipe, blocking which the musician could play a simple melody. In the second half of the 17th century, the serpent settled in military bands, and then in the court. At the same time, the instrument was improved, the holes were closed with valves, and the bone mouthpiece was made removable.
Currently, the serpent is used in concert programs dedicated to ancient musical works. He is also attracted to work by contemporary authors, such as Judith Weir, who writes for the theater. Or composer Jerry Goldsmith, who tries to make his works for cinema as interesting as possible in sound.
Sakuleita
In 2002, musician Monty Levinson took a conventional valve-operated orchestral flute and combined it with a Japanese bamboo shakuhachi pipe.
Folk Japanese music in the early 20th century firmly established itself in Europe. And by the middle of the last century, the shakuhachi ethnic instrument began to be used in many concert performances by famous performers. The first popularizer of the Japanese was Bill Walker from Jamaica, who played it at almost every performance.
In the sixties, the Japanese flute participated in concerts of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. In the 80s, the ethnic pipe from the Land of the Rising Sun further strengthened its position. Then the shakuhachi was combined with a European-style orchestral flute - thus another unusual musical instrument appeared, which is called the sakuleita.
Entertainment or art
The most unusual musical instruments are of interest primarily for their appearance. They are unlike the usual piano, guitar, saxophone. Each one is sure to have a zest that makes the instrument unique. Unusual musical instruments, photos of which, if it is not possible to see with your own eyes, always arouse great interest and, of course, are part of the culture of the country in which they appeared. There are museums where unique exhibits of historical and antiquarian value are collected.
Playing unusual musical instruments can also be special, not like common ways. And the principle of sound extraction is far from always clear.
We have previously written about musical instruments that sound unusual and look interesting, but do not become popular. They are, as they say, "known in certain circles" - for example, among fans of ethnic music or in a subculture.
On the importance of sound and the difference in approaches
Sound is important for creating suspense and atmosphere. Even the most monstrous monsters do not inspire the right level of fear and horror if they remain silent dummies - especially in our culture, where silent films can only captivate as a subject of nostalgia.Moreover, the opposite is also true - the sound can turn the most ordinary scenes into scary ones, and realistic characters without disgusting makeup - into monsters.
The purpose of traditional musical instruments is to create a harmonious sound that is pleasing to the human ear. But in horror films (and, by the way, horror games), the sound and musical accompaniment performs the exact opposite function - it should frighten, cause horror, discomfort and discomfort.
Therefore, instruments that make unusual sounds are favored by sound engineers and composers of horror films - they allow you to go beyond the tonality that is comfortable for the ear and create unusual and frightening sounds.
You can find many relevant samples in digital libraries of sound effects, but they are not diverse enough, often repetitive and lose their effectiveness. To create a truly uncomfortable atmosphere, composers need to look for new and unexpected combinations of sounds. We have already written about the theremin - a regular "guest" of frightening and straining soundtracks. But there are other instruments that seem to have been specially created for recording music for horror films.
waterphone
An instrument primarily used for film soundtracks, where it creates an unusual, ethereal or piercing sound. Was invented in 1968 by Richard A. Waters. It can be heard on the soundtracks for The Matrix and Poltergeist.Waterphone is a round bowl with monolithic bronze rods of different lengths along the edges. The bowl is filled with water and serves as a resonator. Because of the water, the sound is obtained as if vibrating. The waterphone is usually played with a bow, but sometimes unusual sounds are made by striking with a rod or rubber mallet. The sound depends on the length of the rods or the position of the water in the bowl.
The waterphone allows you to extract microtones (musical intervals less than a semitone), which is why the waterphone sounds so different from ordinary musical instruments in a standard 12-tone temperament scale.
Richard Waters himself explained that the popularity of the waterphone among sound designers and sound engineers is due to the fact that "its sound reflects the Strange and Unknown: aliens, ghosts, unusual states of consciousness and drug effects, death - waterphone sounds are often used to illustrate everything This".
Only one company in America has the right to produce real waterphones - one tool costs from $ 1,100. Interestingly, the waterphone sometimes resembles the song of whales - there were cases when, using this tool, researchers managed to attract killer whales.
Here is an example of how the waterphone sounds in one of the songs from Howard Goodall's musical Dreaming.
Yaibahar
This musical instrument is a recent invention of a Turkish musician named Görkem Şen. It sounds like electronic music from old horror films, although the yibakhar is an acoustic instrument that does not contain anything electronic.The main components of the yaibahar are a long neck (like a guitar) with two strings and a membrane (large and small). The membranes are connected to the neck with two long springs that begin to vibrate with every touch. The musician extracts the sound with a bow, and the vibration of the strings, reflected from the membranes, is bizarrely refracted, creating an echo effect. You can also hit the membranes like the elements of a drum kit.
By the way, yaibakhar quickly found fans - some of them create their own instruments of this kind. For example, in this blog, one of the enthusiasts talks in detail about how and from what he made his own yaibahar.
Shen plays both his own improvisations and music written for other instruments on the yaibahar, such as piano works by the French composer Erik Satie. But, most likely, composers of horror films will discover this instrument with its alien sound very soon.
The Apprehension Engine
A real "factory" for the production of sound effects for horror films.This instrument (or rather, a whole system of instruments) was created by guitar luthier Tony Duggan-Smith (
