Grab a guitar, an electric bass, and a drum set and you have access to infinite possibilities. Different genres. Different grooves. Different tones and different songs. But sometimes you find yourself wanting something else. You need a sound that makes listeners ask, "What’s that?" You need a sound that changes the entire piece of music by its presence. That sound becomes your hook, the thing that makes you memorable. For moments when a showstopping new instrumental sound is required, here are five bizarre instruments you’ve probably never heard of. And now you’ll never forget them.
What’s a mbira? It’s the African instrument commonly known as a thumb piano. Flexible metal keys are plucked with the fingers; you’ll develop some amazing calluses playing one. But usually mbiras have only a handful of keys, an octave at most.
This giant mbira, complete with pickups and stereo output jacks, gives you five octaves to work with, and a tone that just won’t quit. It’s small enough to carry around and could be swapped in anytime you might normally use keyboards or an arpeggiated guitar. The achievements of Sting (musical and otherwise) are well known; you can join him as an early mbira adopter.
The crumhorn isn’t an instrument you’ll find on the rack at your local full-service music store. If there are any around at all, you’ll find them at a college early-music department. Hear note one of a crumhorn piece, and you’re transported to an era of jousting tournaments and court jesters. You’ve probably heard them a million times on period-film soundtracks and never known just what horn it was. In modern music, this one seems destined to fit in with nylon-string guitars in a folk or new-age setting, possibly drenched in reverb. You’re allowed to skip the tunic and neck ruffle if you’d prefer.
This is an instrument that most people have heard of but have no idea what one is. You also probably wouldn’t recognize it if you heard it. Well, you will now. Somewhere, there’s an alternate universe in which the hurdy-gurdy is the main melodic instrument in lots of bands. It’s got an unmistakable droning tone, and through the combination of crank speed and left-hand technique, offers a great range of expression.
Most people who see and hear this percussive metal UFO assume it has a Jamaican or Asian origin, but it’s actually Swiss and invented recently. It’s pronounced hong, and finding one of your own might be difficult. They’re expensive, rare, and handmade, and their inventors have retired from production to create another extraordinary new instrument.
I’m not sure this clearly homemade instrument has an official name… it’s just a neck, a resonator, and a string with a stick to beat it with and a bottle used like a guitar slide. The principle is the same as an American banjo or the Persian kamanche. However, the scale on this one is something special, as is the abandon and joy of performer Gasper Nali. Without too much effort, you could probably build one of these in your garage using wood scraps and steel cable. And you probably should.
Jesse Sterling Harrison is an author, recording artist, and part-time farmer. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, three daughters, and a herd of ducks.