10 Weird Instruments Actually Played – Part I
Harpolyre
In the 19th century a lot of experimentation was going on around guitar design: be it the number of strings, the decorations or the shape of the instrument, many different and unique guitar-ish instruments were born. Most of them never left its embrionary stage, but some, as the harpolyre, did, even if just for some time. Invented around 1820, this 21 string beast sounds more like if a harp, a guitar and a bass were merged together, and despite the odd looks, listening to the works of Sor or Carcassi (written specifically to be played with a harpolyre) is really thrilling.
One of the most well-known guitarists currently embracing the harpolyre is John Doan. Check his website: http://www.johndoan.com/ for more information regarding this piece of art.
Theremin
In the beginning of the twentieth century, and with the advent of a civil war, Russian researchers invented some sort of proximity detector. It was basically a device with an antennae surrounded by a magnetic field; whenever the natural electric charge of the human body crossed that field, audible frequencies were produced. And electronic music was born.
Nowadays, this eerie, haunting sound is very appreciated and en vogue among contemporary musicians, in various genres. Besides its regular usage in classical music compositions, more mainstream bands like Portishead, Air, Beach Boys, Radiohead or Rage Against The Machine often used this magical instrument in their songs. Recently, Lera Auerbach's The Little Mermaid put the theremin to a very interesting usage, with its sound being the mermaid's voice all through the piece.
You can find several good videos of Theremin playing, but this cover of Gnarls Barkley "Crazy" is just outstanding and a true example of what can be achieved with it.
Hang Drum
Probably one of the youngest instruments around, the hang drum was invented in the year 2000, and merged concepts from ancient percussion instruments such as the ghatam or the steelpan. The result is a beautiful, glowing sound, something in-between gongs and a metallophone. As the harmonies sound pretty intensely, it became a great instrument both for solo and group playing.
In recent years, the hang drum went through major exposure due to the internet video boom (also known as the youtube years), and its demand increased exponentially, but finding or buying one is quite hard, mostly because the company that manufactures them doesn't even have a website. According to various sources such as this one, if you can't make it to Switzerland with $500+ in your pockets, you won't be able to buy one.
Glass Harmonica
The glass harmonica was invented in 1761 by Benjamin Franklin (yes, that one). The basic principle of this instrument is pretty much the same as when you run the tip of your (previously wet) finger in a glass or a cup: the friction will make a sound, and the size of the echo chamber (the emptiness within the glass) will determine the pitch of the note. Putting that together with a pedal-driven mechanism similar to old sewing machines, Benjamin was able to devise an instrument with a nice, comforting feel to it, something that produces a fulfilling background to any piece.
Oddly enough, rumors had it that playing glass harmonica was getting yourself a curse, back in the days. Apparently, the glasses' material - lead glass - slowly penetrated the player's skin, which eventually would poison him. Because of these rumors and deaths, the instrument's popularity decreased, and composers stopped writing pieces to be played with it. Only in the middle of the twentieth century the glass harmonica had its revival, being reinvented by Gerhard B. Finkenbeiner. Nowadays, it's usage is relatively common in avant garde contemporary music.
Stay tuned for part two, where more oddities will arise!
