IN THE WORLD
SHREYA BOSE
THE STRANGEST MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
IN THE WORLD
It is astounding enough to know that the Hawaiian people have an ancient practice in which a leaf is made to whistle. In other words, they play a leaf much like someone you or someone you know would play a clarinet. However, turns out that there are far more interesting, curious and sometimes strange devices that serve as instruments. Take a peek at the list below to get your jaw dropping.
THE 12 NECK GUITAR
Yes, that is a thing. Japanese artist Yoshihiko Satoh combines massproduced guitars in order to“ unleash the energy residing in their function and shape”. That has led to him turning them into these incredible sculptures that could easily replace paintings on walls. They might be a tad difficult to play, but no doubt that if it could be managed, the sounds they produce would be unmatched. One should possibly try to get Cheap Trick’ s Rick Nielson to try one of these, given that his instrument is a custom 1981 Hamer that includes a 12 string, a 6 string, a 6 string with a whammy, another 6 string and a fretless 6 string. Five necks. Can twelve be all that difficult for him?
THEREMIN
Named after its creator, Leon Theremin, this instrument stands out for the strangest of reasons – you play it without touching it. The thereminist waves their hands in air( in very specific ways, though to the uninitiated, it might look like they are trying to summon a demon), causing an eerie tone to be spun out of nothing( or so it appears). Two antennas and the thereminist’ s hands’ distance from each determined the quality and pitch of the sound. The distance from one antenna determines frequency( pitch), and the distance from the other controls amplitude( volume). Higher notes are played by moving the hand closer to the pitch antenna. Louder notes are played by moving the hand away from the volume antenna.
The theremin has been featured in soundtracks of movies like Miklós Rózsa’ s Spellbound, The Lost Weekend, and Bernard Herrmann’ s The Day the Earth Stood Still, theme songs for television shows such as Midsomer Murders. Its sound is exceptionally suited for eerie, ominous or anticipatory scenarios( Dr. Hannibal Lecter playing the thing in the 1999 eponymous novel)
THE VEGETABLE ORCHESTRA
An entire musical group from Austria that plays their music on instruments made out of fresh vegetables. The ensemble consists of musicians, visual artists, architects, designers, media artists, writers and sound poets who play with pumpkins, peppers, carrots, turnips, broccoli and a very healthy selection of organic produce. The Orchestra is far from a gimmick, having been in operation for seventeen years. The musicians have to be not only skilled at being able to extract sound out of greens, but also at picking the right vegetables from the market before every performance( unlike other musicians’ their instruments tend to rot), shape them appropriately so that they function as an instrument and practise for hours. Try catching up with their performances on Youtube, and if someone ever tells you that its not polite to play with your food, show it to them too.
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