unique musical instruments

Started by seamus, Mar 05, 2008, 04:07 PM

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Hawkeye

Post any unique musical instruments you may come across here.  They could be unique in appearance (a uniquely shaped guitar, etc.) or in design.  So I saw the Black Lips last friday and Quintron and Miss Pussycat were opening.  I could barely see the stage.  I could see the dancers' heads and Quintron's head, but I had no idea what kind of instrument he was playing.  Here it is.  I think he was playing this and the guitar simultaneously?  I'm still not sure on that, but this Drum Buddy thing he made looks (and sounds) pretty cool.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.eccentricneworleans.com/images/Qdrumglamshot.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.eccentricneworleans.com/the_drum_buddy.htm&h=381&w=398&sz=12&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=_0k39dx-0GzFrM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddrum%2Bbuddy%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

A guy I met at the bar the other night told me he made one of these (a laser harp)

We could.

Hawkeye

Here's an image of the Drum Buddy for anyone too lazy to follow the link  ;)


We could.


tomEisenbraun

I actually built my own string instrument a few weeks back. It's sort of just a box with two large bridges and six guitar strings strung over them. They're so high off the soundbox that you can't fret them against anything, so what you do is you put a finger or two underneatht he string you're playing (and it's bowed with a cello bow, by the way), and you just pull on it to alter the pitch. It's a little bit more effective and precise than moving your fingers across the strings, and it actually helps pull out the harmonic you're looking for. Here's a couple pictures--I'll upload my recorded sample as soon as this is posted...

The river is moving. The blackbird must be flying.

tomEisenbraun

and go here: www.reverbnation.com/tomeisenbraun and click on Eisenklangen at the bottom.

Eisen is iron in German, and klangen is sound, or some variance on the verb "to sound" or "to make sound". I thought it was relatively appropriate? The Iron Sound?
The river is moving. The blackbird must be flying.

ManNamedTruth

Quoteand go here: www.reverbnation.com/tomeisenbraun and click on Eisenklangen at the bottom.

Eisen is iron in German, and klangen is sound, or some variance on the verb "to sound" or "to make sound". I thought it was relatively appropriate? The Iron Sound?

wow, very eerie!
That's motherfuckin' John Oates!

EC

eugene chadbourne customizes his own instruments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h5qF3SwWXc

my friend eric makes cool things, like he made this skateboard, electronic thing that he plays with his drums - he made this music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-pNCBX7h08

a cool place in our city called mitzi's sister hangs this dude's homemade instruments on the wall.  they are totally wicked, and apparently completely playable:
http://inersoddbits.blogspot.com/2006/11/mitzis-sister-show.html

and this was a cool discovery in one of my favourite parks: http://toronto.ourfaves.com/things/Lamp_post_bass - totally works and is in tune.

TEO

Just bought a seed pod  varnished and finished that you rattle for a rhythm instrument.
"You are only as young as the last time you changed your mind" T. Leary