The world has many strange things that appear naturally but without rational explanation. At least manmade items are semi-explainable because the creators should have had a reason to create them. In the name of music, these five bizarre instruments are worth hearing -- and possibly playing -- for at least once in anyone's life.
America's backyard has its own breed of truly strange instruments. In Europe came trumpets and pianos but in America came the hybrid of everything in the form of the American Fotoplayer. Imagine modern digital keyboards with the number of sounds they can produce -- except all the instruments are in a single instrument. It is gigantic and was made during the early 20th century.
Manzer Guitars is a known manufacturer of all types of guitars. But one could not fathom how much Pablo Picasso's abstract paintings would influence their works. The Pikasso Guitar is an instrument with strings going in all places. There is only once fretboard, which also serves as the main guitar accompaniment and the four other string heads with winders are tuned to a guitarist's liking. Yes, with 42 strings, one could make an entire piece of music given a high playing proficiency level.
From France comes the Octobass, the legacy of which it owes to Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. A double bass, the typical two-arm approach plays the main melody while an intricate set of foot controls the other. According to Classic FM, French Romantic music composer Hector Berlioz fell in love with the instrument and immersed it deeply in his pieces.
One could ask, "what the heck is a Sharpsichord?" and one could utter another expression of awe upon seeing the look of Henry Dagg's unique instrument. Do not mistake it for a newspaper-printing machine -- which it closely resembles. Dagg, a Sound Sculptor, made an 11-cylinder harpsichord that strikes internal strings like a music box.
According to List25, the Crwth, pronounced or known as "crowd" or "crouth," does not sound as bizarre as its name, but looks as strange as its spelling. List25 says it had originated from Wales and was in full use since the 11th century. It also sounds like a thin violin or even a fiddle.
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