# Non-traditional instrument in rock/pop **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 16, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867 "2014-06-16T01:08:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bunyupp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@bunyupp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bunyupp)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/1 "2014-06-16T01:08:12Z")
I’m a big fan of the (now defunct) Japanese band **Kagrra,**. One of their guitarists also played a Japanese string instrument called a _Koto_ (as in this song [Uzu](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8woBp3h0IU)). I remember Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones played the marimba in [“Under My Thumb”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcgZIz0Fd-w), and John Entwhistle of The Who played the french horn. Are there any other bands where one of the regular musicians plays a non-traditional instrument, both in the studio and live? Thanks in advance. (p.s. the bands name has a comma at the end 😕) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/2 "2014-06-16T01:13:49Z")
Several bands have had flute players, including Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues, and Greg Ham of Men at Work. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/3 "2014-06-16T01:13:57Z")
The Beach Boys used a [Theremin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/4 "2014-06-16T01:18:38Z")
Well, there’s the cowbell in (Don’t Fear) The Reaper. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/5 "2014-06-16T01:19:26Z")
It’s a Beautiful Day featured a violin-playing front man, David Laflamme. Lyle Lovett’s Large Band features a cellist. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/6 "2014-06-16T01:34:48Z")
Thanks to Gravity’s frontman (Andy Happel) plays violin as well. (they’ve disbanded, but were great). Ashley MacIsaac, plays a fiddle most of the time (except one album) and sometimes does traditional celtic music, but sometimes does rock and roll. Tanzwut is a metal band with a bagpiper. Apocalyptica plays metal on 4 cellos. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/7 "2014-06-16T01:54:51Z")
The E Street Band had saxophonist Clarence Clemens as part of their line-up. A lot of rock bands have brought in an occasional saxophonist but few have one as a regular member. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/8 "2014-06-16T01:59:58Z")
> [@bunyupp](#): > > I remember Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones played the marimba in [“Under My Thumb”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcgZIz0Fd-w), and John Entwhistle of The Who played the french horn. From that same generation, how about George Harrison’s sitar in “Norwegian Wood” (studio work). ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/9 "2014-06-16T02:18:23Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Several bands have had flute players, including Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues, and Greg Ham of Men at Work. Martin Barre also played marimba for Tull. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/10 "2014-06-16T02:47:24Z")
David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” features a stylophone. The mid-'70s band _Sailor_ regularly used a keyboard instrument of their own invention, that they called the _nickelodeon_. _Curved Air_ featured Darryl Way’s electric violin. And, of course, the _Velvet Underground_ had John Cale on viola. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/11 "2014-06-16T02:52:16Z")
**Cleis Pierce** played an electric viola in the art-rock band [McKenzie Theory.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacKenzie_Theory#Personnel) [Almost every member of Gentle Giant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentle_Giant#Personnel) played instruments unusual for rock music, including recorder, “Shulberry” (3-string custom electric ukulele), vibraphone, xylophone, mandolin, clarinet. Frank Zappa and his bands of course have played almost anything, [including a bicycle.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9P2V0_p6vE&feature=kp) ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/12 "2014-06-16T02:54:29Z")
_[Juicy Lucy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juicy_Lucy)_ featured a steel guitar played by Glenn Campbell (no, not _that_ Glenn Campbell) very much in a rock style, very different from the way it is more traditionally used in country music. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/13 "2014-06-16T03:03:14Z")
_The Doors_, most unusually for a rock band, did not have a regular bass guitarist. Although they used a session bassist in the studio sometimes, when live (and I think on some studio tracks too), organist Ray Manzarek would play the bass line on a Fender Rhodes piano bass (whilst playing the other keyboard parts with his right hand). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/14 "2014-06-16T03:09:07Z")
The Bonzo Dog Band had members playing the euphonium, trumpet, tuba, harpsichord, banjo, spoons, accordion, tap dancing, slide whistle, and a trouser press. The Lovin’ Spoonful often had John Sebastian on autoharp, at least on some of their TV performances. Otis Taylor plays blues, but often includes a cello and a banjo in his songs. The Who also wanted a cello for “A Quick One While He’s Away,” but since none of the band played one, they sang, “cello, cello, cello, cello, cello.” 🙂 And while Springsteen was one of the last groups to have a saxophonist, they were very common in early rock: the Dave Clark Five, for instance, had one. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/15 "2014-06-16T03:35:03Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The Bonzo Dog Band had members playing the euphonium, trumpet, tuba, harpsichord, banjo, spoons, accordion, tap dancing, slide whistle, and a trouser press. and [theremin leg](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHWFJYoi5tM). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/16 "2014-06-16T03:57:24Z")
Morphine: Two string bass, tritar (bass string and 2 guitar strings), baritone and bass saxophone. The Presidents of the United States of America From Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > Ballew and Dederer/McKeag play a basitar and guitbass, which are regular, six-string guitars with special modifications: Ballew’s instrument has two bass strings (with which he plays bass parts), and Dederer/McKeag’s instrument has three guitar strings (used to play guitar parts). The original idea came from Morphine frontman Mark Sandman, with whom Ballew had previously worked. > **[The Presidents of the United States of America (band)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidents_of_the_United_States_of_America_(band))** > > The Presidents of the United States of America (occasionally referred to as PUSA, PotUSA, the Presidents of the USA, or simply the Presidents) were an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1993. The three-piece group's initial lineup consisted of vocalist and bassist Chris Ballew, drummer Jason Finn, and guitarist Dave Dederer. The band became popular in the mid-1990s for their hits "Lump" and "Peaches"—released in 1995 and 1996, respectively—which helped their self-titled debut... ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/17 "2014-06-16T04:18:23Z")
[The Dropkick Murphys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR4tTQVjHUI) also use a bagpipe. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/18 "2014-06-16T04:24:11Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > The Beach Boys used a [Theremin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin). If you’re thinking of “Good Vibrations,” technically it was a “Tannerin” or “Electro-Theramin.” [Here’s what it looks like](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhlQ27fbQ30). It’s different enough (IMHO) to point out the distinction. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/19 "2014-06-16T04:41:23Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Several bands have had flute players, including Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues, and Greg Ham of Men at Work. Burton Cummings played the flute in the Guess Who classic “Undun”. The Canadian band Saga had a member who sometimes played the clarinet. One of the original videos to air on the fledgling MTV was by a band called Art in America, which had a harpist. And of course, there’s accordionist “Weird Al” Yankovic. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867/20 "2014-06-16T04:42:53Z")
The New York Rock & Roll Ensemble featured members who played oboe, English horn, cello, trumpet, and French horn. Ian Anderson plays balalaika on several tracks on the album _Stand Up._ The [swarmandal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarmandal) is used on several Beatles songs. On “Alabama Song”, Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek plays a [marxophone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxophone). The [clavioline](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavioline) is featured on Del Shannon’s “Runaway”, the Tornados’ “Telstar”, and the Beatles’ “Baby You’re a Rich Man”. The Troggs’ “Wild Thing” includes an ocarina solo. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-instrument-in-rock-pop/690867.md?page=2)