# Post a video of an arcane musical instrument **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [August 21, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011 "2019-08-21T17:29:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/1 "2019-08-21T17:29:55Z")
You are hereby invited to post a link to a video demonstrating a performance on an uncommon, but not one-of-a-kind, musical instrument. By “uncommon” I mean an instrument that most folks would not be able to name when looking at it, even if they may have heard music that was made by that instrument before. For bonus points, add a link to the relevant Wikipedia page so we can all learn more. I’ll start with two examples: [The theorbo,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theorbo) a stringed instrument that was developed in Italy in the 1500s. [Here’s a demo.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVabz8LneI4) [The sheng,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheng_(instrument)) a Chinese wind instrument that goes back a few thousand years. [Here’s a demo.](https://youtu.be/VrZghGJZP6M?t=17) What else ya got? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/2 "2019-08-21T17:53:06Z")
My favorite, the [theremin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin). Here’s “[Over the Rainbow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6KbEnGnymk)”. You control the pitch and volume based on proximity of your hands to it; you don’t actually touch it. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/3 "2019-08-21T17:57:26Z")
Kind of the opposite of yours - ie, a very new instrument - we have the [Otamatone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otamatone), a synthesizer that looks like cross between a tadpole and a musical note. I don’t think anybody’s actually written anything specifically for otamatone, yet, but they’re popular for covers… Just to show how they’re played, let’s open with [the Final Fantasy VII boss battle music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q02ADmCKH7w)…and then segue into [someone having a bit more fun with the presentation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjOyl6zS-eU)… ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/4 "2019-08-21T17:57:50Z")
[Waterphone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foSJstDFDfg), you may not recognize the name, but you’ve probably heard the [del]music[/del] noise it makes. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/5 "2019-08-21T18:07:54Z")
The [gayageum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayageum), a traditional, zither-like instrument from Korea. I follow a Korean gayageum player on Youtube, who uses the instrument to play Western rock songs. [Here’s her version of AC/DC’s “Back in Black.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zog9xxAA0Ls) ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/6 "2019-08-21T18:18:40Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > [The theorbo,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theorbo) a stringed instrument that was developed in Italy in the 1500s. [Here’s a demo.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVabz8LneI4) The theorbo was the first instrument that came to my mind. Here’s [another performance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeUcGD4rRRc) using it. > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > [The sheng,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheng_(instrument)) a Chinese wind instrument that goes back a few thousand years. [Here’s a demo.](https://youtu.be/VrZghGJZP6M?t=17) I wasn’t aware of that one. I did a Youtube search and scrolled down beyond the videos of the sheng being used to play Nintendo and Super Mario themes, and managed to find a video of it being used to play [traditional Chinese music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66xu3kn3Jc4). Cool instrument - looks like something one might see played in a _Star Wars_ cantina band. What about the medieval [organistrum](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg5J1cQs7CM)? Here it is on a [12th-century bas-relief](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Organistrumsantiago20060414.jpg). It tends to need two people to play, one to play the notes and the other to [turn the crank](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2OLz5uuE_5M/hqdefault.jpg). It’s the ancestor of other instruments like [the hurdy-gurdy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h4yJcauhFo&feature=youtu.be&t=82). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/7 "2019-08-21T18:22:50Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > TWhat about the medieval [organistrum](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg5J1cQs7CM)? Here it is on a [12th-century bas-relief](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Organistrumsantiago20060414.jpg). It tends to need two people to play, one to play the notes and the other to [turn the crank](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2OLz5uuE_5M/hqdefault.jpg). It’s the ancestor of other instruments like [the hurdy-gurdy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h4yJcauhFo&feature=youtu.be&t=82). I was, in fact, about to add the [hurdy-gurdy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy-gurdy) to the thread – in this case, it might be an instrument that people are likely to have heard of, but not be familiar with what it looks like or how it sounds. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/8 "2019-08-21T18:27:20Z")
[Morin khuur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morin_khuur), or horsehead fiddle. [Mongolian Morin khuur - Galloping Horses 万马奔腾 - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUNx-ZBP99s) [Topshur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topshur), a type of lute from western Mongolia. [The Hu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hu), a Mongolian heavy metal band that uses both. [The HU - Wolf Totem (Official Music Video) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8dCGIm6yc) (Lyrics in Mongolian. Turn on the closed captioning to see an English translation.) ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/9 "2019-08-21T18:28:30Z")
An ancient Roman [hydraulis or water organ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZey_H8qmQA). ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/10 "2019-08-21T18:38:37Z")
[Armonica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_harmonica), or glass harmonica Traditional version: Benjamin Franklin’s version: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSK_qObahWY) ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/11 "2019-08-21T18:50:09Z")
Schubert’s sonata for Arpeggione is very famous but is almost always played on some other instrument, usually the cello. Here is the real deal: [https://youtu.be/do9UgdfwM5Q](https://youtu.be/do9UgdfwM5Q) ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/12 "2019-08-21T18:52:02Z")
A couple of cool traditional instruments still in use: [Kora](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8luhdxS2KuM) (West Africa) [Rudra Veena](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjiLUruF8XU&feature=youtu.be&t=181) (Indian subcontinent) ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/13 "2019-08-21T19:08:19Z")
The [viola organista](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoZOkGtygjk). Here it is on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_organista). It’s a Leonardo da Vinci invention (though he never built one). It’s a way to use a piano keyboard to play a collection of bowed strings (as opposed to hit strings like on a piano), using a rotating drum that makes contact with the strings. A more modern idea based on the same concept, the [wheelharp](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT4OxLLI4m4). That youtube link is not the greatest quality/example, so here it is on [Soundcloud](https://soundcloud.com/antiquitymusic/wheelharp-i-voyage-of-time-i). Just beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/14 "2019-08-21T19:09:20Z")
Probably not as obscure to Americans as some of the amazing ones that have already been posted, but here are the [Uilleann pipes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uilleann_pipes) (Irish bagpipes, or “union pipes”). Unlike the more well-known Scottish bagpipes, the Uilleann pipes are inflated by a bellows that the player operates with their elbow. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4MxFsk4sYM4/maxresdefault.jpg "Uilleann piping") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MxFsk4sYM4) ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/15 "2019-08-21T19:36:57Z")
[Rediscovering Ancient Greek Music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hOK7bU0S1Y) Aulos (double pipes) and chorus. Reconstructed ancient scores of Athenaeus Paean (127 BC) and Euripides Orestes chorus (408 BC). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/16 "2019-08-21T19:50:38Z")
You may want to checkout Rob Scallon’s Youtube channel. He goes and talks to people about some really obscure instruments, including some that have already been mentioned here. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/17 "2019-08-21T19:59:11Z")
I really hope that **Machine Elf’s** next post is going to be, “now that you’ve all named your instrument, we will all be meeting for a concert performance using said instrument. You have two weeks to learn to play it.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/18 "2019-08-21T20:21:41Z")
[The Apprehension Engine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzk-l8Gm0MY) ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/19 "2019-08-21T20:34:42Z")
The [Stroh violin](https://youtu.be/IkO5y-To3H0), a stringed instrument with a metal resonator and attached horn. It just doesn’t quite look like the parts belong together. ---
**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:** [August 21, 2019, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/20 "2019-08-21T21:29:39Z")
The [ondes martenot](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yidV0HeVyCg), a crazy-ass early electronic music instrument (debuted in 1928). Gorgeous sound with a range of timbres. Wonderfully expressive. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011.md?page=2)