# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/21 "2019-08-21T21:30:20Z")
**Marxophone**. Video (_She Is Still A Mystery_) shows John Sebastian playing one on top of an electric keyboard. The instrument is probably much more recognizable as the “stuttering piano” sound in the Doors’ _Alabama Song_. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvDBwP20FY0) ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/22 "2019-08-21T22:15:11Z")
[quote=“TreacherousCretin, post:21, topic:839011”] **Marxophone**. Video (_She Is Still A Mystery_) shows John Sebastian playing one on top of an electric keyboard. The instrument is probably much more recognizable as the “stuttering piano” sound in the Doors’ _Alabama Song_. [/QUOTE] A junque shoppe near me had one for sale, but it needed too much work. How cool is it that the theremin was invented 90 years ago, and is still so strange and amazing? ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/23 "2019-08-22T05:16:05Z")
The sousaphone is probably far more common than anything mentioned so far, yet it fits the OP’s requirements beautifully. I doubt if more than 1% of non-musicians could supply the name when face-to-face with one. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hmivraqoEKY/maxresdefault.jpg "Sousaphone and Tuba - Jam Session") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmivraqoEKY) ---
**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 22, 2019, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/24 "2019-08-22T10:31:04Z")
The [shamisen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamisen) is a Japanese fretless stringed instrument. As one commenter on this video said, “it’s like a cool Japanese banjo you play with a paint scraper.” 😃 If you’ve seen the movie “Kubo and the Two Strings,” the featured instrument was a shamisen - but Kubo never played it quite like the Yoshida brothers: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MgN_xIHqLUA/hqdefault.jpg "YOSHIDA BROTHERS -- Kodo") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgN_xIHqLUA) ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/25 "2019-08-22T13:19:39Z")
The mellotron is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument, where each key drives a magnetic tape. On each tape is recorded a sample of an instrument like flute, string, or voices. But since the sound is prerecorded, you could actually get it to play anything. Here’s Paul McCartney demonstrating one: [Paul McCartney demonstrates the Mellotron - YouTube](https://youtu.be/tTKPW92ndUA) ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/26 "2019-08-22T13:51:22Z")
The Chapman Stick is a stringed electric instrument meant to be played like a giant guitar fretboard. Typical models have 10 or 12 strings and can produce quite a wide range. Having so many strings gives you lots of opportunities for interesting tunings as well. [Demo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYKB6Lag-wg). ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/27 "2019-08-22T15:22:29Z")
[Harp guitar](https://youtu.be/jN3439l4HR0?t=55) > [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > The mellotron is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument, where each key drives a magnetic tape. On each tape is recorded a sample of an instrument like flute, string, or voices. But since the sound is prerecorded, you could actually get it to play anything. Here’s Paul McCartney demonstrating one… The [flamenco guitar at the beginning of Bungalo Bill](https://youtu.be/Fe8g1wlNAPo) was played using a single key on a mellotron. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/28 "2019-08-22T23:13:50Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > [Harp guitar](https://youtu.be/jN3439l4HR0?t=55) > > The [flamenco guitar at the beginning of Bungalo Bill](https://youtu.be/Fe8g1wlNAPo) was played using a single key on a mellotron. Seems to me that only shows how a Mellotron could play back a prerecorded unaltered tape loop. Doesn’t really demonstrate what the instrument could _do_ with tape loops, and the unique sounds that resulted. ---
**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 23, 2019, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/29 "2019-08-23T01:08:43Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Seems to me that only shows how a Mellotron could play back a prerecorded unaltered tape loop. Doesn’t really demonstrate what the instrument could _do_ with tape loops, and the unique sounds that resulted. Here are a couple of videos with Mike Pinder (former keyboard player with The Moody Blues, who also worked at the factory where the Mellotron was made), doing some demonstrations of the instrument. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajGdNTFxRy0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llhy6GJcyt4 ---
**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:** [August 23, 2019, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/30 "2019-08-23T01:56:34Z")
[A contrabass saxophone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXBeu7o9uUM) ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/31 "2019-08-23T04:57:54Z")
Damn, you all stole hurdy gurdy. An instrument I own, [Stylophone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTOSXc4su8c). [Autoharp, by PJ Harvey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OMOkOMemyE). Is that a Dobro as well? [Harry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrJDdt5OS_Y) [Partch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_instruments_by_Harry_Partch). [Gamelan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEWCCSuHsuQ) The various [handpans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRwIW0D02xw)get internet famous sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/32 "2019-08-23T07:30:46Z")
The Kalimba. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RWWfhzsvetg/maxresdefault.jpg "Kalimba---Canon卡农") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWWfhzsvetg) I own a 17 key one very similar to the one in the video. They’re relatively inexpensive on Amazon. It uses a tabular notation similar to guitar. I’m trying to learn to play it but I’m finding it more difficult than it looks. Wikipedia redirects “kalimba” to “mbira”, the African instrument that it’s based on. > **[Mbira](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbira)** > > Varies, see Tuning > Mbira (/əmˈbɪərə/ əm-BEER-ə) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with the thumbs (at minimum), the right forefinger (most mbira), and sometimes the left forefinger. Musicologists classify it as a lamellaphone, part of the plucked idiophone family of musical instrume... ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/33 "2019-08-23T12:25:25Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Seems to me that only shows how a Mellotron could play back a prerecorded unaltered tape loop. Doesn’t really demonstrate what the instrument could _do_ with tape loops, and the unique sounds that resulted. Nitpick: the mellotron didn’t use tape loops. If you held down the key long enough, it was possible to reach the end of the tape. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/34 "2019-08-23T12:45:36Z")
[Les Claypool monkeying around](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z79flS6l7Q) with a [Whamola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whamola). ---
**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 23, 2019, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/35 "2019-08-23T13:05:02Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > Nitpick: the mellotron didn’t use tape loops. If you held down the key long enough, it was possible to reach the end of the tape. Yep. Eight seconds. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/36 "2019-08-23T14:24:36Z")
The [Valiha](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iNkNs_wnm8), the bamboo zither of Madagascar. The traditional version doesn’t use strings, instead the fibres of the bamboo body itself are split out and raised on bridges * * * The traditional [San mouth bow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS0n81EG2Xw). ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/37 "2019-08-23T16:37:06Z")
I submit the [melodica,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTWf122wHkw) and the [celestette](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdxseGUTmOU) (or mini-celeste). ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/38 "2019-08-23T16:53:50Z")
The ukelele may not be all THAT exotic, but plaing “Zadok the Priest”? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xXuRitKtaRQ/hqdefault.jpg "Zadok The Priest") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXuRitKtaRQ) ---
**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 23, 2019, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/39 "2019-08-23T16:59:32Z")
The mention of the melodica by romansperson reminded me of one that isn’t technically an instrument in and of itself, but acts as an adjunct to another instrument, to provide a particular sound. The [talk box](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_box) is an ingenious effects pedal, typically paired with an electric guitar, which sends the sound of the instrument into the player’s mouth through a tube, allowing them to then shape the sound with their mouth; a skilled user can make their guitar seem to “talk” using the pedal. Peter Frampton is probably the performer who’s most closely associated with the talk box, as he used it on some of his biggest hits, including “[Show Me the Way](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al9WmowJ3bQ)” and “[Do You Feel Like We Do](https://youtu.be/V9Yq5m9eLIQ?t=451)” (link directs to the talk box solo in the song); it’s so closely associated with Frampton that [he even poked fun at it in a Geico ad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR_Bjf-a5rs) a few years ago. It’s also evident in Joe Perry’s intro on Aerosmith’s “[Sweet Emotion](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwKwoU9cQ_o),” and in the solo on Joe Walsh’s “[Rocky Mountain Way](https://youtu.be/4Fz-mHGXgzs?t=188).” ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011/40 "2019-08-23T17:32:24Z")
Similar to the Uillean pipes, the [Northumbrian pipes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northumbrian_smallpipes), which have a slightly bizarre [boop-y sound](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiuMwskhsGk&list=PLEzvAF-KSmrNdNUuIP69aeudVbDTC4tD2&index=14&t=0s). [Here’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SpWuseQGys)s a TEDx talk about the instrument known as the Jews Harp. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-a-video-of-an-arcane-musical-instrument/839011.md?page=3)