# Virtuosos of obscure or unpopular instruments? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2015, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156 "2015-05-16T03:05:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [May 16, 2015, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/1 "2015-05-16T03:05:59Z")
There are many well known virtuosos (virtuosi?) of popular solo instruments such as the guitar, violin, trumpet, piano, harmonica, even the drums. But are there known virtuosos of more obscure or unpopular instruments, or instruments generally not considered “solo” instruments? Who is the John Popper of the didgeridoo? The Joe Satriani of the mouth harp? The Dizzy Gillespie of the tuba? The Sergei Rachmaninov of the marimba? I think you probably get the idea. Know of any? Links to audio or video would be very much appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/2 "2015-05-16T03:23:12Z")
Gheorghe Zamfir achieved some fame for his popularization of panpipes music. [Here is a particularly lovely sample.](http://panflute.net/zamfir/zamfir.html) A bloke named Steve Tyler got to be a hurdy-gurdy virtuoso. Thomas Bloch became noted on the glass harmonica. And Deborah Fox has a number of recordings of theorbo music. Lovely stuff, all, although the hurdy-gurdy is comparable to the bagpipes in being a challenge for some listeners to enjoy, and some people suffer a terrible “fingernails on the chalkboard” effect from the glass harmonica. If you find anyone who hates theorbo music, I would be quite astonished: it’s a very, very pleasant instrument. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/3 "2015-05-16T03:49:28Z")
Jake Shimabukuro, master of the ukulele. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/4 "2015-05-16T04:20:14Z")
[Manu Delago](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrJVUsnsimw), master of the hang drum (similar to steel drum) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/5 "2015-05-16T04:30:28Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > If you find anyone who hates theorbo music, I would be quite astonished: it’s a very, very pleasant instrument. I thought I’d be the only person in this thread who knew what a theorbo was. I once saw a quartet called the I-90 Collective which included a theorbo player. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/6 "2015-05-16T04:39:28Z")
Back in my college days, I hauled out a banjo and called it a “straight-necked demi-theorbo.” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/7 "2015-05-16T05:05:41Z")
Maestro Anton Karas plays the zither music from [_The Third Man._](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8jN1treRKQ) ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/8 "2015-05-16T05:11:32Z")
For the tambourine, the man is Ray Cooper (jump ahead to the 1:00 mark of [this Elton John clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djAr_9cKYKc)). He’s all over the Rolling Stones track “[Time Waits for No One](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC0Qt1lvLq8)” as well. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/9 "2015-05-16T05:54:15Z")
For percussion in classical music (which includes the marimba), Evelyn Glennie. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/10 "2015-05-16T06:55:20Z")
I’m not sure if he was the acknowledged master, but [David Weiss](http://blogs.kcrw.com/rhythmplanet/rip-david-weiss-master-of-the-musical-saw/) was a virtuoso of the musical saw. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/11 "2015-05-16T07:57:15Z")
Red McKenzie was the virtuoso of [comb and tissue paper](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99iG2WtGe98). Adrian Rollini was the master of three unusual instruments: bass sax, hot fountain pen (a kind of sopranino clarinet) and goofus. You can hear him on the bass sax and hot fountain pen [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KohWo--Nrw8) (the sax comes in at 0:17 and the hot fountain pen comes in at 2:11). The goofus is a sort of multi-reed instrument with a keyboard - you can hear it at 2:33 [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dok5oCtbBDc). ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/12 "2015-05-16T08:06:39Z")
**Pascal Gallois** is a virtuoso bassoonist who specializes in the thorniest contemporary pieces. Major avant-garde composers have written works for him notably **Boulez** , **Rihm** and **Berio**. You can hear a sample of the latter’s _Sequenza XII_ at the bottom of this page: [http://www.pascalgallois.com/fr/sequenza.html](http://www.pascalgallois.com/fr/sequenza.html). The full work can be found on youtube. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/13 "2015-05-16T08:31:38Z")
Aussies [Joseph Tawardros](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTVgAo7bbcQ) and [James Tawardros](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUqE1dPd-Ow) are internationally famed players of the [oud](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oud) and the [riq](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riq) respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/14 "2015-05-16T11:52:51Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > aussies [joseph tawardros](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtvgao7bbcq) and [james tawardros](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuqe1dpd-ow) are internationally famed players of the [oud](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/oud) and the [riq](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/riq) respectively. oouuudd ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/15 "2015-05-16T12:02:51Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Jake Shimabukuro, master of the ukulele. Ah, but his video playing While My Guitar Gently Weeps from a decade ago was a significant contributor to the explosion of interest in the uke since then. > **[WQXR | New York's Classical Music Radio Station](https://www.wqxr.org/)** > > WQXR - New York Public Radio In reading the linked story above, it mentions Wu Man a master of the pipa, a Chinese lute. Wu Man’s (a woman, thankfully, given the English pronunciation of her name ;)) instrument was valued at $50,000 and the artist was going to play with the Kronos Quartet, one of the most respected groups focused on playing new music by classical composers. So clearly a master with a superior instrument - and treated like nobody as they shoved her instrument into the overhead and dropped it. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/16 "2015-05-16T12:27:46Z")
[Toumani Diabaté](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DEKQjj6Ga0) of Mali is a virtuoso on the [kora](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kora_(instrument)), a harp-like instrument. I got to see him perform several years ago with banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck. [Here they are](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50WNBaskkQs) doing a version of _Dueling Banjos_ that ends too soon. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/17 "2015-05-18T20:12:43Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HxqiVIoSQBE/hqdefault.jpg "Leonid Bruk plays balalaika-contrabass") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxqiVIoSQBE) This gentleman, Leonid Bruk, is an expert on the bass and contra-bass balalaika. These are much like the triangular shaped instrument you may know, only much larger, and of course deeper in tone. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtuosos-of-obscure-or-unpopular-instruments/720156/18 "2015-05-18T20:30:55Z")
[Clara Rockmore was perhaps the greatest theremin player the world will ever know](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0c7p5geJZs&spfreload=10).