# What instrument is this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 5, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687 "2013-07-05T03:22:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/1 "2013-07-05T03:22:09Z")
Check out this [Beth Gibbons video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3VzQac_Ke4). At 0:26 you can see the keyboardist playing. There is a long tube going into his mouth that he’s blowing into, but you can’t see what it’s connected to. At 1:44 or so, you see him holding some type of box and blowing, making a noise which I can only describe as “kind of harmonica sounding”. I think I can see a tube going into it like in the earlier shot, which makes me think that’s what the tube at 0:26 is connected to. My wife thinks it looks home made, and it could well be. But what the hell IS 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:** [July 5, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/2 "2013-07-05T03:28:11Z")
Appears to be a [Melodica](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodica). ---
**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:** [July 5, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/3 "2013-07-05T04:14:38Z")
Seconding Melodica. I have a high school-now-facebook friend that plays the melodica (amongst other things) and there’s a lot of pictures of him playing it. Looks just like that. It’s just hard to tell in that video because you can’t see the keys. It’s a bit easier to see what’s going on [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjDgqEkJ5Ak). And yes, it’s reeded so it’s going to sound like a harmonica or accordion. ---
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/4 "2013-07-05T04:20:15Z")
Yep, melodica. Looks like the tube’s plugged into the front of it. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/5 "2013-07-05T04:29:16Z")
I dunno, it seems like two things to me. The second is some melodica type thing, but the clip at 0:26 makes me think it’s a MIDI breath controller. Something like [this](http://tecontrol.se/products/usb-midi-breath-controller). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/6 "2013-07-05T12:22:51Z")
[The Hooters](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hooters) nicknamed the MIDI-breath-controlled melodica a…wait for it…_hooter_. ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/7 "2013-07-06T00:54:17Z")
At first I thought it was two different instruments, but once I saw the link Joey P posted, it became clearer that the “box” I’m looking at @1:44 is the underside and back of the keyboard. I also realized that you can see him in the background a second or two before that holding what’s clearly a keyboard. :smack: Thanks for clearing this up folks! And in 6 minutes, no less! ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/8 "2013-07-06T01:23:28Z")
I didn’t get a chance to watch the video, but from the description in the OP I thought “melodica.” Was beaten to it though. 🙂 ---
**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:** [July 6, 2013, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/9 "2013-07-06T11:56:06Z")
Two nights ago I re-watched the [Live at Daryl’s House with Chromeo](http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/currentep.html?ep_id=35) (a duo that features a Melodica) and now this thread pops up. Coincidence? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/10 "2013-07-06T12:41:36Z")
There’s some nice melodica playing in[this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNzenkoeJcY) video here. 🙂 (Warning: Mild swearing at the end, after the song.) ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/11 "2013-07-06T15:07:12Z")
Kind of surprised that so many people instantly identified the Melodica… I’m not a musician and don’t personally know too many musicians myself. I assumed it was either 1)Some weird home-made instrument, or modification of an existing instrument, or 2)Some really rare instrument which very few people had ever heard of. ETA: And thanks to those who posted links, some of those are really cool! ---
**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:** [July 6, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/12 "2013-07-06T15:32:54Z")
> [@Apocalypso](#): > > Kind of surprised that so many people instantly identified the Melodica… They used (maybe still do), sell toy melodicas when I was a kid (in the 80s), so they were pretty common. Nothing quite that big, though, and not with a long airtube. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/13 "2013-07-06T17:47:48Z")
One of my favorite bands heavily features the Melodica in a lot of their songs. [You can see Rabbit holding it on the performance scenes of this video several minutes before he actually starts playing it.](http://youtu.be/gQWY-JOhF2I) ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-instrument-is-this/662687/14 "2013-07-06T17:54:21Z")
> [@Apocalypso](#): > > Kind of surprised that so many people instantly identified the Melodica… > > I’m not a musician and don’t personally know too many musicians myself. I assumed it was either 1)Some weird home-made instrument, or modification of an existing instrument, or 2)Some really rare instrument which very few people had ever heard of. > > ETA: And thanks to those who posted links, some of those are really cool! > [@pulykamell](#): > > They used (maybe still do), sell toy melodicas when I was a kid (in the 80s), so they were pretty common. Nothing quite that big, though, and not with a long airtube. They still sell real [melodicas](http://www.musiciansfriend.com/search.jsp?sB=r&Ntt=melodica). They aren’t common, but they aren’t exactly rare, either.