Ocarina Although it has a similar sound to a flute or recorder, the ocarina is one of the few wind instruments that is not shaped like a pipe. While flutes and recorders use hole placement to get different pitches, ocarinas use hole size, as the sound resonates through the hole chamber. Because of this, ocarinas [...]
Archive for June, 2011
Ocarina – Obscure and Unusual Instruments #18
Posted in Music, Unusual Instruments, tagged carrots, Legend of Zelda, ocarina on June 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Glass Armonica – Obscure and Unusual Instruments #17
Posted in Music, Unusual Instruments, tagged Benjamin Franklin, glass armonica on June 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Glass Armonica Have you ever rubbed your finger on the rim of a goblet to make a sound? The glass armonica operates using the same principles. Benjamin Franklin arranged glass bowls of varying sizes on a spindle that turned so that you could hold your fingers against the rims. The arrangement of the glasses makes [...]
Kora – Obscure and Unusual Instruments #16
Posted in Music, Unusual Instruments, tagged African instruments, kora on June 13, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Kora This African string instrument is an interesting cross between a lute and a harp. It looks as if you should hold it the way you would hold a guitar or banjo, but actually you sit with the instrument standing upright in front of you. It has two rows of strings (one for each hand) [...]
E’en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come
Posted in Music, tagged Choir Anthem, Paul Manz on June 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Peace be to you and grace from him Who freed us from our sins, Who loved us all and shed his blood That we might saved be. Sing holy, holy to our Lord, The Lord, Almighty God, Who was and is and is to come; Sing holy, holy, Lord! Rejoice in heaven, all ye that [...]
Khene – Obscure and Unusual Instruments #15
Posted in Music, Unusual Instruments, tagged Khene, Laos, mouth organ on June 11, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Khene The khene is a Laotian mouth organ comprised of bamboo pipes with metallic reeds inside. In theory, its setup is similar to that of a melodica, but instead of playing a keyboard, your fingers cover holes in the bamboo. I love the sound that it makes, and also how it looks when you play it [...]
Konghou – Obscure and Unusual Instruments #14
Posted in Music, Unusual Instruments, tagged Chinese harp, harp, Konghou on June 10, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Konghou Although the modern Chinese konghou looks similar to a regular concert harp, it can do much more its western cousin. My favorite “special feature” of the konghou is its capability to pitch bend. The konghou’s strings are folded into halves with a wooden board between the two ranks. Because the strings on either side [...]
Dragonfly Visitor
Posted in Photos, tagged dragonfly on June 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Hurdy Gurdy – Obscure and Unusual Instruments #13
Posted in Music, Unusual Instruments, tagged Beowulf, hurdy gurdy, nyckelharpa, theremin on June 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Hurdy Gurdy It just occurred to me that although I referenced the hurdy gurdy in the nyckelharpa post, it hasn’t actually had a post of its own yet! So without further ado, the hurdy gurdy would like to make your acquaintance. As previously mentioned, the hurdy gurdy is played by pressing keys that mechanically fret the strings [...]
Cimbasso – Obscure and Unusual Instruments #12
Posted in Music, Unusual Instruments, tagged brass instruments, cimbasso, serpent, trombone, tuba, Verdi on June 8, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Cimbasso Here is yet another interesting descendant of the serpent. The cimbasso is a trombone/tuba hybrid with a cylindrical bore and played with valves rather than a slide. It has a large range of pitch and timbre and has great potential to be bombastic. If you want to go hear a cimbasso in all its [...]
Nyckelharpa – Obscure and Unusual Instruments #11
Posted in Music, Unusual Instruments, tagged hurdy gurdy, nyckelharpa, Swedish folk music on June 7, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Nyckelharpa The Swedish nyckelharpa reminds me a little of a hurdy gurdy because they both use a system of keys to fret the strings, rather than fingers. However, the nyckelharpa has a much gentler sound because it has several resonant strings as well as the melody strings and the drone. This gives it a light, floaty [...]
