If you are a music lover and hankering for new information related to music, then this story is for you.
“If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die.” William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
In a similar vein, this story is dedicated to all the music lovers around the world who love everything related to it. This list has been carefully curated with some unique and yet strange musical instruments which are played around the world.
Theremin: It could easily be called as the big dad of weird instruments, Theremin was specially designed to make music out of electronics. It is notable for its peculiar otherworldly sound, and therefore it is responsible for eerie background score for many science fiction movies. Designed by Leon Theremin, it is played without any physical contact with the instrument but only by waving hands over it in a specific motion. Its antennas comprehend the sound, and the music comes out from the device. Remember the weird instrument played by Sheldon in The Big Band Theory? Well, it is Theremin.
Dan Tre: It is a rare and unconventional musical device invented by a creative Vietnamese refugee Minh Tam Nguyen in a labour camp. Dan Tree in Vietnamese stands for ‘bamboo musical instrument’ which is made up of a bamboo tube, a four-litre tin of olive oil to intensify the sound produced by the instrument and 23 strings taken out from an old US army telephone cable. Currently, there are only two Dan Tree instruments in the world. It is a moving example of what an artistic mind could accomplish in the most adverse circumstances.
Mayuri: Native to India, the instrument is a beautification of esraj, the traditional musical instrument of the country. Mayuri was popular during the opulent times of nineteenth-century India inside the royal courts. Peacock inspires the device, its real feathers and bills are used in its making which looks exquisite. Peacock represents India and also the sacred goddess of music Saraswati. Mayuri, therefore is a stunningly beautiful piece to play music.
Santoor: A peculiar looking stringed instrument, Santoor or Santour is known to be one of the oldest string instruments which probably traces its roots to Persia. The original meaning of Santoor is ‘a hundred strings’; however, it has 92 strings. Santoor is known to be the inspiration behind several modern stringed musical devices and it travelled to various countries through the old trade routes by travelers. It has been modified in accordance with the music of the specific countries.
