The Strangest Musical Instruments You’ll Hear About

Some people like to play music on unusual instruments. These can include anything from an old can to a homemade instrument. Some people even play music on items that are not traditionally considered musical instruments. Unusual instruments can add a unique flair to music and can be a lot of fun to play. If you thought the bonuses at Casino National were jaw-dropping, wait till you read about these weird instruments. 

Vibraphone

The vibraphone is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of metal bars of graduated lengths that are struck with mallets. The bars are tuned to produce a chromatic scale and are arranged in a manner similar to a piano keyboard.

The vibraphone produces a distinctive vibrato effect by oscillating metal discs underneath the bars. The discs are rotated by an electric motor and the speed of rotation can be varied to produce different effects.

The vibraphone is used in various musical genres, including jazz, blues, and popular music. It is a versatile instrument used for solo or ensemble performances.

Electric Harpsichord

The electric harpsichord is a modern musical instrument that combines the best features of the harpsichord and the piano. It has a keyboard like the piano, but the strings are plucked like the harpsichord. This gives the electric harpsichord a unique sound that is ideal for a wide range of musical styles.

The electric harpsichord is a very versatile instrument. It can be used for solo performances, as well as for accompaniment in a band or orchestra. It is also a very popular choice for students who are learning to play the harpsichord or the piano.

The electric harpsichord is a relatively new instrument, and there are still a limited number of manufacturers. However, there are a few companies that make high-quality electric harpsichords, and the prices are very reasonable.

Optigan

The Optigan was an unsuccessful attempt at an optical instrument that used optical discs to play back pre-recorded sounds. The instrument was designed by Mattel in the early 1970s and was marketed as a “family entertainment” center. The Optigan used a system of spinning discs, each of which contained a different sound or chord. The discs were played back by shining a light through them, which triggered an optical sensor that played back the recorded sound.

The Optigan was not a commercial success, due in part to its bulky size and high price, as well as the lack of popular music available on its discs. The company ceased production of the Optigan in 1981.

Novachord

The Novachord is an early polyphonic synthesizer, manufactured by Hammond from 1939 to 1942. It is one of the first polyphonic synthesizers and the first commercially available polyphonic synthesizer. 

The Novachord is unique in that it uses a vacuum tube-based sound generator which allows it to generate rich, complex sounds that were not possible with earlier synthesizers. The Novachord is also notable for its use of 72 keys, which is the largest number of keys found on any synthesizer at the time. The Novachord was popular with a number of well-known musicians such as Jimmy Dorsey, Liberace, and Ray Charles.