Music has been a part of human life since ancient times, possibly even before we started writing things down. It’s easy to imagine that the tunes and tools of the past were quite different from what we listen to today. When you think of modern instruments, your mind might jump to guitars, pianos, violins, drums, or even computers.
Musicians are always looking for fresh ways to create new sounds and excite our ears. This has always been true! But throughout history, artists have used some truly strange and wonderful instruments. Many of these have faded from common use, perhaps due to their size, peculiar sound, or just being impractical. Countless others might be lost to history forever. Today, we’re diving into some of the most bizarre instruments that you rarely, if ever, see anymore. Let’s explore!
10 Crwth (Bowed Lyre)
Our journey begins with the crwth, also known as a bowed lyre. This stringed instrument has Welsh roots, likely dating back to the 11th century. Imagine a box-like violin with a flat fingerboard and six strings of different thicknesses. Historical images show players holding the crwth against their chest, secured by a strap around their neck – much like a larger, flatter violin with more strings.
For centuries, the crwth was a star in Welsh music, sharing the stage with the harp and timpan. While modern versions exist, only four original crwths are thought to survive today, all housed in museums. Despite its past popularity, the crwth has gradually been overshadowed by today’s common stringed instruments like guitars and violins.
9 Cajón
Next up is the cajón, a percussion instrument that’s essentially a box with a sound hole in the back. You play it by slapping the front or back surfaces with your hands, though sometimes mallets or drumsticks are used. Its name literally means “box” or “drawer.”
The cajón hails from Peru, emerging in the early 19th century. There are a couple of theories about its origin. One suggests it was adapted from African box-like percussion instruments brought over by enslaved people. Another idea is that enslaved individuals, forced to carry goods in wooden crates, would drum on these boxes during breaks, eventually leading to the cajón’s design. Regardless of its exact beginnings, the cajón is a key part of Peruvian music, especially Afro-Peruvian styles. Its distinct sound occasionally makes rare appearances in flamenco and jazz today.
8 Sambuca (Hurdy-Gurdy)
The sambuca, sometimes called a hurdy-gurdy in a broader sense, was another stringed instrument from ancient times, originating in ancient Greece. It was a small, triangular harp known for its very shrill tone. The history of the sambuca is shrouded in mystery, with several conflicting stories about its creation:
- Eusebius suggested that the Troglodytae (cave-dwellers) invented it.
- Athenaeus claimed its inventor was a man named Sambyx, who named it after himself.
- Polybius described it as resembling a rope ladder, while other scholars said it looked like a boat.
Given its age, separating fact from legend is challenging. Interestingly, the term “sambuca” also refers to a medieval hand-cranked string instrument and a woodwind instrument made from the Sambucus tree. One thing is certain: the sambuca, in its various interpretations, remains one of history’s most mysterious and bizarre musical devices.
7 Nyckelharpa
The nyckelharpa, a Swedish word meaning “key harp,” is, as you might guess, an instrument from Sweden. It’s an ancient instrument, with its history tracing back to the fourteenth century. It looks a bit like a violin or fiddle but is quite distinct.
This stringed instrument uniquely combines keys and strings, making it wonderfully complex. While the original number of strings isn’t entirely clear, modern versions can boast as many as 16 strings and 37 keys. A nyckelharpa is held much like a violin, using a neck strap, with the right arm steadying the instrument. Though the original design details are lost to time, the nyckelharpa has evolved and is celebrated as Sweden’s national musical instrument today.
6 Sarangi
Our next unusual instrument comes from Asia, specifically India. The sarangi is remarkable not only for its shape but also for its sound. When played, it produces a wide array of tones and has often been described as sounding like a human voice singing, or even a cat. It’s certainly a distinctive sound!
The sarangi is a rectangular wooden box instrument, typically with three main playing strings. It can be played with a bow, like a violin, or plucked, like a guitar. What makes the sarangi even more unique are its three sound chambers carved into its body, usually covered with animal skin, often goat skin. These chambers amplify its resonance, adding a unique, somewhat eerie, and definitely bizarre quality to its music. Invented around 1865, this fascinating instrument is rarely seen outside of India these days.
5 Erhu
From China, one of the world’s oldest cultures, comes the erhu. This instrument dates back more than three thousand years. It’s quite small, with a surprisingly simple yet bizarre design. It features a very thin stick-like neck and a small wooden resonance chamber typically covered in python skin. Two strings, traditionally made of silk, are attached to the neck and held in place by two tuning pegs at the top.
The erhu also has a bow that is integral to the instrument; the horsehair of the bow passes between the two strings. A musician moves the bow back and forth while pressing and releasing the silk strings to create melodies. It produces a distinctively haunting and expressive sound, as you can hear in the video linked. The erhu is a two-stringed bowed fiddle, and its unique sound continues to feature in Chinese music.
4 Gue
The next instrument on our list, the gue, has almost vanished into the mists of time. It originated in Scotland, specifically on the Shetland Islands. While much about the gue is unknown, it’s understood to have been a two-stringed instrument, somewhat resembling a violin or lyre. However, it was played more like a cello, resting on or between the knees, rather than held like a violin.
The last documented mention of a gue dates to the early 19th century, found in Arthur Edmondston’s book, View of the Ancient and Present State of the Zetland Islands. Modern recreations of the gue exist, but with so little concrete information about its original construction and use, it’s difficult to distinguish historical fact from educated guesswork.
3 Lituus
The Lituus stands out on our list as an instrument not primarily created for musical enjoyment. Instead, its purpose was often for signaling, intimidation, and communication on the battlefield. That’s right; the lituus was originally a type of war horn or ancient trumpet.
Its most striking feature was its immense size. If you’re imagining something large, think even bigger! This war horn was reportedly 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3 meters) long, which naturally makes one wonder how anyone could even hold it up, let alone play it. The lituus was famously used in a composition by Johann Sebastian Bach but has seen little use since. Scientists have attempted to recreate it, but the exact design of the original lituus has faded from memory as its popularity declined, likely due to its enormous and unwieldy dimensions.
2 Duduk
The duduk is an ancient double-reed woodwind instrument that dates back to the fifth century, and possibly even earlier. It originated in Armenia, though variations have existed throughout the Middle East and Caucasus regions. The earliest duduks were often crafted from bone, while more contemporary versions are typically made from aged apricot wood.
A duduk features a larger reed compared to many other double-reed instruments like the oboe or bassoon. This contributes to its quite different sound, which is often described as warm, soft, and somewhat mournful, more akin to a human voice or a horn than a typical oboe. A particularly bizarre aspect of duduk performance is that they are almost always played in pairs. One musician plays the melody, while the other plays a continuous, steady drone note called a “dum.” Though duduks are not commonly seen worldwide, they remain an important and cherished part of Armenian cultural heritage and music.
1 Cimbalom
Topping our list is the cimbalom, one of the oldest and arguably most bizarre instruments featured. It was invented in Hungary during the Middle Ages. The cimbalom also boasts the most strings of any instrument on our list, with some concert versions having as many as 125. These strings are arranged in groups of three, four, or five, with each group tuned to produce a specific pitch.
This ancient instrument is not played by hand but with soft mallets or hammers. Musicians strike the strings with these mallets to create sound. The cimbalom also features bridges that divide the strings, effectively increasing the number of playable pitches. For such an old instrument, its design is remarkably complex! Another distinctive feature of the cimbalom is that its strings are made of metal, unlike the horsehair or silk used in some other ancient instruments. It sits horizontally, much like a piano, and is considered a precursor to many other dulcimer-type instruments. Its rich, resonant sound is truly unique.
Conclusion
The world of music is vast and ever-changing, but looking back reveals a treasure trove of creativity and ingenuity. These ten bizarre instruments, from the haunting crwth to the complex cimbalom, offer a glimpse into musical traditions and sonic landscapes very different from our own. While they may be rare sights today, their unique stories and sounds remind us of the endless human quest for new ways to express ourselves through music. Each played a role in the musical tapestry of its time, and their echoes still resonate with those curious enough to listen.
What do you think of these unusual instruments? Have you ever seen or heard one played? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
