Unusual Musical Instruments

Tools said:
Took piano lessons, guitar lessons, owned a 4 string banjo, 5 string banjo, harmonica and mouth harp… and STILL cant even play a radio.

There’s a reason I’m a pilot! My hat’s off to those of you with the gene! Bravo! I tried, God help me I tried…

EDIT: No wait! A three engine start on a 727 panel… switches clicking to a rhythm! Does that count? Tools’ 727 3-engine start engineer panel opus… very popular in the early 2000’s.
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I literally don't have the gene (which can be tested for!), so I brute forced it. I have a rather impressive music room that is my office, so I can grab something at any time and practice. In terms of the title of the thread, I've got a couple of autoharps and a sitar at the weirder end.
 
flyingron said:
No, they did not use a real Theremin. They used a later "Electro-Theramin" which uses mechanical controls to make a more reliable pitch/amplitude input rather than using your hands in the vicinity of the Theremin's antennae.
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And Chuck Berry didn't use a real guitar, he used an *electric* guitar!
 
I played a Djembe in a boat rock band before.
 
Irish whistle. (Aka tin whistle, aka whistle)
 
I have a tenor banjo tuned like a baritone ukelele (a.k.a. the D-G-B-E on a guitar). It was my dad's. He learned on a baritone uke, but needed a louder instrument but didn't want to have more strings nor relearn chords. I can (and do occasionaly) play it. But I play guitar and bass anyway.
 
Palmpilot said:
I used to play the recorder (a type of wooden flute popular in the Renaissance and Baroque eras). While not all that unusual, what is unusual is that I used to make them for a living (until I got tired of being poor and re-started my electrical engineering career).
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What were the challenges with making them? What was most interesting about it? Creating a nice mouthpiece and boring the center hole seems challenging.

I’ve always wondered how small the tolerances were on the position of holes on wind instruments to make them play in tune.

any interesting stories about the instruments you made?
 
mcdewey said:
Irish whistle. (Aka tin whistle, aka whistle)
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Those look like fun. I was debating one of those or an ocarina for something fun to play with/learn on my lunch break. Both are small, relatively durable, and inexpensive so I can just leave it in my car unlike a piano or guitar.

Any tips or suggestions for someone buying one?
 
I have not a musical bone in my body besides for the love of it. BUT I have a son who just got ranked the 8th best trumpet player in the MIchigan State University Marching Band, he was now elevated to play the eeph trumpet- a tiny little thing, looks like a trumpet shrunk down… He, and 7 others will play them, which are used to play the highest notes and most complex portions of their pieces. First half time show Friday!

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This is last year with a standard trumpet.
 
skier said:
Those look like fun. I was debating one of those or an ocarina for something fun to play with/learn on my lunch break. Both are small, relatively durable, and inexpensive so I can just leave it in my car unlike a piano or guitar.

Any tips or suggestions for someone buying one?
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Sure:
  • Get one in key of D (soprano), which can play in the key of D and G. Go for other keys/modes as you need them (typically C, which can play in C and F, is the first after a D)
  • The ones you can buy at local music stores for about $10 typically are way out of tune, but they're an okay start to learn fingering and breath control. Once you get going, take a look at "tweaked" whistles, which are adjusted so that most of the notes are in tune. (One of my whistles is a Jerry Freeman whistle that I love the tone on...it's not as loud but it's not shrill and you have to watch your breath control at the upper register, but it's gorgeous for "non-dance" tunes, e.g., songs. See https://thesession.org/discussions/45930. He sells via PayPal)
  • There are tons of tutorials on youtube, etc.
  • As with most musical instruments, the sky is the limit on cost as you move up to professional versions. The notes are in tune, and there are ones that can be adjusted, either for the other players or as the instrument warms up.
  • Listen to recordings that show what a tin whistle can do in the hands of a professional. Don't be discouraged by comparing yourself to the very talented players out there (Joanie Madden, Mary Bergin, Brian Finnegan, etc). They can produce beautiful music using an empty paper towel tube.
If you leave it in your car, watch out for melting a plastic one and I'd be nervous about messing up the mouthpiece too...there's generally plastic in there, though I do have one that is metal and wood.

As usual, you can find lots of advice from real professionals/instructors by googling. I just play them. :D
 
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Huckster79 said:
I have not a musical bone in my body besides for the love of it. BUT I have a son who just got ranked the 8th best trumpet player in the MIchigan State University Marching Band, he was now elevated to play the eeph trumpet- a tiny little thing, looks like a trumpet shrunk down… He, and 7 others will play them, which are used to play the highest notes and most complex portions of their pieces. First half time show Friday!
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Wonder if the "eef trumpet" is a colloquialism for E-flat trumpet (standard trumpets are B-flat), or if it's a Piccolo trumpet.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Wonder if the "eef trumpet" is a colloquialism for E-flat trumpet (standard trumpets are B-flat), or if it's a Piccolo trumpet.
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I was confused too. I found their website. It looks like it’s an E-flat cornet.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Wonder if the "eef trumpet" is a colloquialism for E-flat trumpet (standard trumpets are B-flat), or if it's a Piccolo trumpet.
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skier said:
I was confused too. I found their website. It looks like it’s an E-flat cornet.
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yea I have no clue! All I know is they sound amazing as a band- so proud of him. I’m not a sports fan at all but by god I hold season tic to MSU football!

I texted him it’s an Eb cornet…


their pregame warm up is my favorite part- I can stand right in front of them and close my eyes and u can feel the music through your body- it’s insanely strong and “pure” - yet to do that n keep my cheeks dry.

I told him as he’s my oldest I want him to play recordings of it if I’m ever in my death bed fading out.
 
Huckster79 said:
yea I have no clue! All I know is they sound amazing as a band- so proud of him. I’m not a sports fan at all but by god I hold season tic to MSU football!

I texted him it’s an Eb cornet…


their pregame warm up is my favorite part- I can stand right in front of them and close my eyes and u can feel the music through your body- it’s insanely strong and “pure” - yet to do that n keep my cheeks dry.

I told him as he’s my oldest I want him to play recordings of it if I’m ever in my death bed fading out.
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I have actually played Boomer Sooner as a member of the Pride of Oklahoma at a funeral, lol. Wealthy donor was leaving a sizeable donation I'm sure with a caveat that the OU band play at his funeral. Strangest thing to get a call from the director to suit up and be at a church in mid-summer! Also, drums make a heck of a racket in a cathedral-style church!
 
skier said:
What were the challenges with making them? What was most interesting about it? Creating a nice mouthpiece and boring the center hole seems challenging.

I’ve always wondered how small the tolerances were on the position of holes on wind instruments to make them play in tune.

any interesting stories about the instruments you made?
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This was about forty years ago, so I've forgotten a lot of the details. I do recall that there was a mixture of machine tools, jigs, and hand-work. The center holes were bored using a gun drill on a lathe, using compressed air instead of oil to clear the chips. The taper of the bores was then added using custom reamers. The final tuning adjustments were done by undercutting the finger holes by hand. I sold most of them by mail, to customers as far away as Europe and Japan. Most of the recorders I made were based on an ornately carved alto recorder that was made by Oberlender in the 18th century. The man I learned the trade from bought one of mine and had it carved like the original.

I was rather surprised to discover an ad for one of mine, offered at a price that is at least three times what I charged for it! Such is inflation over the course of 45 years, I guess!

https://earlymusicshop.com/products...r-oberlender-in-boxwood-a415-previously-owned

I also ran across a YouTube video on recorder making, by the Von Huene Workshop, which is where I learned the trade. I haven't watched it yet, but I'm sure it will bring back memories.


After I moved to California, I collaborated for a while with Charles Collier, a maker of Renassance recorders of all sizes.

I was hoping to make baroque bassoons and dulcians (the latter being the Renaissance precursor to the bassoon), and at one point I toured museums in Europe to study examples to copy. I got as far as drilling the initial long holes in some blocks of maple before I ran out of steam.
 
Palmpilot said:
This was about forty years ago, so I've forgotten a lot of the details. I do recall that there was a mixture of machine tools, jigs, and hand-work. The center holes were bored using a gun drill on a lathe, using compressed air instead of oil to clear the chips. The taper of the bores was then added using custom reamers. The final tuning adjustments were done by undercutting the finger holes by hand. I sold most of them by mail, to customers as far away as Europe and Japan. Most of the recorders I made were based on an ornately carved alto recorder that was made by Oberlender in the 18th century. The man I learned the trade from bought one of mine and had it carved like the original.

I was rather surprised to discover an ad for one of mine, offered at a price that is at least three times what I charged for it! Such is inflation over the course of 45 years, I guess!

https://earlymusicshop.com/products...r-oberlender-in-boxwood-a415-previously-owned

I also ran across a YouTube video on recorder making, by the Von Huene Workshop, which is where I learned the trade. I haven't watched it yet, but I'm sure it will bring back memories.


After I moved to California, I collaborated for a while with Charles Collier, a maker of Renassance recorders of all sizes.

I was hoping to make baroque bassoons and dulcians (the latter being the Renaissance precursor to the bassoon), and at one point I toured museums in Europe to study examples to copy. I got as far as drilling the initial long holes in some blocks of maple before I ran out of steam.
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Very nice, sir! Beautiful work.
 
Palmpilot said:
This was about forty years ago, so I've forgotten a lot of the details. I do recall that there was a mixture of machine tools, jigs, and hand-work. The center holes were bored using a gun drill on a lathe, using compressed air instead of oil to clear the chips. The taper of the bores was then added using custom reamers. The final tuning adjustments were done by undercutting the finger holes by hand. I sold most of them by mail, to customers as far away as Europe and Japan. Most of the recorders I made were based on an ornately carved alto recorder that was made by Oberlender in the 18th century. The man I learned the trade from bought one of mine and had it carved like the original.

I was rather surprised to discover an ad for one of mine, offered at a price that is at least three times what I charged for it! Such is inflation over the course of 45 years, I guess!

https://earlymusicshop.com/products...r-oberlender-in-boxwood-a415-previously-owned

I also ran across a YouTube video on recorder making, by the Von Huene Workshop, which is where I learned the trade. I haven't watched it yet, but I'm sure it will bring back memories.


After I moved to California, I collaborated for a while with Charles Collier, a maker of Renassance recorders of all sizes.

I was hoping to make baroque bassoons and dulcians (the latter being the Renaissance precursor to the bassoon), and at one point I toured museums in Europe to study examples to copy. I got as far as drilling the initial long holes in some blocks of maple before I ran out of steam.
Click to expand...

Beautiful instrument and fascinating video. Thanks for posting.
 
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