Music

6 of the weirdest instruments you won't believe exist

by Tyler Munro

June 4, 2014

Guitars? Drums? We’re over it. They’re just so… passé, you know? And that’s why we set out on a trip to find the weirdest instruments around, some new, some old, and some that used to literally have a life of their own.

Think the theremin is weird? You ain’t seen nothing yet…

Laser Harp

A laser harp is right out of a Daft Punk fans wet dream. A visual and highly percussive instrument supplanted right out of the first Tron movie, the laser harp splits a single laser into a pattern and run through a synthesizer. Blocking one of the beams signals which note should be played, and running through a song thus becomes like something straight out of a Just Dance commercial.

The Gattar—Wyclef Jean\'s AK-47 Guitar

It's been a struggle in recent years for Wyclef Jean to separate himself from his political buffoonery, and the Gattar is that dichotomy fully realized. Built by Jimmy DiResta off a once-functional AK-47 frame, the instrument puts the usual six strings down the grip to the barrel, then hooks a few extra across the magazine, giving it kind of a steel guitar vibe with a far darker edge. Guess calling this an axe probably won't work…

Lego Harpsichord(s)

Like something out of The Lego Movie, Henry Lim's fully functional harpsichord uses every kid's favourite brick for everything but its wiring. And while that makes it delicate as fuck, not every interpretation of the instrument can be so bold: Check out this DIY version made by some kid with little-extra besides rubber bands and tuning pegs.

Ice Instruments

The Ice Music Festival challenges musicians to create their instruments from local, natural ice. The colder, the better—any edge to better help you run through a… chilling ice-cello rendition of Prince's "Kiss." It won't sound great, but it's still pretty… cool, and you can't expect miracles when the player's breath is enough to throw the thing out of tune. Sweden, meanwhile, has its own ice orchestra—it's even got a banjo! You're weird, Scandinavia. We love you, but you're weird.

The Road

Rumble strips are a normal irritate used primarily to scare long-haul truck drivers awake on the road, and while noticeably noisy, they've never sounded good. Until now. In Lancaster, California, Honda helped devise a strip of street that when driven over rumbles to the tune of the William Tell Overture. It's not a perfect translation, but it is a road, so get over it. And there are more than one: Musical roads also exist in Japan, South Korea and Denmark. Some say music comes from the streets. This takes that sentiment literally.