Neglected, weird instruments

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curtiswyant
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Neglected, weird instruments

Post by curtiswyant » Wed Dec 21, 2005 9:42 am

We always have a weird/unusual gear thread, why not a thread in praise of weird instruments? I mean, who is hoarding 20 chromatic harmonicas or a garage full of tribal percussion instruments? :P

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Re: Neglected, weird instruments

Post by joel hamilton » Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:02 am

curtiswyant wrote:We always have a weird/unusual gear thread, why not a thread in praise of weird instruments? I mean, who is hoarding 20 chromatic harmonicas or a garage full of tribal percussion instruments? :P
We are... ;)

I collect weird instruments.

A select few would be:
Marxophone.
Tremeloa.
Optigan.
Ukelin/ hawiian art violin.
bul-bul.
Broken sitar...

Etc...
Etc...

I use them a bunch.

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Post by djimbe » Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:03 am

Yeah, but what constitues "weird"? Old Pump organs? Got a few of those. Nothing sounds like a pump organ, especially one that has the "Vox Humana" stop, which is a rudimentary Leslie type of effect. Or how about electric accordian? Got one of those too. A full-on Cordovox Super V. Makes accordion sounds and has mics inside for the the reeds, and also makes almost convincing Hammond organ sounds through the tone generator cabinet and with the rotating element satellite speaker cab. Then there's the Seeburg-Gulbranson rhythm machine that goes with the accordion. Push button patches like Waltz, Bosa Nova, Teen Beat, Tango...gotta be 15 or 20 of 'em on that box, and you can hold in more than one patch at a time to get some totally strange interplay (not that it was designed for that kind of thing...). How about the Rheem Mark VII electric keyboard? Almost Farfisa-like. Very much worth finding. We had a garage punk band in recently that used ours as primary keyboard on most tunes, and it was sounding great with them.

We also have stuff like tenor and baritoe ukes, bazuki and a sitar or two hanging around the place from time to time as well. How about Tremeloa? Those things kick ass. And the guy that ownes the Temeloa brought his buddy's vintage Jenco celest by for some tracking a while back. I LOVED that thing and now covet one in the worst way.

Just a few oddballs of the top of my head...
I thought this club was for musicians. Who let the drummer in here??

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Post by joel hamilton » Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:08 am

Is that the celeste with the "fold up" chimes?
I LOVE those, and I used to have one (smacking myslef for selling it AGAIN)....

I also have a music box that takes punched out belts like a player pianoi, that you can make your own belts with the punch tool.... It has no sounding board...

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Post by mjau » Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:12 am

Ondes martenot - ever since I heard Jonny Greenwood rock it on Kid A.

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Post by LeedyGuy » Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:19 am

mjau wrote:Ondes martenot - ever since I heard Jonny Greenwood rock it on Kid A.
whoa! i was gonna ask if anyone had an Ondes. I had no idea that it was a Radiohead thing. I know it from Edgar Varese music. He has a few pieces with like...3 Ondes in there. wack. They have their own weird little lofi speaker that makes the sound. how awesome is that?
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Post by mjau » Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:31 am

Yeah, I remember asking a pianist about that sound I was hearing, and he told me what it was and how it worked. Awesome instrument.
My arturia moog modular can make a pretty convincing ondes sound, which is totally fun but so far of no practical use to me other than piquing the interest of one of my cats.

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Post by lightning_electronics » Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:32 am

mjau wrote:Ondes martenot - ever since I heard Jonny Greenwood rock it on Kid A.
i dig those. it was the first instrument i wanted to build, as far as having an oscillator whose pitch was controlled by a string that you moved with a finger.

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Post by djimbe » Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:55 am

joel hamilton wrote:Is that the celeste with the "fold up" chimes?
I LOVE those, and I used to have one (smacking myslef for selling it AGAIN)....
Yeah, that's the one. Kind of a suitcase looking thing that opens up into this delightful little gem. I giggle everytime I hear that thing peek out of the mix on the one tune we're using it for. I'd love to get one, but hate to pay for it...the prices are apparently getting up well over a grand for even beat up ones these days...
I thought this club was for musicians. Who let the drummer in here??

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Post by I'm Painting Again » Wed Dec 21, 2005 11:00 am

Dean Drummond is the keeper of the Partch Instumentarium..talk about awesome weird instruments..

http://www.newband.org/instruments.htm

Ubertar..hes a guy on here..makes a bunch of really cool string instruments..

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Post by E Baxter Put » Wed Dec 21, 2005 11:13 am

A hurdy gurdy is one of the coolest sounding instruments I've ever hurd.

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Post by KennyLusk » Wed Dec 21, 2005 11:23 am

I consider my Berimbau a pretty weird instrument.

My cats run for the hills as soon as they hear it. :twisted:

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wedge
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Post by wedge » Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:19 pm

How about weird things to use *as* instruments?!?

On my last recording project, I used a CPU heat-sink that I pulled from an old, useless PC, as a bell. Looks cool, too. Adonized blue, cylindrical, with about 10 flat flanges that resonate together nicely when I tap it with something metal. Very cool, musical tone.

On the same track, I used a bell that I ripped from a very old alarm clock --- 1950's? -- as a bell. Made of brass, maybe? Beautiful, ringing tone...

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Post by joeysimms » Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:47 pm

beard_of_bees wrote:Dean Drummond is the keeper of the Partch Instumentarium..talk about awesome weird instruments..

http://www.newband.org/instruments.htm

Ubertar..hes a guy on here..makes a bunch of really cool string instruments..
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Post by apropos of nothing » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:15 pm

djimbe wrote:
joel hamilton wrote:Is that the celeste with the "fold up" chimes?
I LOVE those, and I used to have one (smacking myslef for selling it AGAIN)....
Yeah, that's the one. Kind of a suitcase looking thing that opens up into this delightful little gem. I giggle everytime I hear that thing peek out of the mix on the one tune we're using it for. I'd love to get one, but hate to pay for it...the prices are apparently getting up well over a grand for even beat up ones these days...
This plus this plus a spring reverb should get one in the neighborhood.

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