strange instruments

Yap Stam

Whats the weirdest instrument ever used by a rock band in a song?

Soungarden- used a mandolin on 'Ty Cobb'
Korn- The whole bagpipe thing
The song 'The young ones' by Peter, bob and john r whatever has whistling in it, thats what got me thinking.

cornbb

Gyorgi Ligeti used 100 metronomes for Poeme Symphonique.
David Tudor used 200 lightbulbs for Flourescent Sound (a cow was also led in as part of the performance but it wasn't used as an instrument so I guess that doesn't count).
Tchaikovski's 1812 overture uses cannon.

I'll probably think of a few more...

Edit: oops, you said rock band.

Hmm, Jimi Hendrix used a kazoo for the solo of Crosstown Traffic.

Nightwish

Kantele and Uileann pipes being used on a metal album oh and the album also contained the sound of a wrench being hit off an anvil.

Creamy Goodness

Hurdy gurdy in arcade fire.

Pots and pans in fight like apes.

can't think of many more atm.

slipss

Not really a rock band but the only one I can think of is the theremin used by The Beach boys on Good Vibrations

purplegeko

Duke Special lists a washing board as an instrument on his Songs From The Deep Forest album plus a whole load of instruments i've never heard of.

cornbb

Johnny Greenwood from Radiohead uses lots of weird esoteric stuff like the Ondes Martenot (an ancient theremin-like synth), Max/MSP (an algorithmic music programming language) and massive modular synths.

JC 2K3

What counts as "weird"?

If mandolins, kazoos and bagpipes are considered weird, then I guess Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull should be mentioned for his flute playing.

Bubs101

Forget mandolins, Soundgarden using spoons on Spoonman is unusual

John

Where do I start?

Sigur Rós - toy piano
Joy Division - shattering glass
Bjork - Reactable:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm_FzLya8y4

Larsen - Sruti box
Amiina - Wine glasses, bowed xylophones/glockenspiels, saws
The Beach Boys - Coke cans
Matmos - cow uterus (used as bagpipe type instrument), snails on light activated theremins, liposuction, crayfish neurons, bone, rubber, etc.
Pink Floyd - Cash registar
Einstuerzende Neubauten - human body as percussive instrument (contact mic'd up one guy and the others drummed on him), burning oil, drain pipes, water tower, sheet metal, using the former parliament building of East Germany as a percussive instrument, air compressors, giant marimba, heart monitor, oranges, flies, riots, etc. And surprisingly most of this is very musical!
Nico - Harmonium
Radiohead - Ondes Martenot
Psychic TV - Flute made from human thighbone
Scott Walker - Metal bins, large chunk of meat
Chris Watson - Nature in general (he's also the sound recordist for David Attenborough)

John

cornbb wrote: »

Johnny Greenwood from Radiohead uses lots of weird esoteric stuff like the Ondes Martenot (an ancient theremin-like synth), Max/MSP (an algorithmic music programming language) and massive modular synths.

Ah, you posted this while I was compiling my list.

Setun

John wrote:

Matmos - cow uterus (used as bagpipe type instrument), snails on light activated theremins, liposuction, crayfish neurons, bone, rubber, etc.

Was just thinking of them, check out their wiki for a full list of the oddness.

What's the name of that german (I think) industrial band that use DIY tools, electric saws and that?

John

The Germans are the ones I mention above too, Einstuerzende Neubauten (who I am slightly nuts about!).

lordgoat

John wrote: »

The Germans are the ones I mention above too, Einstuerzende Neubauten (who I am slightly nuts about!).

Slightly? I know it's only janurary but contender for understatement of the year!!

Where've you been hiding?

Yap Stam

Rolf Harris isn't rock, but when he covered 'stairway to heaven' (Led Zep.) he used a big sheet of flexible metal as part of the rhythym section.

Someone mentioned Jethro Tull; I forgot about them, I guess whats even stranger is that they didn't just use it as an occasional indulgence (the flute and all) but it was a main part of their sound.

My mate told me INXS used a didgery-doo, is this true or is he just takin the p1ss?

John

lordgoat wrote: »

Slightly? I know it's only janurary but contender for understatement of the year!!

Heheh, my tongue was firmly in cheek for that particular statement!

Where've you been hiding?

I'm not hiding anywhere, are you looking for me?

Paligulus

cornbb wrote: »

Hmm, Jimi Hendrix used a kazoo for the solo of Crosstown Traffic.

It wasn't even a Kazoo. It was actually a comb with a piece of Cellophane over it, which Jimi blew into to get the Kazoo effect!!!

Sofaspud

They Might Be Giants use Accordion a lot.

And on "hot cha", the drums are all recorded samples of a cardboard box (off a mac) being hit.

gucci

Beck used a range of glasses to perform music on jools holland one night, not sure if its actually on a genuine released recording.

and Max Cavalera plays s Berminbau on some of soulflys tracks

DerekD Goldfish

Gang of Four used a microwave being hit by a crowbar for thier track "The Call Up"

Einstürzende Neubauten use instruments mostly made of scrap metal

the "beer keg" in that slipknot song and various barnyard animals on the pink floyd album............... "animals":D

Hermy

Was Jimmy Page the first to use a violin bow with an electric guitar as on Dazed and Confused?

rainbowtrout

slipss wrote: »

Not really a rock band but the only one I can think of is the theremin used by The Beach boys on Good Vibrations

The Pixies use one too on Velouria

NoQuarter

Hermy wrote: »

Was Jimmy Page the first to use a violin bow with an electric guitar as on Dazed and Confused?

nope someone else done it first, jimmy said he got the idea from someone else

BTW

page uses a theramin or whatever its called on live versions of whole lotta love!

think van halen used a car engine or somethin for one of the intros to one of their songs, cant remember which one now though!

Tzetze

Don Neely is credited with playing the saw on numerous tracks on Tom Waits' Black Rider album.

But the pick of the credits listed on that album must be for this tune;
"Russian Dance" (instrumental) – 3:12

* Tom Waits – emax strings
* Matt Brubeck – cello
* Linda Deluca – viola
* Bill Douglas – bass
* Kathleen Brennan, Clive Butters, Tom Waits, Francis Thumm, Joe Marquez – boots

Parsley

king-stew wrote: »

page uses a theramin or whatever its called on live versions of whole lotta love!

On the normal studio versions too, actually!

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, they made their own instrument thingy... can't remember it but it's on Wikipedia somewhere. Sonic Youth used loads of weird **** too.

Yap Stam

Theres a beastie-boys song (I'm pretty sure its on 'check your head'- but I can't remember the name of the song) and in the background a sound sample of a young goat making a "meeeahh!!!" is there, its mixed in so well with the rhythym that its difficult to hear at first, but its there.

'Ol Jack Chance

Tzetze wrote: »

Don Neely is credited with playing the saw on numerous tracks on Tom Waits' Black Rider album.

But the pick of the credits listed on that album must be for this tune;
"Russian Dance" (instrumental) – 3:12

* Tom Waits – emax strings
* Matt Brubeck – cello
* Linda Deluca – viola
* Bill Douglas – bass
* Kathleen Brennan, Clive Butters, Tom Waits, Francis Thumm, Joe Marquez – boots

Tom Waits definitely has the strangest and coolest instruments ever recorded. the man himself says it better himself:

"basically I work with instruments that can be found in any pawn shop"

Hermy

On the track Shore Leave from Swordfish Trombone, the credits read Tom Waits - Chair and Vocals. I only mention it because I can never hear the chair. Was it merely that Mr. Waits was seated while recording?:rolleyes:

'Ol Jack Chance

he has something in that song that sounds like a moped. gotta love it!:D

thusspakeblixa

Yeah didn't Einstuerzende Neubaten use an angle grinder (on Strategies against architecture 1, for any other EN nuts) ?
Oh and also, POTUSA once played with 3 string guitars as far as I know.

John

thusspakeblixa wrote: »

Yeah didn't Einstuerzende Neubaten use an angle grinder (on Strategies against architecture 1, for any other EN nuts) ?

They used an angle grinder on the first 2-3 albums I think (definitely on the first 2, not so sure about 1/2 Mensch but it sounds like it on "Der Tod ist ein Dandy"). Neubauten are a thread onto themselves when it comes to unusual instruments.

Oh and also, POTUSA once played with 3 string guitars as far as I know.

And 2-string basses

thusspakeblixa

John wrote: »

And 2-string basses

Looking forwrd to the new album and seeing them. I only got that informationj from that song with the line ''2 string, 1 string, no string'' etc.
(Boll Weevil or Dune Buggy I think) And yeah surely Tchaikovsky's use of a cannon would be''strange'' and I think John Lennon used a Mellotron way back when. And oh, lets not forget Flava Flav's clocks.

Rustar

AC/DC used bagpipes long before Korn ever though of it.

Uriah Heep did use kazoo in the "happy birthday" section of Magician's Birthday.

Peter Steele of Type O Negative plays stand-up bass slung around his shoulders like a regular guitar (he's like 6'5").


"....and Captain Beefheart on vocals and soprano sax and Madness!!" - Frank Zappa

Cianos

I saw a little blue grass band in Amsterdam called The Bucket Boys...they had all modified instruments that we're pretty cool. The double bass was a big plastic bucket with a rod coming out of it and one thick string attached to the top and bottom of the rod. Made such a great sound, the guy had to wear a big thick glove while playing it or else he'd cut up his hand

natsuko

korn also use the glass harmonica...pretty cool

and the stylophone was used in space oddity by bowie... actually anyone have any ideas where i could get one of those?????

John

Ebay