When you think of an orchestra and the kinds of instruments they are best known for, you probably think of all the classics. Violins and violas, clarinets and cornets, flutes, French horns and cellos all come to mind. While these are some of the most popular and iconic instruments you will find in any orchestra, there are also a huge variety of weird and wonderful instruments that can be used to create unique sounds.
These instruments tend not to have a specialist player, such as a flautist or pianist, and rather they tend to be part of a particular person’s repertoire. For example, someone who plays percussion in an orchestra may be proficient in using cymbals, timpani, triangles, and snare drums to name a few. This is because, while they add richness to the overall sound, they do not take a lot of specialist practice to play and therefore they don’t tend to have a single dedicated player who will only use one of the instruments.
That’s not to downplay the importance of these instruments - as mentioned, they add so much to the overall soundscape that we’d miss them if they weren’t there - only that the musicians who tend to play them will be responsible for playing a few of them throughout the performance. Over the years there have been some truly weird and wonderful instruments used in orchestras all over the world, and some of them are stretching the definition of what a musical instrument is. Washboard solo, anyone?
String instruments are some of the most iconic and beautiful instruments in the entire orchestra. We’re all familiar with the haunting sounds that a violin can produce in the right hands, but have you ever heard of a toha? Also known as a totem harp, this weird string instrument can be played by two people at the same time, one on each side, sitting face to face.
Wind instruments such as the clarinet and flute are played by using your hands to manipulate keys to control the note and your breath through a mouthpiece to produce the sound. This all sounds very familiar and normal, but there are certainly some weird wind instruments out there. One you may not realise you’re familiar with is the slide whistle. Also called swanee whistles, these are what was used originally to give the Clangers their distinct voices.
The whistle is made from a fixed outer tube with an inner tube that fits inside snugly, with enough room to be slid up and down within the outer tube. The musician will blow the whistle as normal, but when the inner tube is slid up and down it changes the pitch of the sound. It is worth giving the boatswains whistle a mention here, because this is another distinct and versatile whistle.
There is no doubt that there are some extremely weird percussion instruments out there, one of which is the hang drum. The hang drum is made from two sheets of steel which are hammered in certain places to create areas that produce different notes when tapped by the musician. The sound it produces is bright yet quite mellow, and has a tropical feel. They are not a very common sight in orchestras but they certainly have their place thanks to their incredible versatility.
One of the weirdest instruments in the world is part organ, part flute, and part water gun, and it is pretty rare to see them played in conventional orchestras. The hydraulophone is one of the most impressive instruments in the world and it can’t be classified into wind, strings, percussion or any of the other categories - it truly is in a league of its own.
Water is cycled through the instrument and comes out of keyholes in a hollow tube. The player covers the holes with their fingers in a manner similar to a pianist or organist, and this produces the different notes. Hydraulophones are a class of instrument and there are several different kinds, some of which have reeds and others do not.
This is a very limited look at some of the more unusual instruments you are likely to come across and there are hundreds more that deserve a mention. If you are interested in finding out more about the weird and wonderful world of uncommon musical instruments, you should feel free to do your own research into the topic.