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The Unusual Musical Thread

Grakkle

Grakkle

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 6, 2006
624
2
Earth
It seems like a thread for discussion of unusual (or usual, if you like) musical topics and instruments would be amusing.

I play the bagpipe, myself, as some of you know. Anyone who has bagpipe questions can ask me, and anyone who doesn't like the bagpipe can answer to me.

Ah...My secret musical indulgence is singing Civil War songs.:eek:

Tramp, tramp, tramp the boys are mar-ching!
Cheer up comrades they will come!
And beneath the starry flag we will breathe the air again
Of the free land in our own beloved home...

So talk about your music and your instruments, people!
 
Haha, my dad absolutely cannot stand bagpipes. Myself, i'm indifferent, don't love them, don't hate them.

I can play the spoons. ;) :p
 
I love classical music. I play the french horn myself (which is sort of rare...), but I just went to a Peter Schickele concert this last weekend and he plays a Tromboon which is a cross between a Trombone and a Bassoon, which has what he says is "all the disadvantages of both". It sounds horrible but fits is comedy routine.

My dad majored in music theory in college so he plays lots of different instruments. His favorite string is the viola, so I know tons of viola jokes (viola is also interchangeable with the accordion in these jokes).

What's the difference between a viola and an onion? No one cries when you cut up a viola.

What's the difference between a viola and a trampoline? You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.

If you throw a banjo and a viola off a sky scraper, which hits the ground first? Who cares!

And my favorite instrument joke of all time:
Harp players spend 50% of their life tuning their harp, and the other 50% playing out of tune.

hahahaha... ok, so it isn't that funny...
 
adrianblaine said:
What's the difference between a viola and an onion? No one cries when you cut up a viola.

What's the difference between a viola and a trampoline? You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.
Click to expand...

And interchangeable with the bagpipe, apparently. I've heard both those exact same jokes with the bagpipe substituted for the viola.
 
Some of the unusual music I listen to:

John Cage (prepared piano pieces)
SunnO)))
Earth
Boris
Merzbow
Final
SPK


Unusual instruments:

Synth Noise Box (review)
A modded Boss tremolo pedal the achives self-oscillation

Currently building an instrument that consists of 6 small motors with speed controllers and a guitar pickup.
 
Grakkle said:
I play the bagpipe, myself, as some of you know. Anyone who has bagpipe questions can ask me, and anyone who doesn't like the bagpipe can answer to me.
Click to expand...

I really dislike the sound of bagpipes, I'm afraid. It's the drone that bothers me - it always seems very unmusical. Sorry.
 
I've played a nose flute before, which has to be one of the strangest instruments ever.

The strange instruments I can actually play with some skill though are the Theramin and teeth (using your mouth to change the pitch of the sound while flicking your teeth, really bad sound but a good party trick :p ).
 
Killyp said:
The strange instruments I can actually play with some skill though are the Theramin...
Click to expand...

i have to ask, because i have no idea...what's a theramin? :confused:

a few christmases ago i visited the old-timey country store in the town i went to college in...in the back room, they had a group of people assembled who were playing christmas tunes, totally unrehearsed, around the fireplace. it was sort of come as your are, bring what you can play and we'll give you music. :) there was a girl playing the accordian, and i was sitting behind her, watching her play, and it seemed like the most chilled-out, slouch-in-your-seat instrument ever. and the sound.....well, the sound was beautiful to me.

ever since then, i have wanted so badly to purchase an accordian and learn to play it. there's no reason for it, really...i've just always loved to try new instruments.

i am skilled with a clarinet, which isn't that unusual at all. maybe i just want to have a strange talent. :eek:
 
The theremin is an instrument invented in Russia early last century. It's played by moving your hands around it, and works with electromagnetic fields. You never actually touch the instrument (other than turning it on etc...).

theremin.jpg


I'm okay, although I'm nothing amazing...
 
No wierd musical instruments here, just my voice. I'll catch myself singing Danny Boy occasionally, which is a bit weird as I'm not Irish :)
 
Killyp said:
The theremin is an instrument invented in Russia early last century. It's played by moving your hands around it, and works with electromagnetic fields. You never actually touch the instrument (other than turning it on etc...)
Click to expand...

thanks for clearing that up. i could have looked it up, but i was lazy today. it sounds intriguing, though!
 
Dunepilot said:
I really dislike the sound of bagpipes, I'm afraid. It's the drone that bothers me - it always seems very unmusical. Sorry.
Click to expand...

Could be because you've never heard a properly tuned bagpipe. Unfortunately, most pipers don't know how to tune their instruments.

And yes, an untuned bagpipe is one of the worst sounds a human can produce.
 
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