Four Musical Instruments You Have Probably Never Heard Of

When it comes to music, you have probably heard of all the usual instruments used in bands such as guitars, bass guitars, drums, microphones, amplifiers, etc. There are even some strange instruments that you have probably seen played in concerts like giant musical boxes, xylophones, turntables and other things that make weird sounds.

But what about all the instruments you have never even seen before but have probably heard played on your favorite CD by your favorite artist? Here are some instruments that you might have missed.

• Theremin – Remember all those creep science fiction sounds played in old movies and horror flicks? They were most probably made with an instrument called a Theremin.

This is actually an instrument named after a professor in Russia who invented it in 1928 and it's really just made of a box and two antennas. The metal antennas are used to sense the position of a person's hand as that person waves it around in the air near it. Electric signals are then passed into the box that acts like an amplifier. These sounds are then sent through to a speaker.

The sound produced is a like a long howling sound and depending on the position of the hands, one can control its pitch. Not that difficult to play but it's really hard to master.

• Bamboo Saxophones – Yes, you are used to the old brass saxophones played by some of the best jazz musicians around the world but have you ever heard of one made of bamboo? The bamboo sax is one that is carefully tuned and it is made of bamboo parts that become larger in diameter at the end where the sound is produced.

This is great for acoustic sessions and the sound is very distinct compared to the brass kind. The advantage of actually owning a bamboo sax is that it lasts for a very long time.

• The Didgeridoo – Whenever you hear this word, just remember that it is probably the oldest kind of wind instrument in the world. You will see many of these in Australia because it is the Aboriginal people who invented and used these for their ceremonies.

Today, the didgeridoo is actually quite a popular instrument and it only plays one note. It's a long drawn out droning note and this can actually give texture to a song when played around it.

• The Guitar Machine – Think you have seen all the guitars in the world? You may have seen them with any number of strings, seen ones with double fret bars, and probably a few left-handed guitars. But once you have seen a guitar machine can you truly say you have seen all sorts of guitars. This is because this one has a feature that makes it very unique.

It looks like a guitar with many attachments and the reason for that is because it was meant to be played with your feet! The very first one was built in 1994 and there are more versions coming out because of how famous and interesting an instrument it is.