Many parents encourage their children to pursue music lessons, knowing that learning an instrument can have a positive effect on one’s academic ability, social skills, and self-esteem. Most often, young students take lessons to learn how to play popular instruments such as the piano, guitar, or violin. However, there are many less common options that can be equally as exciting. Here are five unique alternative instruments that prospective music students can learn to play. 1. Harp![]() The harp is one of the world’s oldest instruments. Art from the tombs of ancient Egyptians suggest that it was played as far back as 3,000 BC. Comprised of a triangle-style frame and equipped with 47 strings, the modern concert version of the harp is between 70 and 75 inches tall and can weigh as much as 90 pounds. To play the instrument, harpists sit down and lean the frame against their right shoulder, with one leg on each side of the frame. They then use their fingertips and the thumbs of both hands to strum or individually pluck the strings, which are tuned to the notes of the white keys on a piano. Seven foot pedals located at the base of the instrument allow harpists to alter the pitch of the strings and generate the notes of a piano’s black keys. Harps are often found in professional orchestras and are a key component of Celtic music. They are particularly popular in Ireland. 2. Ukulele![]() Although the ukulele is noted as being a popular part of Hawaiian culture today, the instrument actually traces its origins to a Portuguese island called Madeira. Madeirans played a similar instrument called a “machete de bragas,” which they brought to Hawaii when they immigrated to the Hawaiian Islands looking for work. Ukuleles, which are shaped like small guitars, are available in four sizes, ranging from 20 to 30 inches long. They have four nylon stings that are plucked or strummed, and are traditionally made from wood. Common woods used to create ukuleles include mahogany, koa, and spruce. The ukulele is a fun and relatively uncomplicated instrument to learn, and it has experienced a significant increase in popularity in recent years among people of all age groups. 3. Bagpipes ![]() An instrument with an exceptionally distinct sound, the bagpipes can be heard predominantly in Celtic and traditional Scottish music, although some rock bands also incorporate them into songs. To play the bagpipes, musicians use a blowpipe to breathe air into a bag that is typically made from cow or elk hide, but they can also be made from a synthetic material today. The air from the bag is pushed through a pipe called a chanter, which may be equipped with either one or two reeds. The musician plays the chanter with two hands while routinely blowing air into the bag in order to allow the instrument to continuously produce sound. At the same time, air flows into one or more tubes equipped with reeds called drones, which emit a continuous note that serves as the base of the song. The chanter can then play the melody of the song over the top of the drone’s notes. The bagpipes are often played at important events and ceremonies in the United Kingdom and Ireland, such as weddings, military events, and parades. 4. Theremin![]() Invented in Russia as a byproduct of research into proximity sensors, the theremin is unique even among the instruments on this list because it is fully electronic. Composed of parts used to build radio receivers, the theremin features a metal loop on its left side and a metal antenna on its right, between which it produces two high-frequency circuits. When a theremin player moves his or her right hand through the air in front of the antenna, heterodyne frequencies are created and then amplified through a speaker located in the body of the instrument. In order to control the volume of the sound, the musician moves his or her left hand to different heights over the top of the loop. The sound created by the theremin is comparable to that of the human voice, and although it can only produce a single note at a time, it does have a five-octave range. The theremin can be heard in the music of bands such as Led Zeppelin, the Bee Gees, and The Flaming Lips. 5. Harmonica![]() While many people associate the harmonica solely with American blues music, it is actually based on the Chinese “Sheng,” a free-reed instrument invented thousands of years ago. The harmonica that the world knows today first gained popularity in early 19th century Germany before it was brought to North America in the mid-1860s. The standard Western harmonica (known as the diatonic harmonica) is small and rectangular, and it has 10 small holes on its side. Inside the instrument are two reeds that vibrate and produce 10 distinct notes when a musician blows air into the holes. When a musician breathes inward, an additional 10 notes can be produced, giving the instrument the ability to produce a total of 20 notes. Apart from the diatonic form of the instrument, the harmonica is also available in chromatic, tremolo, and octave versions, which produce different ranges of notes and sounds. Harmonicas can also be designed to produce notes in particular scales, such as a minor scale. Comments are closed.
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Photo used under Creative Commons from Marina K Caprara