Ultimate Weird Instrument

Subject: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: CupOfTea
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 12:38 PM

While there are a plentitude of odd, peculiar, strange and hybrid instruments listed in various threads on Mudcat, none seem to have reached the same degree of weirdness that I saw this weekend. Crazy friends the fabulous jug band Smokin Fez Monkeys had a wild record release party, with guest performers and the debut of the "Catastrophonium." (Which is what you get when a banjo collides with an accordian and a washboard, bells and other spare parts get in the way.)

That wasn't the weirdest instrument. As a matter of course, "Bullfrog Willy Plunket" plays the banjitar. "Gnarly Snag" has a world class jingle stick is probably in it's 4th or 5th version. Tim & Mark both create odd combinations of instruments that are played regularly. People no longer stare at the "Slide Fartaphone" doing the trombone-like breaks. But for my money, the Ultimate Weird instrument kudos go to their invited friend Brad Bolton who played the Turkey Baster.

Really. Here's Brad explaining it on You Tube though when I heard him play, the sound was clearer, and more solidly on pitch. I was slackjawed in amazement at how good something so absurd sounded!

If that's not enough, there's a Band Director in Texas   who makes an even bigger deal out of it.

Joanne in Cleveland who plays the "whatonearthisthat?" bowed psaltery

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 12:46 PM

Sort of a dangerous (well, potentially very messy) relative of the swanee whistle.

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: GUEST,^&*
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 12:55 PM

At last week's Feakle festival in County Clare, Ireland, there was a guy playing Irish music on what looked suspiciously like one of THESE. Sounded fine too.

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 01:22 PM

What fun! Now, my grandson wants to buy a turkey baster.:-)

Guest, I love those Asian pipes. We had some videos posted a year or two ago which showed the competitions they have playing them whilst dancing and tumbling. Really amazing.

Joanne, love the bowed psaltery!

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: IanC
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 01:32 PM

What about the Theremin? I always thought that an instrument you don't touch and is practically uncontrollable ought to get a prize.

:-)

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: The Sandman
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 01:38 PM

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: GUEST,^&* - PM
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 12:55 PM

At last week's Feakle festival in County Clare, Ireland, there was a guy playing Irish music on what looked suspiciously like one of THESE. Sounded fine too.

I doubt if some of the people on WWW.SESSION .ORG would approve,
that obnoxious harmonica player, and the Edinburgh Fiddle player,plus that Leitrim .., immediately spring to mind., some of them are so far up their own rectums,that taking on board something new, can only be done if it has been done first by matt molloy.

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 01:43 PM

Thanks to the discovery of the membrane-pipe, things like THIS can be made relatively simply with no troublesome reeds to worry about. How? Here's how: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wPlEbAMbmc

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 01:47 PM

This one's worth a look as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPedwnc5e_s&feature=related

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: gnu
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 01:49 PM

I use my baster for small engine gas and oil so I'll have to spring for a new one.

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: Don Firth
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 02:07 PM

The turkey baster is flippin' ingenious!!

You've heard of "found art?" Like things that people have thrown out that someone finds and puts together in an artistic and aesthetically pleasing fashion?

Some years ago, I met a student at the University of Washington School of Music who was into "found music." He could get some amazingly complex and genuinely tonal music out of things like kitchen utensils. I've seen him—and heard him—play some fascinating stuff on pots, pans, bottles, and miscellaneous stuff you can find in most kitchens. He could play original stuff, and well-known compositions on these things. You ain't head Mozart until you've heard him on a dish pan, an array of metal mixing bowls, and couple of drinking glasses. He was always tapping on things to see what kind of musical sounds he could get out of them.

He also made a very creditable didgeridoo out of a length of PCV pipe.

You never knew what he was going to come up with next!

Don Firth

P. S. Love the miscellaneous variations on the bagpipes!

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: GUEST,Big Ballad Singer
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 04:19 PM

It's a percussion instrument, but I have and sometimes play what is known as a "boom-cha".

Basically, it's a pogo stick with a wire that attaches to a beater that plays a cookie-tin-snare-drum that has jingles all over it.

I am also soon to be in possession of a stringed instrument (a guitar-ish thingy) made almost entirely of Australian palm fronds and wood.

I LOVE weird instruments... and the video of the musical Turkey Baster scared my wife. LOL ;)

Regards,

BBS

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Aug 10 - 04:58 PM

Troubling news. My turkey baster has a hole in the bulb, and I have looked for a replacement in four different stores. None of them had any.

Is the turkey baster obsolete?

If so, that is bad in two ways. One is that turkey-baster flute players are doomed. Another is that my sister took nursing and learned that many burns suffered in the kitchen could be avoided by the use of a baster.

I know, let's all march on Washington playing 'The Stars and Stripes Forever' on turkey basters so suppliers can see how demand there is for turkey basters.

For the present, I am getting by by covering the hole with a piece of freezer tape.

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: CupOfTea
Date: 11 Aug 10 - 07:56 AM

The condom-bag bagpipe is extraordinarily weird! It likely gets extra points for shock value. It seems like it'd need more technical ability in dealing with the reed than a novice player could provide, however. I think the turkey baster is more... acccsible... you could present the turkey baster to school children without incurring parental indignation that the condombagpipe would. I was particularly amused at the close up at the end of the video of the detumesence of the bag.

The other musical object-creating that guy is responsible for shows how a whole different order of creativity is needed for the weird. You may have artistic creativity, or musical creativity, but weird creativity- there's a rare and astonishing talent. It'a all the more impressive when mixed with some of the other talents, like Ben Franklin inventing the glass 'armonica.

Joanne in Cleveland who has 2 turkey basters, & 2 bowed psaltries

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: Tangledwood
Date: 11 Aug 10 - 07:50 PM

For some more inventive instruments search You Tube for Linsey Pollak.

That's "Linsey" without a "d". There are clips there from Lindsey with a "d" that are nothing to do with music.

Subject: RE: Ultimate Weird Instrument
From: Joybell
Date: 11 Aug 10 - 08:22 PM

My True-Love tells a story about an incident when he was travelling through India in the 60s. He'd been meeting up with local groups of musicians all over Europe and Asia as he went. He'd seen a lot of strange and wonderful musical instruments, and played along with strange and wonderful musicians.
One day he saw a man carrying a weird instrument that was unfamiliar but looked as though it might have interesting possibilities. It was long and maybe hollow and had strings attached.
Truelove, carrying his Gibson and wearing his heavy backpack, followed the man over highways and byways, through narrow streets, up hill and down. At last the man stopped by a house.
Breathless from exertion and excitment, True-Love watched as the man climbed up on the house-roof and

STUCK THE STRANGE INSTRUMENT DOWN THE CHIMNEY!

Ah! for a life on the road to discovery again.
Cheers, Joy