Most of the instruments mentioned so far are well documented in any number of books on homemade and/or "found instruments."

Possibly the strangest I've seen, and not documented in any published text to my knowledge, was the fellow who passed through our Winfield campground some years back playing a cicada. Placed in the mouth, and "teased" until it does its characteristic "buzz," the mouth can be used to "tune" the bug to "play a tune(?)."

Another fellow played a handfull of boards, about 1" x 2" and cut to appropriate lengths. Laid across a couple of 2x4s somewhat in the manner of a xylophone, he played by beating on them with a rather large box-end wrench. Surprisingly musical. With "construction grade" lumber, it appears that you do have to hit rather forcefully to get a musical "ring" from them.

Kids in my youth used to occasionally "play the barn." A 10 or 20 foot piece of "binder twine" tied to a nail on the barn wall makes an excellent "tub base" with an enormous sound board; but you really have to "lean on the string" to get much tuning range. It does tend to make the mule a little nervous if you keep it up too long.

John