There’s a bunch of videos in this article

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/42820080

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28400774

Created in the 19th century by the French luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, this colossal double bass stands out for its impressive height, exceeding three meters, and its deep tonal range, capable of producing notes that approach the lower limits of human hearing.

Due to its enormous size, the octobass cannot be played like a conventional double bass; instead, the musician must use a system of pedals and levers to press the strings and modulate the sound. Although its use has been limited throughout musical history, some orchestras and composers have explored its potential to add a unique and resonant depth to certain symphonic compositions.

This rare instrument, which was a true feat of lutherie in its time, continues to fascinate classical music enthusiasts and organologists, remaining a remarkable achievement in musical engineering.

Definitely the weirdest sounding instrument I've ever heard.

Here is a video where you see how it works: Daxophone Demonstration 2: Desktop Daxophone

Technically this doesn't really count as an obscure instrument where I live, but I suspect there are very few people outside of here who know it. These are stone chimes that date back to "scary-antiquity" times (at least 2500 years and likely more). The set being played is a reproduction of the set found in the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng currently sitting on display in the Hubei Provincial Museum.

As is usual when describing some of the odder musical instruments here, I use the "it's like … but" formulation.

It's like a xylophone, but arranged sideways, and also suspended on wires or thin ropes (depending on which era), oh, yeah, and the sounding plates are made of stone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_violin

Two mbiras, a diddlybow, and whatever you call a motor slapping your strings.

This was peak Internet back in the day.

Honorable mention to the improvised percussion.