Perhaps we should first determine what strange and unusual really means.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines unusual as uncommon or rare.  It defines strange as foreign or not native or naturally belonging in one place.  Therefore, it seems that strange and unusual are relative to who you are and where you live.  One man’s “strange and unusual” musical instrument is another man’s instrument of choice.
Let’s take a look at some of the runners up to the musical saw in the contest of musical oddities. 

Didgeridoo
What qualifies the didgeridoo to be unique is not its rarity. The origins of the didgeridoo go back nearly 40,000 years!  Its sound is what makes it unique.   Only one drone note can be played on a didgeridoo.  The rich music it can produce solely relies on the player’s own vocal tones. 

Glass Armonica
Yes, it is an armonica not a harmonica.  Can you guess which of our American founding fathers invented the glass armonica?  It was the ingenious Benjamin Franklin who invented the glass armonica in 1761.  It was his favorite invention.  Apparently, Mozart agreed as he wrote compositions specifically for the glass armonica.
You’ve probably seen someone wet their finger and run it around the rim of a wine glass.  The armonica works on the same principle.  The instrument has a series of glass bowls set on a spindle that rotates.  The musician wets their fingers and makes beautiful music by touching the bowls.  The bowls are of varying size.  The larger the bowl is, the deeper the pitch.

Hurdy-Gurdy
All of the baby boomers out there know Donovan’s song, The Hurdy-Gurdy Man, but most of them probably have no clue what a hurdy-gurdy is or if it even exists.  The hurdy-gurdy is a real stringed instrument played similarly to a violin sans the bow.  The strings are rubbed by a wheel that is rosined.

The Tsabouna
The Tsabouna originated over 2,000 years ago in Greece.  It is made of goat skin inflated by blowing into the mouthpiece.  There is a flute-like part on the other end of the Tsabouna.  It is played with the fingers just like a flute.  The Tsabouna resembles a bagpipe with a single reed.  Once mastered, it produces beautiful and unique music.

Ukelin
The ukelin is a bowed stringed instrument whose parents are a ukulele and a violin.   This is an interesting cross breed!  It can be played several ways.  One can play it violin style with a bow.  It can also be laid down and strummed with one hand while using the bow with the other hand.  The other option is to use the bow with the ukelin in a prone position. 


Of course, the musical saw is still our favorite of the unusual musical instruments.

The Musical Saw in the Company of Celebrities
You may think the musical saw is a bit obscure and that it’s strictly for folk musicians. That’s not the case at all. There are many notable people who have played the musical saw. Did you know that Marlene Dietrich played the musical saw while entertaining troops in World War II? Ever heard of the San Francisco socialite, Bob Pritikin? The former ad man, American author and hotelier is also an avid musical saw player. Bob frequently performed at lavish parties at his mansion for celebrity guests like Mickey Rooney. Contemporary artist, Laurel Hausler, also is a singing saw player.

The Musical Saw Goes to Hollywood
Of course, the musical saw has made many appearances in television and movies including Three’s Company, Tool Time, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. You may be amazed to know that it has also had an integral role in movie scores. Probably the most famous use was in the score for the Pirates of the Caribbean – at World’s End. In 1975, the musical saw was used for the opening theme song of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

The Musical Saw in the Guinness Book of Records
The musical saw has even made it into the Guinness Book of Records. On July 18, 2009, a record was set for the “Largest Musical Saw Ensemble.” At the annual NYC Musical Saw Festival, 53 musical saw musicians performed the Schubert Ave Maria together.

The Musical Saw is not so Unusual After All!
While the musical saw may seem a bit strange to some, to folk music lovers, it’s not at all unusual. In fact, during the vaudeville era as many as 25,000 saws per year were sold. What started as musicians playing ordinary carpenter’s saws has certainly evolved. Today the musical saw is manufactured especially for musicians. There are bass saws, tenor saws, baritone saws and even a prized gold-plated musical saw.

Instruments That Require No Musician
If you thought the musical saw was unusual, what about an instrument that plays without human assistance? That’s right there are musical instruments that are played with the assistance of nature only. No musician is necessary! The Aeolian wind harp and the wave organ are perfect examples.
The Aeolian wind harp, is as name indicates, played by the wind. Its origins can be traced back to Ancient Greece. Since the wind harp requires no human involvement, it emanates an eerie sound that is reliant solely on Mother Nature. Like the wind harp, the wave organ also relies solely on nature as its musician. The ocean’s waves create the sounds as they move in and out of the tubes located on the underside of the structure. The random notes are heard coming from the openings on the surface of the organ.

Instruments Created from Weapons
This is certainly my favorite category. The thought of taking something designed for war and turning it into a musical instrument is very appealing. Remember, the Bible forecasts a time of peace when humanity will beat swords into plowshares ( Isaiah 2:4 ) One such weapon/instrument is the Picking Bow. This is essentially an archer’s bow converted into a musical instrument. Picking bows are available in my Musical Saw catalog.

The Most Dangerous Musical Instrument
Quite possibly the most unusual and by far the most dangerous musical instrument are the Tesla coils. In layman’s terms, a Tesla coil makes lightning bolts! The “music” made by this very unusual instrument is coming from sparks generated by the high power coils. And yes, there are bands using custom Tesla coils in conjunction with their other instruments. But remember, the saw was not invented for music either!

The musical saw is not so unusual after all!