The hang is known for tearing off incredible percussion solos, but in this video you can see how versatile it is, playing here alongside the Celtic harp. In this video, imagine the people on the other side of the park, beyond the trees in the background, how they must have felt when they heard this music?

How sweet would that be, to just be walking along and then this amazing tune begins to play from somewhere in the distance. Seems we should hear more of the hang throughout all of music. In a video posted a couple weeks ago, the hang can also be seen alongside the Native American flute, so you can Click Here to see more of what this music instrument can do.

Well, it’s about time the shamisen goes global. After centuries of play in Japan, the shamisen is simply too brilliant of an instrument to keep locked up much longer. The fretless 3 string instrument is considered to be the Japanese cousin of the American banjo, and while the similarities are clear, the Eastern sound remains with the shamisen wherever it is played.

Here to demonstrate the point are Mike Penny and Kevin Kmetz who met up in California last summer (2010) for a spontaneous shamisen improv. So sit back and watch these two dudes kick it, then Click Here to see another piece of instrumental world music.

Getting your hands on a hang is tough enough, but when you have 3 to choose from why not just play them all together at the same time? That’s what Rafael Sotomayor chooses to do whenever he’s not busy playing the hang with his band, the Art of Fusion.

You’ll notice that the hang is not actually a drum, that’s just what it’s commonly called. It’s actually a steel pan classified generically as a percussion instrument, but make no mistake, there is nothing generic about the hang. One of the most original and also rare instruments in the world today, enjoy this video of the hang, then Click Here for more instrumental music.

National instrument of Finland, the kantele is part of a family of zithers known as the Baltic psalteries.  This string instrument has been around for thousands of years, but it was not until the 19th century that it really gained legendary status.  As Finland was struggling for independence, a story of the kantele was fashioned from Finnic myth and folklore.

This epic poem known as The Kalevela tells the story of a mage who makes the first kantele from the jawbone of a giant fish and the hairs of a stallion.  With his magical instrument he goes into the forest and plays such beautiful music that creatures from all around come to listen in wonder.  By 1917 The Kalevela had played a large role in developing national identity and ultimately helped Finland establish independence from Russia.

After the video Click Here to see another piece of world music.

Great music needs not a stage. In fact most of the greatest music ever played has been lost to the empty rooms where it was made. Fortunately Mecca Bodega is out on the streets and in the subways of New York City making sure their sound is heard.

Bringing together the hammered dulcimer of Appalachian Mountain Music with the Afro-Peruvian cajón and other musical instruments, be sure to catch this underground jam and then Click Here to check out more instrumental music.

Blurring the lines between new and ancient music, Samjjana (‘sum-ya-na’) brings together the Native American flute with the hang – percussion instrument of Switzerland. Actually it’s not a drum, the hang (‘haŋ’) is a steel disc played with the hands, and it is one of the newest instruments in the world today.

The ethereal sound that comes from it fits perfectly with the Native American flute. In this case it’s a drone flute, meaning it is two flutes made as one, with the opposite side playing a single fixed note. So enjoy the hang and listen for the harmony produced by the extra sound chamber on the flute, then Click Here to check out another wind instrument.

Fusing the sounds of many cultures with modern technology, Beats Antique is one of several bands currently paving the way for an emerging new style of music. Originally from San Francisco, David Satori and Tommy Cappel both trained classically before traveling east to places such as Bali, West Africa and Serbia.

Joined by bellydancer Zoe Jakes, the trio are frequently on tour and will be on stage this year at Bonnaroo. Of special note here is the saz, which is pretty much a Turkish banjo. This and other Middle Eastern styles makes for a unique sound only heard from Beats Antique. After this video of the track Beauty Beats Click Here for more instrumental world music.

Unlike other Native American flutes which are played by blowing directly into the end to produce the sound, the Anasazi flute is played by forming an embouchure to blow air across the rim of the instrument. It is much longer than other Native American flutes and so produces a much deeper sound.

This instrument comes from the ancestors of the Pueblo people living in Arizona and New Mexico. Since it is not known what these people called themselves, they have been given a name and are now commonly referred to as the Anasazi. After listening to Scott August Click Here for more instrumental music.

Like many ethnic instruments of eastern Asia, the hulusi is a free reed wind instrument which is played throughout China. Made of 3 bamboo pipes and a gourd wind chest, the hulusi in this video is played by Vladiswar Nadishana, musician from Siberia who plays on more than 100 instruments from all around the world to create his unique blend of music. On percussion is Steve Shehan who has been playing with Nadishana for years. After the video Click Here to see another instrumental world video.

Usually played in a group with many drummers, the taiko does not often find itself alongside a string instrument.  But if this video is any indication, perhaps the two should be played together a little more often.

Typically an ensemble with many drummers each playing one drum, the taiko always makes for a performance of immense power.  Now in this case the drummer stands behind an entire set of taiko drums and lays down the rhythm for the shamisen.

After the video Click Here to see more instrumental music.