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.

Some music has a sound all its own, and really what do you call that? It’s not what you’d call world music exactly, and it’s certainly not something you’d consider “new age”, and really it’s not at all experimental. Yet it’s all of these. And it’s progressive rock… And it’s southern blues… And it’s entirely instrumental too.

In this video, Toubab Krewe offers us a 7 minute piece of what can really only be called, Music.
Good, Earth, Music.

Of special interest are the kora of Mali and the cigar-box banjo. Gotta dig the mad instrumentation and special blend of styles here. Enjoy the video, then Click Here to see another piece of world music.

The musicians in Bali have a very different concept of percussion instruments than does the rest of the world. Western music has become accustomed to thinking of the modern drum set as the percussion standard. Primarily for playing rhythm, the western drums leave melody to the strings and the winds, but in Indonesia many ensembles are arranged entirely of percussion instruments.

While a gamelan may or may not include winds, strings and vocals, it certainly centers around the percussion, including a bonang section and various metallophones. Along with these melodic instruments are gongs, drums, and in this case a flute for an important hint of variation. After viewing this Balinese gamelan, Click Here to see another bit of instrumental world music.

When it comes to making music using unusual instruments, John Pascuzzi is the man! In this video Pascuzzi brings together the hang, didgeridoo, hapi drum, and Tuvan igil for a sound unlike any other.

After the video Click Here to check out another world instrumental performance.

Sometimes music is made from finely tuned instruments, other times it is thrown together using scraps just found throughout the house. The latter method is the one preferred by instrument maker Diego Stocco.

A truly unique creation, the Bassoforte is the product of scraps from an electric bass, pickups from an old guitar, a cabinet handle and of course, a chimney cap. Amazingly, Diego Stocco finds a way to make some remarkable music from a pile of junk. Brilliant!! After the video Click Here to check out the Shamisen, string instrument of Japan.

Originating in Africa, the kalimba traces its roots back to the ancient musical instrument of Zimbabwe called the mbira. Through the ages, perhaps no other instrument has gone through as much of an evolution as the kalimba. Today, many kalimbas are made with electronic pickups so they can be played alongside drums and other electric instruments.

This video here shows KalimbaMan Kevin Spears getting loose on his electric kalimba, with a whole host of loops and effects. Enjoy! After the video Click Here to check out the mbira, grandfather of the kalimba.

Of all the unusual instruments, the tongue drum is undoubtedly my favorite. Of course, I’m a little bit biased since this happens to be an instrument I make myself… But really the tongue drum is so much fun to play, and also to make.

I’m still learning to play it, but this drum is a blast! Here’s a little something that’s been ringing through my head lately. After the video Click Here to see another tongue drum video.

Another video performance of the array mbira, this time the song is the traditional English ballad, Scarborough Fair. After the video, Click Here to check out another unusual instrument.

When it comes to music, surely it is the hang that is the greatest invention of the century to date. Being that there are only a few thousand of these lap-sized metal discs making their way around the world, it is always remarkable seeing them in the hands of two quality musicians at once. Not that the hang isn’t amazing by itself, but with twice as many hands for melody and rhythm, the variety is just that much greater.

After the video, Click Here to check out what the hang sounds like next to the Native American flute as played by Jeff B

Few instruments exist in as many different forms throughout the world as the marimba. Originally from Africa, the marimba made it’s way to Central America and Mexico hundreds of years ago. Every kind of marimba produces its own unique sound, but it is the distinct buzzing quality of the Mexican marimba that sets it apart from others.

After the video, Click Here to check out another wooden percussion instrument, the tongue drum.