History Main / BizarreInstrument

* In the ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'' novels, Jon-Tom's duar is a double-necked guitar in which the two sets of strings cross over one another. When used for spellsinging, some of its strings start fading in and out, as if crossing into another dimension.

* ComicBook/GastonLagaffe

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Some of the instruments played by the band in the cantina at Mos Eisley in ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ANewHope''. ''Film/{{Solo}}'' also mentions something called a valachord, which Tobias Beckett keeps talking about playing.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/TheMule": Introduced here is a musical instrument, called the visi-sonor, that creates illusionary lights and colours along with the sounds. [[spoiler:It also helps to amplify mental powers.]] The invention of the visi-sonor is described in his novel ''Literature/TheStarsLikeDust'' (published later, but ''much'' earlier by internal chronology).

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
** The pipe organs created by [[BunglingInventor Bloody Stupid Johnson]] and situated in Unseen University (as seen in ''Literature/MenAtArms'', ''Literature/SoulMusic'' and ''Literature/{{Hogfather}}'') and the Ankh-Morpork Opera House (seen in ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'') are so complicated and laden with special effects that only the Librarian can properly play them, with all four limbs. The UU one also happens to be crosslinked with the pipes in the Archchancellor's bathroom, unbeknownst to anyone. ''Literature/CarpeJugulum'' has another Johnson in the vampire castle, this one dedicated to horror-movie sound effects.
** In ''Soul Music'', Cliff the troll drums on rocks, carefully selected and chipped to produce desired notes. Glod the dwarf plays a battle horn, and Imp plays a sort of Ur-guitar with a solid body [[spoiler: that's actually the instrument that produced the notes which started the universe]].
** ''The Discworld Alamnack'' describes "hog ringing". The illustration shows four people with xylophone hammers behind eight hogs of decreasing size, presumably each sounding a different note. The text laments that this practice has largely died out.

* In Tanith Lee's ''Kill The Dead'', Myal's instrument is a bizarre contraption resembling a lute with two fretboards, each one hollow and holed, with a flute's mouthpiece attached to it. Pressing the strings also covers up the flute-holes, changing the pitch of both at once and making it virtually impossible to play. [[spoiler: Turns out it wasn't ''designed'' to be played at all, but was cobbled together from some broken pieces by a con man. Myal only learned to play the thing because his guardian, outraged at having been suckered into buying the thing, beat the boy black and blue until he found a way.]]
* In the Literature/{{Spellsinger}} novels, Jon-Tom's duar is a double-necked guitar in which the two sets of strings cross over one another. When used for spellsinging, some of its strings start fading in and out, as if crossing into another dimension.
* In ''Literature/LifeTheUniverseAndEverything'', Slartibartfast was planning on spending his retirement learning to play the octravental heebiephone, despite not having enough mouths.
* In ''Literature/ETTheBookOfTheGreenPlanet'', various plants grown on the Green Planet are used as musical instruments, such as a band in the Micro Tech Club: Fluteroots are the wind instruments, Timpanums are the drums, and Trompayds are the trumpets.
* Literature/TheSecretLivesOfPrincesses: The Cuckoo Horn. Has around a dozen switches, a cuckoo coming out the opening, a bandaid, and at least five holes. No practice necessary.

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in the ''[[Series/{{MASH}} M*A*S*H]]'' episode "The Smell of Music". After Major Winchester's obnoxious French horn playing has annoyed the rest of the camp into running it over with a jeep, Charles tries to get the last laugh by paying a local Korean craftsman to fix his horn. What he gets back is a huge, awkward, Frankenstein-esque maze of brass cobbled together from the parts of various other horns... but with no ''mouthpiece'', meaning it doesn't technically qualify as an "instrument" anymore.
* Invoked in a first season episode of ''Series/RedDwarf'', in which Holly the senile ship's computer claims to have come up with a way to revolutionize music by decimalizing it and adding the notes H and J, which will in turn necessitate the redesign of all instruments to play them.

* The ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Coming Out of Their Shells Tour'' featured Leonardo playing a one-stringed bass. It was explained in behind the scenes {{Mockumentary}} footage that this was due to the difficulty of playing an instrument with their three-fingered hands.

* InUniverse, Music/{{Fraktus}} had stuff like the Electric Bagpipe: an electric hair dryer blowing into a recorder. In reality, while it did work, they rarely used it because [[DidntThinkThisThrough it would fall apart whenever played]].

* Music/LaurieAnderson invented the tape bow violin, which is a violin that has a magnetic tape playback head instead of a bridge, and a violin bow that has a length of tape with pre-recorded sound on it instead of hair. By drawing the tape over the head, you can play whatever's on the tape, forwards or backwards and at whatever speed you like. She also designed a system where she could place a small speaker in her mouth and play instruments through it: by opening and closing her mouth she could turn herself into a human wah-wah pedal.

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* ''Series/TheMuppetShow''
** In an episode, Crazy Harry plays the explodaphone.
** A recurring Muppet, [[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Marvin_Suggs Marvin Suggs]], plays the Muppaphone.
** [[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Fazoobs The Fazoobs]] are a Koozbanian band who play ''each other''.
* On ''Series/SesameStreet'', there's the "Shpritzer Honker Splasher Sprinkler Tweeter Squirt", which looks like a cross between a synthesizer and a sprinkler system. It takes four people to operate it, and it's played on a giant foot-operated keyboard, a series of buttons, a set of foot pedals, and a panel of electronic drum pads.
* On ''WesternAnimation/TheBananaSplits'', Fleagle had the Calliopasaxaviatrumparimbaclaribasotrombaphone.
* In the ''Series/FraggleRock'' episode "Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk", the Doc story had him messing about with party noisemakers, first attaching several of them together to produce something a little like a panpipe, and then creating a larger steam organ version.
-->'''Doc''': From this moment forth, the piano is obsolete!
[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': The holophonor is essentially an alien clarinet which creates its own visual accompaniment. It's so difficult that only a few humans can play it, and most of them aren't that good at it, which is reflected in the holograms it produces: without the alien worm infestation that greatly enhanced his physical and mental capabilities, Fry is lucky to be able to produce kindergarten-grade stick figure scribbles with it. In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' crossover episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS26E6Simpsorama Simpsorama]]", Lisa, being the genius that she is and thanks to her previous experience, can [[InstantExpert play a saxophone version]] of the holophonor just as well as she plays a regular saxophone and create realistic imagery with it which is then used to solve the current crisis.

* Most of the instruments in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' are real Asian instruments, but then there's the tsungi horn, which has a funny name on top of being completely fictional.
* ''WesternAnimation/ACharlieBrownChristmas'': Schroeder's toy piano, capable of imitating a grand piano and a ''pipe organ.''
* Quite a few positively psychotic examples from Creator/DrSeuss's ''Literature/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas''
* The assorted junk-assembled instruments played by the Junkyard Gang from ''WesternAnimation/FatAlbertAndTheCosbyKids''.

* The holophonor from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', essentially an alien clarinet which creates its own visual accompaniment. It's so difficult that only a few humans can play it, and most of them aren't that good at it, which is reflected in the holograms it produces: without the alien worm infestation that greatly enhanced his physical and mental capabilities, Fry is lucky to be able to produce kindergarten-grade stick figure scribbles with it. In a crossover episode with ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Lisa, being the genius that she is and thanks to her previous experience, is able to [[InstantExpert play a saxophone version]] of the holophonor just as well as she plays a regular saxophone and create realistic imagery with it which is then used to solve the current crisis.

* The holophonor from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', essentially an alien clarinet which creates its own visual accompaniment. It's so difficult that only a few humans can play it, and most of them aren't that good at it, which is reflected in the holograms it produces: without the alien worm infestation that greatly enhanced his physical and mental capabilities, Fry is lucky to be able to produce kindergarten-grade stick figure scribbles with it. In a crossover episode with ''Franchise/TheSimpsons'', Lisa, being the genius that she is and thanks to her previous experience, is able to [[InstantExpert play a saxophone version]] of the holophonor just as well as she plays a regular saxophone and create realistic imagery with it which is then used to solve the current crisis.

* ''ComicBook/{{Perky}}'': When Perky visits the Land Of Dreams, TheSandman shows off his "Snorgan"- a pipe organ that makes snoring sounds when you play ot.

* ''ComicBook/Perky'': When Perky visits the Land Of Dreams, TheSandman shows off his "Snorgan"- a pipe organ that makes snoring sounds when you play ot.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/TheMule": Introduced here is a musical instrument, called the visi-sonor, that creates illusionary lights and colours along with the sounds. [[spoiler:It also helps to amplify mental powers.]]

* The [[https://youtu.be/IvUU8joBb1Q Marble Machine,]] built for 14 months by the Swedish band Wintergatan. To play it, one must first program the desired melody into its musicbox-like drum, then turn the crank to make it run, while simultaneously switching levers to change "instrument" on the fly (xylophone, bass, or drums) as the marbles fall into place and make the desired sound effect. Also doubles as a RubeGoldbergDevice.