Today is Buy A Musical Instrument Day, which is pretty fitting for Austin’s enormous musician populace. You may already have a guitar, bass and drum kit ready to rock and/or roll, but consider adding the following odd and under-utilized musical devices to your latest rock/pop/electronica band for guaranteed success:
- Accordion – Polka king Frank Yankovic would’ve been nothing without his trusty squeezebox, and even Weird Al Yankovic (no relation) has been known to Bohemian Polka up a Queen song or two. And if you dig the Montreal sound (by way of Texas) that Arcade Fire’s got going on then, by god, you need to Neon Bible up a few accordions for that Funeral in the The Suburbs. Dig?
- Cowbell – A no-brainer; is there really anything that can’t use more cowbell?
- Ukulele – All we really need to say is go download a copy of Amanda Fucking Palmer’s ukulele versions of Radiohead songs, “Amanda Palmer Performs The Popular Hits Of Radiohead On Her Magical Ukulele,” and try to tell us the ukulele doesn’t rock, okay?
Oh, and this Japanese ukulele band, U900, featuring jams by a knit rabbit and bear? Totally kick-ass.
- Glockenspiel – Someone was playing a glockenspiel on the sidewalk outside UT back when I worked at the Co-op, and when a co-worker asked what kind of instrument it was, they thought I was being “pretentious” for calling the thing by its rightful name. Sorry, bubs, but the glockenspiel is actually NOT the same as a set of bells. Similar in nature to a xylophone, but made of metal (and often portable), the glockenspiel is German, though perhaps its most famous appearance in music is in Jimi Hendrix’s classic (and, ahem, NOT Stevie Ray Vaughan’s cover) “Little Wing.” Bring on the glock rock!
- Didgeridoo – The didgeridoo is one of the craziest sounding instruments, and as I learned during my short time at Antioch College, one can actually construct a homemade version of this aboriginal Australian instrument using PVC pipe. If that ain’t DIY awesome, I don’t know what is. BONUS: Mastery of the didgeridoo can apparently prevent snoring, too! (Actually, anyone who can master circular breathing can benefit from this one, but it sounds far more cool to say that you play the didgeridoo AND it prevents snoring, am I right?)
- Zither – The last instrument you’ll ever need, the zither is perhaps the only instrument that starts with the letter Z. It also figures prominently in the classic noir film The Third Man, featuring Orson Welles and references to world peace and the cuckoo clock. Hot!
Once you’ve got a favorite instrument in mind, check out Texas Music Office’s list of Austin-area music stores to find the best deal on new and used instruments of all varieties. Or, if these are a bit out of your price range, hit up Terra Toys for a wide selection of fun instruments, like the harmonica, sleigh bells, slide whistle and even a sweet-ass gong!
What’s YOUR favorite underappreciated musical instrument?
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Tags: accordion, Amanda Fucking Palmer, Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on her Magical Ukulele, Antioch College, Arcade Fire, Austin music stores, Bohemian Polka, Buy A Musical Instrument Day, cowbell, didgeridoo, DIY PVC didgeridoo, Frank Yankovic, Funeral, glockenspiel, gong, harmonica, Jimi Hendrix, Little Wing, Neon Bible, Orson Welles, polka king, Queen, sleigh bells, slide whistle, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Terra Toys, The Suburbs, The Third Man, U900 Japanese ukulele band, ukulele, Weird Al Yankovic, world peace and the cuckoo clock, zither
I need a good, pre-owned trumpet, at a bargain price, for my high school musician. Any help would be appreciated!
Hi Elizabeth! It looks like your best bet might be Better Than New Band Repair, which also sells pre-owned band instruments like trumpets, and has a “rent to own” program. Here’s their list of instruments for sale: http://www.btnbandrepair.com/instrumentsforsale.cfm
I want a trombone.