Six Fascinating Instruments You Might Not Have Heard Of

Music is a form of art, entertainment, and ritual that has been explored across nearly all human cultures in recorded history. During the Rubin’s Spiral Music performance series, many instruments popular in the Himalayas and surrounding regions were put in the spotlight for visitors to discover. Below is a selection of six featured instruments, and here are six more.

Used mainly for rhythm-keeping in Nepalese folk music, the mandal is the most popular and widely used hand drum in Nepal. It is usually played horizontally in a seated position, with both heads played simultaneously. See the madal in action.

The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument, with eleven or twelve strings in five or six courses. Construction of the oud is similar to that of the lute, and the instrument is considered an ancestor of the guitar. Sometimes the oud and guitar are played together to create a unique sound.

Erhus are two-stringed bowed instruments, which are sometimes known in the Western world as the “Chinese violin” or a “Chinese two-stringed fiddle.” Many New Yorkers hear the erhu’s sound while waiting for the subway, thanks to one of the city’s downtown street performers.

The strings of an Indian dulcimer, or santoon, are typically stretched over a trapezoidal soundboard and the player holds a small spoon-shaped mallet hammer in each hand to strike the strings.

The shamisen is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument, the sanxian. It is played with a plectrum called a bachi. The shamisen is traditionally used to accompany Japanese kabuki performances. Learn more about the shamisen.

The harmonium is a keyboard instrument in which the notes are produced by air driven through metal reeds by foot-operated bellows. It’s considered an instrument of French origin, but the harmonium of the Indian subcontinent often features drone stops and a scale-changing mechanism making it distinct in its sound.