A bit late, but here you go:
That song sounded vaguely familiar, so I did some googling. It turns out that the Beastie Boys song “Car Thief” samples Donovan’s Hurdy Gurdy Man, and the lyric that was familiar is
“Space cake cookies I discover who I am
I’m a dusted old bummy Hurdy Gurdy Man”
Listening to it, the sample is very short and comes right after the lyric.
I also found out that the Butthole Surfers covered that song. It’s a good version IMO, but you guys might not like it.
Want to some cool non-traditional instruments used in interesting applications? Go see Steve Howe in concert. Besides being a phenomenal guitar player, he has a collector’s heart and is always using beautiful, interesting old instruments. The man even has a book out!
http://www.amazon.com/Steve-Howe-Guitar-Collection/dp/0879302909
You beat me to it.
Got a mouth harp but can’t play it very well. My lovely wife bought me a dulcimer for christmas. Its coming along ok, been playing guitar, mandolin & banjo for a while and its simular, just different.
Steve Howe rocks, I had the pleasure of seeing Asia open for Yes at Six Flags Great Adventure on my birthday in July 2010 and it was one of the most memorable events I’ve ever witnessed until the lightning and rain started :( When I was about 8yrs old my best friend’s older brother used to play Yes and all of the 60’s/70’s stuff for us and we got hooked, been a Yes freak every since.
Recently I saw that Jon Anderson was playing this neat little guitar in a video of one of his new songs, its called a Strum Stick, check it out:
Oh I forgot, I also play the Doumbek, a traditional middle-eastern drum.
I saw that tour myself, Benoit David and Rick Wakeman’s son Oliver did a surprisingly good job standing in as vocalist and keyboardist, respectively. Definitely a Howe-centered show, with ASIA and all. Before that I saw them in 2002, and in 2000. I’m only 29, so not much before that, sadly.
I saw the title of this thread and wondered if didgeridoo was going to be mentioned. I have 6 didges, but really only play 3. I’m not great, but somehow picked up circular breathing pretty quickly. If you ever get into it enough, go see my friend Ben:
http://hickssticks.com/
He made 2 of my sticks and they’re awesome.
I played orchestral percussion in high school. Once played on mugs, and once on an anvil.
The dumbek is very popular in the SCA…Bang on mine on a semi regular basis…
Nice! Looks like if you remove the top it can function as a cool chalice for beer! (But I’ll bet you’ll tell me bottom is open…so bummer :'()
All these instruments are “traditional” to somebody.
Here’s real innovation:
I dona’t play anything but my wife can pretty much pick up any stringed instrument and play it well within minutes. I bought a banjo and starting playing in high school, but dropped it after I moved to NM. I showed it to her and she was able to play a version of Dueling Banjos with my guitar playing roommate almost effortlessly. She picked up my great, great , great grandfather’s fiddle and layed the Star Spangled Banner at the start of a football game. Then in a dulcimer shop in Fredricksburg TX she jammed with the store owner even though she had never even heard of the instrument before.
I wish she would get more serious about it(we have the banjo, fiddle, a dulcimer we built, 2 acoustic guitars and an electric one)but she’s working on her 2nd consecutive Masters and hasn’t had any time for the past 6 years.
As much as I agree that that is very cool, there is a LOT more to the BMG story… First of all it’s a franchise, there are more than 50 blue men these days, and the original three are now management only…
Secondly, the corporation (cause that’s what it unfortunately is now) has a long and sordid history of union busting, which at the risk of turning this thread political I won’t get in to.
But yes, it is innovative.
It seems everyone got the gist of the question, what I meant by Non traditional, I meant uncommon, I guess. I am not
sure by what you mean by not-traditional-to-western-cultures. It used to be that not very many instruments were
invented in the USA, most arrived by boat, forced or otherwise then adapted locally. Many instruments “invented”
in the USA for example have precursors across the Atlantic. The piano, for example, is probably not traditional in some
Amazonian villages and their answer to my question could possibly be, “The Piano, It was a @#$% to get it here…”
I did not mean to be vague.
What prompted my question was the Hang Drum
Seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNJswfXKJ3s
It’s like an inverted steel drum played by hand. Now there are several adaptations slit steel drums, hapi drums and so on.
Or this one The Theremin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJYho56INKU
Recently featured on The Big Bang Theory (TV show for those that don’t watch)
I have wanted to get an ocarina too.
Edit:
By the way, I was introduced to the Hurdy Gurdy Here:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/caroline_phillips_hurdy_gurdy_for_beginners.html
heh, I was in the SCA for years before i quit cold-turkey, I think I bought mine at pennsic 12 or whatever one was in 91 or 92…good times…
Tony
This one is for Denny,
http://www.ted.com/talks/jake_shimabukuro_plays_bohemian_rhapsody.html
I can mimic songs using a Lilac Leaf…just sayin… 
Is it ok if I listen to it to? 
That was awesome.