BlackSpiral

What Are Those Strange Instruments?

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Interesting fact: There's not a single guitar on any of Kwannon's tracks.
Jenne's dad is actually an instrument-maker in his spare time, explaining how she acquired so many.

So what are all those instruments Jen uses?

Mountain DulcimerThe mountain dulcimer, the first instrument Jenne learned to play. It's a four-stringed instrument from Appalachia that sits on the lap. Jenne's Dad once described it as a "string bagpipe" because the instrument has two drone strings.
Celtic HarpThe 22-string folk harp, which needs no introduction!
Hammer DulcimerThe hammered dulcimer, which is found throughout Europe and Asia in various guises.
ValihaThe valiha, a circular zither from Madagascar with steel strings.
KanteleThe kantele, sometimes called the Finnish lap harp (even though it's technically a zither). It's shaped like a wing, and usually has five or ten strings. A kantele appears in The Wicker Man and on its soundtrack (although it isn't identified as a kantele).
BerimbauThe berimbau, which is from Brazil. It's a bow-shaped percussion instrument. A steel string is hit with a stick to make the sound; it also has a gourd resonator.
AutoharpThe autoharp, Jenne's most recent acquisition (which she is still learning to play!) Invented in Germany, it's often used in American folk and Appalachian music.
EktaraThe ektara, which is used by the Baul people of Bengal. Its name means "one string" and, indeed, it has one string. It's used as a background drone.
GopichandA related instrument, the gopichand, is a toned one-string drum.
Bowed PsalteryThe bowed psaltery. Believed to have been invented in Germany as an instrument for children, it was apparently based on images in medieval art of the ukelin.
BodhranThe bodhran, a round Irish drum.
DrumsA doumbek, an hourglass-shaped drum from the Middle East. Jenne admits that she's a rotten drummer.
Sistrum and Deer Toes

The sistrum, which looks like tambourine jingles attacked to a stick. It's from Egypt.

Other percussion, which include deertoes (a rattle made with giant bean shells), tambourines, a frame drum, zils (finger cymbals), bells, windchimes, energy chimes and a small round drum from Ghana.

Tin Whistle and RecorderTin whistles and a recorder that Jenne hasn't gotten around to learning how to play. (Her dad plays tinwhistles and recorder quite well, though).
Tibeten Singing Bowl and BellA singing bowl and singing bell, both from Tibet.
Doodle BassesSome fun stuff that probably will never make it to an album: a kalimba made with bobby pins, a "doodle bass" made with pie tins and weedwhacker string and a marimbula, a giant kalimba you sit on. And, of course, the boring old keyboard.