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Play WHAT? The top 7 weird instruments used in worship

17th February 2020

Play WHAT? The top 7 weird instruments used in worship

You’re creative, we get that. So when the WeAreWorship team started talking about the seven different instruments that Psalm 150 namechecks, we knew we wanted to find out how far you’d gone to bring weird instruments into your worship sets. We asked our Facebook Friends to tell us what they've played or seen used in worship - here are the top 7!

1.     “I have friends in Kenya who play bits of metal from old clapped out cars as they march to church,” writes Doreen Williams.

And then, thanks to the power of Facebook, Albert Obede confirms: “That is my church Doreen. Holy Spirit Church of East Africa. Very exciting makes the rhythm flow in a wonderful style. Welcome to Bukoyani Headquarters in Western Kenya.”

We tracked down the video below. We can't see any car parts being played here, but we love the rhythm.

 2.     “Once, during an impromptu fringe set at Soul Survivor,” writes Rev Clive Hogger, “I played a part of a vacuum cleaner in the manner of a didjeridoo.”

Which leads us to wonder, Clive, if the set was a spur-of-the-moment thing, how come you had a partially dismantled vacuum cleaner with you? Do you always camp with your Dyson?

While we don't think the below is actual footage of the Soul Survivor set, it does go to show what kind of sound you can get out of a Henry Hoover!!

3.     David Woodman: “A kitchen sink. Literally.”

David, we salute you.

And to see what kind of sound you can get out of one...

 4.     Dave Butler uses “a didgeridoo occasionally in our team and it makes a great sound.

Anyone else remember the Remix prayer warriors of the late 90s? Shirts off, prayer sticks at the ready. No? You had to be there.

Dave, we're not sure if this is your church, but it's a pretty awesome sound!!!

5.     “My son has a stumpf fiddle,” writes David Kinghorn. “Yep, it’s a beauty,” confirms son Joshua.

The stumpf fiddle is an instrument popular with polka, bluegrass and country bands of the Upper Midwest, USA. Some people call it a stump or stomp fiddle. Of course, if you’re Irish, like Rend Collective, you call it a Jingling Johnny.

And here are Rend Jingling their Johnny (you can actually buy your own from the Rend chaps at thejinglingjohnny.com!)

 6.     “A jug,’ writes Christine Sumpter. “Slapping it for percussion.”

More detail, please. Is it an Ibo drum? An Udu jug? Maximum respect either way.

Sheldon Bangera features an Udu Jug in the video for this weeks Free Song of the Week Jai Jai Naam - you can see it in the opening shots.

7.     Sam Daniel keeps it short and simple: “Nadaswaram. Google it ”

We did. We love it.

 

You’re an impressive bunch, that’s for sure. What weird and wonderful worship adventures lie ahead for 2018?