Uncommon Musical Instrument Day is a holiday observed annually on July 31st that commemorates musical instruments that aren’t as common as the ones we are used to seeing on a day-to-day basis. What is an uncommon musical instrument? Well, some of the ones we like include the Hornucopian Dronepipe, the Hyperbass Flute, the Pyrophone Organ, and the now-infamous Cello Horn.

On this day, you can spend time learning about some of the weirder instruments in history, or you can even listen to them thanks to the power of the Internet. And, of course, you can always choose to learn how to play an odd instrument on this holiday.

Interesting Facts About Musical Instruments

Below are some fun, informative, and exciting facts that we learned about musical instruments. Although we couldn’t list all the facts we’ve uncovered during our research, we have laid out some of the ones we liked the most below.

• In Africa, talking drums were used to transmit messages over long distances.
• Keith Moon did not like performing drum solos.
• A 356-pound aluminum grand piano was built in the lounge of the airship Hindenburg.
• Pianos can have over 12,000 individual parts.
• The guitar can be traced back over 4,000 years.
• The first trumpets were made about 2,500+ years ago.

Observing Uncommon Musical Instrument Day

We think it’s a great day for everyone to enjoy a musical instrument that’s a little bit unusual, something like the Hurdy Gurdy, the Medieval Fiddle, or the Tabor Drum. If you’re not confident enough to learn one of these instruments, then you can always take the time to listen to other people playing them on YouTube and other websites. And while you’re celebrating this holiday, don’t forget to use the hashtag #UncommonMusicalInstrumentDay to spread the word about this holiday.