Musical instruments are extensions of people themselves and translate the surreal into the understood. This list takes a look at the strange beliefs of people all over the Earth and into their fascinating traditions of connecting the mysteries in our minds to the world heard through our ears.

10: Tanbur
The tanbur is a category of stringed, wooden instruments with long necks and resonating bodies, known by several names, including the tambur, tanboor, tar, and lyre. The forefather to modern guitars, it originated in Mesopotamia and southern and central Asia several thousand years ago.
While many cultures adopted similar styles of this instrument for various purposes, one of the earliest recorded uses of the tanbur was one of healing, calming, and creation of inner equilibrium. This symbolism was seen prominently in a religious cult of northern Africa and the Middle East during the 18th century known as Zaar (Zar). This superstition focuses on the duality of good and evil and the possession of human spirits by malevolent forces.
The Zaar ritual often involved a ceremony of wild, droning music that slowly entranced the possessed into a frenzy, cleansing the spirit with music and song. Typically, a specific set of instruments were central to the Zaar, including most notably the tanbur (tar), tambourine, chanting, and rhythmic drums.

9: Conch Horn
The conch horn is a wind instrument constructed out of seashells or large sea snails and has been used by various cultures ranging from the Caribbean to Mesoamerica, India, and Tibet, as well as New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. These shells were simply blown into, and the inner shape created a loud trumpet-like sound.
In India, according to Hindu tradition, the horn remains a sacred symbol of the god Vishnu, representing female fertility, prosperity, and life. Here, shells can even be considered sacred, depending on their color and which direction the shell curls. Shells that curve clockwise are considered to be very sacred, as their curves mirror the circular motion of the Sun, Moon, stars, and heavens.
In Mesoamerican and Caribbean tribes, the instrument was central to hunting, war, and prayer rituals. The ancient city of Teotihuacan in present-day Mexico had strong symbolic ties to the conch shell. It was widely depicted in artwork and used in ceremonies that celebrated water and male fertility. Its shape evoked the impression of water flowing outward, nourishing crops and people, and creating new human life. In this context, the horns represented male virility and sexuality; warriors and men of high status were buried with conch shells, found on headdresses or near the pelvis.
Alternatively, in various Pacific island cultures such as Fiji, the conch horn was used to announce the arrival of guests into a village or in funeral ceremonies, where its sound would accompany the body of a deceased chief to the end of his life’s path into burial.

8: Ocarina
The ocarina is a small handheld wind instrument believed to have originated near 10,000 B.C. Traditionally constructed from bone or clay, it is also made of many substances such as stone, wood, plastic, or metal. This instrument consists of a hollow chamber, with a protruding mouthpiece and 4–12 holes that are covered by fingers to produce various sounds. Ocarinas with special shapes, including animals, humans, gods, or monsters, have also been unearthed in Central and South America.
Historically, they were used in rituals of Mesoamerican cultures, where they produced beautiful, surreal tones that could speak to the gods, charm birds and animals, and even send humans into a mysterious, trance-like state. More recently, the ocarina was popularized in the video game The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, where the item granted the player the ability to control the weather, teleport between locations, open doors, and even travel through time.

7: Mbira
The mbira is a handheld instrument created by the Shona people of present-day Zimbabwe over 1,000 years ago. It consists of a series of metal tines, or plucked metal bars, mounted on a wooden sound board and exists in many sizes and configurations.
Traditionally, this instrument has held a key position in the spirituality of the Shona, who maintain strong connections to the spirits of their ancestors. Used as a “telephone to the spirits,” the mbira allows them to speak with tribal spirits and ask for guidance, accompanied by songs, prayers, and poetry. This is most common during the Bira ceremony, a rite of spiritual possession, where spirits are called to participate in the remembrance of community wisdom and tradition. The Shona also use the music of the mbira to control the rain and drought cycles for crops, heal the sick, and scare away harmful spirits.

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