Read more: Holy smokes, a hurdy-gurdy cranking heavy metal riffs sounds monumental Hear the incredibly hypnotising sound of the zanfona, a strange medieval musical instrument. Picture: YouTube / ...

At the heart of many of the world’s musical instruments is the same, simple component—a string stretched tight between two points. Plucked, bowed, or struck, each of an instrument’s strings ...

Though its curves and angles follow the familiar silhouette of its smaller stringed relatives (violins, violas, cellos, etc.), the octobass stands at a gargantuan 11 feet, 5 inches—so high, even ...