9 of the coolest, weirdest instruments you can buy on Amazon for under $60

Whether it’s humming to a tune in your head, banging out a percussive beat on the table, or even singing, music is something we all enjoy doing to an extent — but not everyone pursues actually playing an instrument.

Why? Well, one thing that stops us is that musical instruments can be pretty expensive. In fact, even though my first ever guitar was a second-hand, no-brand name electric, it still cost me about $150, then, of course, another $120 or so for the amp and $20 for cables and strings.

Thankfully, nowadays we have modern technology and global shipping, so not only is it way cheaper to get music instruments to try your hand at, there are some really cool and interesting ones made more available by modern production techniques.

So let’s check out some cool instruments you can buy on the cheap.

Pocket synth

Stylophone Retro Pocket Synth

If you’re a fan of 80’s and 90’s synthwave music but somehow haven’t died from a drug overdose, then this little instrument should be right up your alley. Rather than having to buy an expensive mono or polysynth, you get this little baby, with two octaves to play with, and the ability to switch up and down a set of octaves as well.

It’s also deceptively simple-looking, but you can actually do quite a lot with it if you’re willing to put the time to master it. Just check out what a possible career in Stylophone playing would have in store for you.

Ocarina

Deekec Zelda Ocarina 12 Hole Alto C with Song Book

Yes, this is the instrument from Zelda. No, this isn’t something that somebody came up with from the game because they thought it was cool. This is an actual wind instrument, and it’s been around for way longer than “Zelda” (the game) has (I don’t know how old that name is). In fact, some believe that it’s as old as 12,000 years. Take that, “Ocarina of Time” Link!

Oh, and there’s a 6-hole ocarina if you feel that the 12-hole one is a bit too complicated for you. It’s a great way to get started before moving on to the more advanced ones.

Steel tongue drum

REGIS Alloy Steel Tongue Drum 8 Notes with Padded Travel Bag and Mallets

If you’ve spent any time on the internet, you’ve probably seen an Instagram or Tik Tok video of somebody playing the larger size version of these drums. Well, for those who don’t have nearly $500 bucks, but still like the sound of them, this is a cheaper alternative at a tenth of the price. 

They still produce a sweet and ethereal sound, and if you’re willing to put some effort into learning, you can actually create some really sweet-sounding music with these.

Otamatone

Otamatone Japanese Electronic Musical Instrument

Alright, listen, I know this looks kind of stupid at first glance, but this is a legitimate instrument that has been used in actual music. It wasn’t even originally made as a meme, but as a musical toy, and is essentially like a mini synth or theremin. 

It functions pretty simply: you slide your finger up and down the stem to control the pitch, and then squeeze the mouth to open and produce sound. You can even produce a varied sound depending on how hard you squeeze on the mouth, so there are some legitimate techniques used here.

Kalimba thumb piano

Kalimba Portable Mahogany Thumb Piano

This is the sort of instrument that fits into the same category as the tongue drum and the Ocarina, in that it can produce really dulcet sounds and tones. In fact, you could actually pair the instruments together, and have some fun with them. 

If not, well the kalimba can function as its own instrument, especially the larger, fancier versions that are decidedly more expensive. You can also get ones that are turned to a different key, the same way that you can with harmonicas, and those are certainly used a lot in music.

Either way, this is certainly an instrument you can get into and develop skills for.

Lyre harp

7 Metal String Bone saddle Ancient Greece Style Lyre Harp

You’re probably familiar with the TV trope of a hard being played as somebody remembers their past, often in a very comedy context. Well, this isn’t exactly that, especially since the larger harps can weigh several pounds and cost thousands of dollars. Instead, you get a miniature version of that with 7 strings to start yourself out of.

This can very much function as a beginner harp if you’re interested in getting into that, and there’s even a 10 and 16 string version of it as well. I will say that this isn’t technically the same thing as one of those big harps you might be familiar with, in that a violin and viola are still different instruments, even though they’re relatively similar.

Jaw harp

Jaw Harp by MUARO

This one is a little bit out there, and both the name and how it’s used sound a bit silly, but don’t let that put you off. It’s actually a pretty simple instrument: You put it in your mouth and pluck at a piece of metal, which produces a sound in your mouth, using it as a resonant chamber as you’d see with an acoustic guitar. You then alter the shape of your mouth and your throat to produce different pitches. 

Again, it sounds silly, but it can actually be a lot of fun, especially if you’re just playing around with more experienced musicians and want to contribute when doing casual jams. After all, it’s an easy thing to carry in your pocket and pull out at a moment’s notice!

10 keys accordion

MUSICUBE 10 Keys Accordion for Kids, Solo and Ensemble

I guess these aren’t technically a weird instrument, aside from how weird accordions are in the first place (Are they wind instruments? Are they string instruments? Are they percussion instruments? I can’t tell, they’re like the platypus of the instrument world).

Nonetheless, they’re very cool, and what’s interesting about these ones is that they’re small and don’t cost you several thousand dollars. If you’ve ever seen an accordion and always wanted to try one out, this is actually a reasonably good facsimile and will give you an idea of whether you want to get into it or not

Melodica

Eastar 37 Keys Melodica Soprano Air Piano Keyboard

Another instrument that is both from the 80s/90s era and hard to put in a class, the Melodica is a fun little instrument to play around with. It’s technically not a piano and won’t give you a piano sound, being closer to something like a mix between a flute and harmonica (which sort of makes sense since you blow into it to get it to work).

Nonetheless, it’s actually a legitimate instrument, given that it has 37 keys, and therefore 3 octaves to play in. You could probably bang out some cool jazz tunes with this, or at the very least, have some fun jamming with friends and learn some chords along the way. Plus, it’s the instrument that they use to play the theme song for “The Office.”