From flame throwing brass to taxidermy Theremins, we take a look at some of the world’s most bizarre musical inventions.

1: Trombone Flame Thrower

This (literally) high-octane invention gives new meaning to the term “a sizzling performance.” Demonstrating his incendiary skills in a rendition of Arthur Pryor’s Fantastic Polka, trombonist Valentin Guérin has utterly ignored health and safety hazards to create the as-insane-as-it-sounds flame-throwing trombone. If you’re into it, he also has recorded himself playing Nessun Dorma on his trombone, while he drives a tractor.

2: Clarinet Pole Dance

If you value keeping your Google search history squeaky clean, you might not have found this saucy example of extreme music making, but it’s well worth a look. Multi-talented clarinettist and pole dancer, Paul Groslouis, first caught our attention when he published a video of himself pole dancing while playing a clarinet version of Jason Derulo’s 2014 hit Wiggle. However, he has proved himself to be more than a one-hit pole dance wonder – his version of the Mission Impossible theme is a particularly apt choice of repertoire. Don’t try this at home.

3: Russian Doll Theremin Army

Is it a dream? Is it a nightmare? Is it a fevered hallucination? It could legitimately be all three. Whoever dreamt up this bizarre display may not be singing from the same hymn sheet as the rest of us, but they certainly are creative. 167 musicians gathered together in Tokyo back in 2011 to put on a performance of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy on the “Matryomin” – basically, a theremin stuck inside a Matryoshka, better known a Russian nesting doll. So far, so kooky, but the performers’ emotionless faces add an extra element of B-movie horror to the scene. The video has been titled “Symphony No. 9, Boogie”, so we can only hope they’re having fun on the inside.

4: Theremin vs. Taxidermy

While we’re on the subject of theremins, behold the Badgermin, which is a theremin inside a stuffed badger. Yes, you read that correctly. If you’re into experimental music and taxidermy, this could be the instrument for you. Designer David Cranmer encourages you to contact him for commissions. If you can’t live without a Badgermin, or maybe an Owlemin, head to www.nervoussquirrel.com. We know why the squirrel is nervous now.

5: ICEtruments 

Nothing adds a thrill to a concert experience like the possibility of hypothermia, and there are few performances colder than those featuring ice instruments, or ICEstruments, as Swedish musical pioneer Tim Linhart fondly calls them. Each instrument is made of layered sheets of ice, with colourful lights placed inside to mimic the Northern Lights. If you can brave the cold, this has to be one of the coolest concerts experiences around.

6: The Symphonic House

If you’re okay with being overwhelmed by sound 24/7, living in the Symphonic House might be just your cup of tea. William Close, a sonic installation artist, teamed up with architect David T. Hanawalt in 2007 to create an entire house that acted as a vast musical instrument. The living room features strings to pluck or bow, and the stairwell plays a tune as you ascend.

7: Steampunk Percussion Juggler

A busker in Spain has displayed incredible hand-eye coordination skills by combining juggling and percussion. Throwing his mallets at a drum kit in time to the music playing from a stereo, his sticks bounce back to him with amazing precision, in an incredible feat of concentration and music-making.

8: The Cat Organ

Whether or not a cat organ was ever built with real cats is unknown, but according to the crazy literature that exists on this medieval anti-feline instrument, it was a torturous device that lined up cats in order of the natural tone of their voices to form a scale. Each cat was then provoked in some way, resulting in a cry of pain from the cat when a note was pressed on a special keyboard. In 2010, Henry Dagg, a British sound sculptor, created a more humane version of the cat organ, using squeaky cat toys. Prince Charles was reportedly “greatly amused” by the instrument after seeing a demonstration.

9: Underwater Chamber Music

Any wind player will be familiar with breath control, but one ensemble is taking this technique to the next level. The AquaSonic underwater concert by Between Music – a five-piece new music ensemble – sees each performer “submerge themselves in glass water tanks to play custom-made instruments”. The inventive, but nonetheless hazardous concept, has gotten people across social media suggesting that it’s great fodder for the plot of a horror film.

10: The Zeusaphone

If Doctor Who, Tesla and Thor got together to brainstorm an instrument, this is absolutely what they would have invented. According to the official Zeusaphone website, the instrument uses a Tesla coil to shoot out electrical discharges at different pitches. It is possible to purchase one of these extraordinary instruments, and in case you were wondering, Zeusaphone products come with a warranty. Here is a Zeusaphone, playing the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, because this is probably what Bach had in mind when he was composing.