List of fictional musical instruments

A list of musical instruments referenced in fiction which do not exist in reality:

Baliset

In the Dune universe, the baliset is a very long nine-stringed zither. In the 1984 film Dune, the baliset role is filled by a cosmetically altered Chapman stick.^[1]

Gaffophone

The Gaffophone is an instrument invented by Gaston Lagaffe in André Franquin's eponymous comics series. It looks like a giant harp with a large horn attached to it and is known for making atrocious noise that makes people and animals run away and buildings collapse. Franquin used it in numerous gags. ^[2]

Harolina

In the Redwall series of fantasy books, the harolina is a type of stringed instrument played by the anthropomorphic hares of the series.^[3]

Holophonor

In the animated series Futurama, the holophonor, played by Fry, is based on the Visi-Sonor and appears in episodes "Parasites Lost" and "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings"

Ressikan flute

In the Star Trek universe, the ressikan flute is a musical instrument played by Captain Picard. The instrument is an artifact discovered on a probe sent out by the former residents of Kataan.^[4]

Vulcan Harp

The Vulcan Harp appears in the Star Trek universe, played by Mr. Spock. However, this is an actual instrument, though it is quite rare. It is not completely fictional anymore.

Visi-Sonor

The Visi-Sonor appears in the Isaac Asimov book Foundation and Empire. Visi-Sonor is a fictional musical instrument in the book which stimulates brain cells and causes imagined lights, sounds and emotions directly:

"His long fingers caressed softly and slowly, pressing lightly on contacts with a rippling motion, resting themselves momentarily on one key then another – and in the air before them there was a soft glowing rosiness, just inside the range of vision."

With the Mule's great power, the Visi-Sonor became a killing device later in the book.^[5]

References