10 Rock Songs With Weird Instruments

5. Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Any fan of rock music in the 90's couldn't get enough of the infectious "Give it Away" from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The track's funky groove and outlandish guitar part made the song stand out amongst other acts like Nirvana and Soundgarden.

However, there was a certain X-factor about the song that no one could quite put their finger on. What no one could really decipher was the deliberate use of a Jew's harp being played throughout the track. At the suggestion of engineer Brendan O'Brien, the band decided to add the instrument to the mix, which gave the track more of a bouncy feel. Given the band's roots in the world of funk, the propulsive off-kilter rhythm provided by the Jew's harp was perfect to go along with the tune's initial groove.

The instrument is played throughout the majority of the track, but never strays too far outside of its initial timbre. The song has a dramatic increase in volume, but the Jew's Harp makes "Give It Away" surge with intensity, as if the sounds of the Chili Peppers are coming from a foreign land. While the band are still masterful musicians, the use of the more exotic instrumentation puts this track over the edge into pure rock genius.

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