According to this piece in The Christian Science Monitor, the hottest cutting-edge instrument these days is none other than the cello:
The cello is becoming the preferred instrument among many experimental rock bands, forward-thinking composers, and promoters of avant-garde concert series.
I find this an interesting development, particularly after hearing an NPR piece about Erik Friedlander (who’s mentioned in the piece and pictured above), a cellist who has written an album of cello pieces in which he mostly plucks the instrument instead of bowing it. He's got a good Website, too, with video and music downloads such as the background he did for a Lending Tree commercial. READ much MORE
