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In a pinch, we bet you could use pretty much anything to make a musical instrument. You’re at your desk and you have a pen and a book — voila, percussion section. But make a synthesizer from some paper clips and an old keyboard and you’ve really got our attention. Making musical instruments can be an art form itself, as the entries below prove. From carrot fifes to a jellyfish theremin to home-made amplifiers, check out our list of amazing DIY instruments after the jump.

1. Jellyfish theremin

Though we couldn’t tell you what exactly is happening in this video if you paid us, apparently the jellyfish not only controls the sounds emitted from the device, but also the lighting and even the air-conditioning of the room. Why? Because, according to inventor Yuri Suzuki, “the Theremin is also an instrument which is as mysterious as a jellyfish.” Brian Wilson would approve.