Think you’re a good enough Pungi player to charm a snake? We’re sorry to break it to you, but no matter how well you can play the Pungi, the snake won’t rear its head to listen. Because, having no external ears, snakes aren’t interested in the sound at all, but rather the waving motion of the instrument that occurs when it’s being played.

Used by snake charmers in India and Pakistan, the Pungi is a mystical reed instrument carved out of a small gourd with a blowing hole at the top and two attached pipes at the bottom. Think bagpipes but less abrasive and Scottish.

As well as snake charming, the Pungi is considered to be one of the many ways to communicate with the Gods (assuming the Gods have external ears).