History Main / InstrumentOfMurder

* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': The first VictimOfTheWeek in "The Curse of the Ninth" is a violinist who is strangled with one of his own violin strings. The second is a violist who has the strings of his viola covered in powered strychnine, causing him to inhale a lethal dose as he plays.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' [[ArcherArchetype Archers]] are promoted to [[TheBard Bards]] upon reaching Level 30, gaining MagicMusic but retaining their archery skills. Their high level (Relic and Anima) weapons are either bows with a harp/lyre built into it... or a very large harp that doubles as a bow. [[note]]If you don't have one of those equipped, the Bard just pulls an actual lyre [[HyperspaceArsenal out of thin air]] whenever a class skill uses it. [[/note]]

* In ''Film/OurManFlint'', Gila tries to murder Flint with a poison dart fired from a harp that she uses like a bow.

* One enemy agent in ''Series/TheAvengers1960s'' had a clarinet with a blade that would slide out of the bell when the right key was pressed. He used it twice: once to kill a fellow he caught trying to steal the McGuffin, and once in an unsuccessful fight with Steed ... who remarked that the instrument probably played "sharp."
* An episode of ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' ("Stuck on You") had a member of a girl band use the handle of a guitar to smash a victim's throat, crushing his larynx so that he couldn't breathe.

** In [[Recap/DoctorWho2005CSTheChristmasInvasion "The Christmas Invasion"]], the [[BadSanta robot Father Christmases]] wield brass instruments that double as weapons, including a trombone-flamethrower.
** The evil robot Santas return the following year in [[Recap/DoctorWho2006CSTheRunawayBride "The Runaway Bride"]] and attack a wedding reception with their weaponized instruments.
* An episode of ''Series/FridayThe13thTheSeries'' featured a cursed violin. The violin itself wasn't used as a weapon but the blade hidden in the bow certainly was.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': After using his trusty horn for the purposes of psychological assault during the past few episodes, Ramsay repurposes it for ''physical'' assault in "The Bear and The Maiden Fair" by hitting Theon in the face with it hard enough to knock him to the floor.
* ''Series/GetSmart'' had a gun hidden in a violin, and a double-barrelled flute that acted as an airgun.
* In ''Series/TheGoodies'' episode "The Stolen Musicians", the Goodies use a euphonium as a cannon, only to be outgunned by the Music Master's pipe organ that doubles as a multi-barrelled artillery piece, but are saved when the symphony orchestra arrives shooting bows from their violins.

* Ibuki of ''Series/KamenRiderHibiki'' has a gun that can transform- by shifting the parts around- into a trumpet. It actually works in reverse from normal: he uses the gun to implant bullets in the MonsterOfTheWeek (who is naturally ImmuneToBullets) then switches to the trumpet to create a resonance that blows it up.
** All of the Riders use these. Hibiki straps a taiko drum to the monsters and proceeds to beat them to death with taiko drumsticks (and even without the drum, the drumsticks can [[BoomStick shoot fireballs]]), and Todoroki uses [[ThePowerOfRock an electric guitar]] that doubles as an ax.
*** It can get fairly silly with some of the minor Oni Riders, who use weaponized tubas and ''triangles''.

* ''Series/LukeCage2016'': [[spoiler:Maria kills Cottonmouth with a microphone stand]].

* On an episode of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' there was a sketch featuring a performance of the William Tell Overture that ended with the cellist firing the bow from his cello to shoot an apple off Beauregard's head.
* An early ''Series/MurderSheWrote'' episode, "Death to a Jazz Beat", offered an inversion; a jazz clarinetist who was planning on firing his back-up band before signing a huge recording contract was murdered by a poisoned clarinet reed.

* A sketch on ''Series/YoureSkittingMe'' had a girl attempting to return a recorder that acted as a blowgun. In the end, the store swapped it for one that fired a disintegrator ray.

* Jiro in the ''Series/{{Kikaider}}'' OVA "The Boy Who Carried a Guitar: Kikaider Vs. Inazuman" has a guitar that acts as a machine gun. He can also play it as an instrument and incapacitate people.

* ''Series/{{Kikaider}}'': Jiro in the OVA "The Boy Who Carried a Guitar: Kikaider Vs. Inazuman" has a guitar that acts as a machine gun. He can also play it as an instrument and incapacitate people.

* The titular band in ''VideoGame/CharlieMurder'' each uses their instruments in their special attacks or to give themselves and teammates a temporary stat boost by strumming a chord, banging on the drums or [[MakeMeWannaShout screaming into a microphone]].

* '''ComicBook/{{Superman}}: In one of his early appearances, the Prankster used a minature gun conncealed inn a playful-looking flute.

* {{Downplayed|Trope}} in ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsHonorAmongThieves'', where Edgin the Bard occasionally uses his lute to bonk his enemies over the head. Supplementary material reveals that his lute has been reinforced, presumably to enable this purpose, also explaining why it hasn't shattered to pieces after a few uses. However, Edgin himself is a NonActionGuy who prefers to let his buddies do the fighting for him, so this seems the intent was to only ever be for use in [[EmergencyWeapon a last-ditch emergency]].

* ''Film/TempleOfTheRedLotus'': The eponymous Lute from ''The Sword and the Lute'' counts, being an enchanted weapon that can fire poisoned needles from it's front upon being played. Gui-wu in an early scene notably uses this lute to kill ten mooks who tries robbing him in ''seconds''.

* In the anime adaptation of the light novel ''LightNovel/TrinityBlood'' the Rosenkreuz Orden builds a weapon known as the Silent Noise system, an earthquake device that’s apparently controlled via a pipe organ and a series of bells. The massive sonic vibrations reek untold destruction in Barcelona where they first tested the weapon before sneaking it into the Vatican for the [[spoiler: Pope’s uncle Alfonso d'Este]] to destroy all of Rome.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** While doing a Creator/JackBenny homage, ComicBook/TheJoker used a violin bow with a razor blade instead of a string.
** One-shot Franchise/{{Batman}} villain the Maestro (''Batman'' #149) used a number of gimmicked instruments, including a harp that shot arrows and horns that fired bullets.
* In ''ComicBook/BlackCanary'' #6, Bonfire - the guitarist in Bo M - attempts to barbecue Dinah with a flamethrower hidden in her guitar during a battle of the bands.
* ComicBook/{{Dazzler}} had a foe called Johnny Guitar who wielded an electric guitar that fired sonic blasts. He had a partner in Dr. Sax, and you can probably figure out the rest on your own.

* The Fiddler, a golden age foe of ComicBook/TheFlash, was primarily a MusicalAssassin. However, he would occasionally use gimmicked violins containing blades or guns.

* Ember [=McLain's=] guitar in ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' had many different functions, one of those being the ability to produce energy blasts.