Hornbostel–Sachs or Sachs–Hornbostel is a system of musical instrument classification devised by

Erich Moritz von Hornbostel Erich Moritz von Hornbostel (25 February 1877 – 28 November 1935) was an Austrian ethnomusicologist and scholar of music. He is remembered for his pioneering work in the field of ethnomusicology, and for the Sachs–Hornbostel system of music ...

and

Curt Sachs Curt Sachs (; 29 June 1881 – 5 February 1959) was a German musicologist. He was one of the founders of modern organology (the study of musical instruments). Among his contributions was the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which he created with Er ...

, and first published in the in 1914. An English translation was published in the '' Galpin Society Journal'' in 1961. It is the most widely used system for classifying

musical instruments A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

ethnomusicologists Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...

and organologists (people who study musical instruments). The system was updated in 2011 as part of the work of the Musical Instrument Museums Online (MIMO) Project. Hornbostel and Sachs based their ideas on a system devised in the late 19th century by

Victor-Charles Mahillon Victor-Charles Mahillon (March 10, 1841 in Brussels – June 17, 1924 in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France) was a Belgian musician, instrument builder and writer on musical topics. He was the founder and first curator of the Musée instrumental du Cons ...

, the curator of musical instruments at Brussels Conservatory. Mahillon divided instruments into four broad categories according to the nature of the sound-producing material: an air column; string; membrane; and body of the instrument. From this basis, Hornbostel and Sachs expanded Mahillon's system to make it possible to classify any instrument from any culture. Formally, the Hornbostel–Sachs is modeled on the

Dewey Decimal Classification The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), colloquially known as the Dewey Decimal System, is a proprietary library classification system which allows new books to be added to a library in their appropriate location based on subject. Section 4.1 ...

for libraries. It has five top-level classifications, with several levels below those, adding up to over 300 basic categories in all. The top five levels of the scheme are as follows:

Idiophones (1)

Idiophones primarily produce their sounds by means of the actual body of the instrument vibrating, rather than a string, membrane, or column of air. In essence, this group includes all

percussion instrument A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

s apart from drums, and some other instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification, idiophones are first categorized according to the method used to play the instrument. The result is four main categories: struck idiophones (11), plucked idiophones (12), friction idiophones (13) and blown idiophones (14). These groups are subsequently divided through various criteria. In many cases these sub-categories are split in singular specimens and sets of instruments. The class of idiophones includes the

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...

, the

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

, the glockenspiel, and the glass harmonica.

Struck idiophones (11)

These idiophones are set in vibration by being struck, for example cymbals or

Directly struck idiophones (111)

The player executes the movement of striking; whether by mechanical intermediate devices, beaters, keyboards, or by pulling ropes, etc. It is definitive that the player can apply clear, exact, individual strokes, and that the instrument itself is equipped for this kind of percussion. * 111.1 Concussion idiophones or clappers – Two or more complementary sonorous parts are struck against each other. ** 111.11 Concussion sticks or stick clappers ( clapstick). ** 111.12 Concussion plaques or plaque clappers (

paiban The ''paiban'' () is a clapper made from several flat pieces of hardwood or bamboo (or, formerly, sometimes also ivory or metal), which is used in many different forms of Chinese music. There are many different types of ''paiban'', and the instr ...

). ** 111.13 Concussion troughs or trough clappers ( devil chase). ** 111.14 Concussion vessels or vessel clappers ( spoons). *** 111.141

Castanets Castanets, also known as ''clackers'' or ''palillos'', are a percussion instrument (idiophone), used in Spanish, Kalo, Moorish, Ottoman, Italian, Sephardic, Swiss, and Portuguese music. In ancient Greece and ancient Rome there was a simil ...

– Natural and hollowed-out vessel clappers. *** 111.142

Cymbals A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...

– Vessel clappers with manufactured rim. * 111.2

Percussion idiophone Struck idiophones is one of the categories of idiophones (that is, any musical instrument that creates sound primarily by the instrument as a whole vibrating—without the use of Strings (music), strings or Acoustic membrane, membranes) that are fo ...

s – The instrument is struck either with a non-sonorous object (hand, stick, striker) or against a non-sonorous object (human body, the ground). ** 111.21

Percussion stick Struck idiophones is one of the categories of idiophones (that is, any musical instrument that creates sound primarily by the instrument as a whole vibrating—without the use of strings or membranes) that are found in the Hornbostel-Sachs system ...

s. *** 111.211 Individual percussion sticks. *** 111.212 Sets of percussion sticks in a range of different pitches combined into one instrument. – All

s, as long as their sounding components are not in two different planes. ** 111.22 Percussion plaques. *** 111.221 Individual percussion plaques. *** 111.222 Sets of percussion plaques – Examples are the

lithophone A lithophone is a musical instrument consisting of a rock or pieces of rock which are struck to produce musical notes. Notes may be sounded in combination (producing harmony) or in succession (melody). It is an idiophone comparable to instrumen ...

and also most

metallophone A metallophone is any musical instrument in which the sound-producing body is a piece of metal (other than a metal string), consisting of tuned metal bars, tubes, rods, bowls, or plates. Most frequently the metal body is struck to produce sound, ...

s. ** 111.23 Percussion tubes. *** 111.231 Individual percussion tubes. *** 111.232 Sets of percussion tubes. ** 111.24 Percussion vessels. *** 111.241

Gong A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...

s – The vibration is strongest near the vertex. **** 111.241.1 Individual gongs. **** 111.241.2 Sets of gongs. *** 111.242

Bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inte ...

s – The vibration is weakest near the vertex. **** 111.242.1 Individual bells. ***** 111.242.11 Resting bells whose opening faces upward (for example the

standing bell A standing bell or resting bell is an inverted bell, supported from below with the rim uppermost. Such bells are normally bowl-shaped, and exist in a wide range of sizes, from a few centimetres to a metre in diameter. They are often played by st ...

) ***** 111.242.12 Hanging bells suspended from the apex. ****** 111.242.121 Hanging bells without internal strikers. ****** 111.242.122 Hanging bells with internal strikers. **** 111.242.2 Sets of bells or

chimes Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within a ...

. ***** 111.242.21 Sets of resting bells whose opening faces upward. ***** 111.242.22 Sets of hanging bells suspended from the apex. ****** 111.242.221 Sets of hanging bells without internal strikers. ****** 111.242.222 Sets of hanging bells with internal strikers. **111.3 Mixed sets of directly struck idiophones

Indirectly struck idiophones (112)

The player themself does not go through the movement of striking; percussion results indirectly through some other movement by the player. * 112.1 Shaken Idiophones or rattles – The player makes a shaking motion ** 112.11 Suspension rattles – Perforated idiophones are mounted together, and shaken to strike against each other. *** 112.111 Strung rattles – Rattling objects are strung in rows on a cord. *** 112.112 Stick rattles – Rattling objects are strung on a bar or ring. ** 112.12 Frame rattles – Rattling objects are attached to a carrier against which they strike (

flexatone The flexatone or fleximetal is a modern percussion instrument (an indirectly struck idiophone) consisting of a small flexible metal sheet suspended in a wire frame ending in a handle. Used in classic cartoons for its glissando effect, its sou ...

). *** 112.121 Pendant rattles. *** 112.122 Sliding rattles. ** 112.13 Vessel rattles – Rattling objects enclosed in a vessel strike against each other or against the walls of the vessel, or usually against both. * 112.2 Scraped Idiophones – The player causes a scraping movement directly or indirectly; a non-sonorous object moves along the notched surface of a sonorous object, to be alternately lifted off the teeth and flicked against them; or an elastic sonorous object moves along the surface of a notched non-sonorous object to cause a series of impacts. This group must not be confused with that of friction idiophones. ** 112.21 Scraped sticks. *** 112.211 Scraped sticks without resonator. *** 112.212 Scraped sticks with resonator. ** 112.22 Scraped tubes. ***112.221 Scraped tubes without resonator. *** 112.222 Scraped tubes with resonator. ** 112.23 Scraped vessels. ***112.231 Scraped vessels without resonator. *** 112.232 Scraped vessels with resonator. ** 112.24 Scraped wheels – cog rattles or Ratchet ***112.241 Scraped wheels without resonator. ***112.242 Scraped wheels with resonator. * 112.3 Split idiophones – Instruments in the shape of two springy arms connected at one end and touching at the other: the arms are forced apart by a little stick, to jangle or vibrate on recoil.

Plucked idiophones (12)

Plucked idiophones, or

lamellaphone A lamellophone (also lamellaphone or linguaphone) is a member of the family of musical instruments that makes its sound by a thin vibrating plate called a lamella or tongue, which is fixed at one end and has the other end free. When the musician ...

s, are idiophones set in vibration by being plucked; examples include the jaw harp or

mbira Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and p ...

. This group is sub-divided in the following two categories:

In the form of a frame (121)

The lamellae vibrate within a frame or hoop. * 121.1 Clack idiophones or Cricri – The lamella is carved in the surface of a fruit shell, which serves as resonator. * 121.2 Guimbardes and Jaw harps (i. e. "kissed" idiophones) – The lamella is mounted in a rod- or plaque-shaped frame and depends on the player's mouth cavity for resonance. ** 121.21 Idioglot guimbardes – The lamella is cut through the frame of the instrument (

kubing The kubing is a type of Philippine jaw harp from bamboo found among the Maguindanaon and other Muslim and non-Muslim tribes in the Philippines and Indonesia. It is also called kobing (Maranao), kolibau (Tingguian), aru-ding (Tagbanwa people, Tagba ...

). ***121.211 Individual idioglot guimbardes. *** 121.212 Sets of idioglot guimbardes ** 121.22 Heteroglot guimbardes – The lamella is attached to the frame (Western Jew's harp,

kouxian ''Kouxian'' () is a general Chinese term for any variety of jaw harp. The jaw harp is a plucked idiophone in which the lamella is mounted in a small frame, and the player's open mouth serves as a resonance chamber. Chinese jaw harps may comp ...

). Present-day ethnomusicologists, such as Margaret Kartomi (page 173) and Ellingson (PhD dissertation, 1979, p. 544), might support the suggestion that, in keeping with the spirit of the original Hornbostel–Sachs classification scheme, of categorization by what first produces the initial sound in the instrument, that the supposed class 412.13 should count as these instead. *** 121.221 Individual heteroglot guimbardes. *** 121.222 Sets of heteroglot guimbardes **121.23 Mixed sets of guimbardes

In the form of a comb (122)

The lamellae are tied to a board or cut out from a board like the teeth of a comb. * 122.1 With laced on lamellae. ** 122.11 Without resonator. ** 122.12 With resonator. * 122.2 With cut-out lamellae – Musical box **122.21 Without resonator. ** 122.22 With resonator. *122.3 Mixed sets of combs

Mixed sets of lamellophones (123)

Friction idiophones (13)

Idiophones which are rubbed, for example the

nail violin } The nail violin is a musical instrument which was invented by German violinist Johann Wilde in 1740. The instrument consists of a semicircular wooden Sound board (music), soundboard, approximately by in size, with iron or brass Nail (engineering ...

, a bowed instrument with solid pieces of metal or wood rather than strings.

Friction sticks (131)

* 131.1 Individual friction sticks. **131.11 Without direct friction. ** 131.12 With direct friction. * 131.2 Sets of friction sticks. ** 131.21 Without direct friction. ** 131.22 With direct friction. **131.23 Mixed

Friction plaques (132)

* 132.1 Individual friction plaques. **132.11 Without direct friction. ** 132.12 With direct friction. * 132.2 Sets of friction plaques. **132.21 Without direct friction. ** 132.22 With direct friction. **132.23 Mixed

Friction vessels (133)

* 133.1 Individual friction vessels (for example the

singing bowl A standing bell or resting bell is an inverted bell (instrument), bell, supported from below with the rim uppermost. Such bells are normally bowl-shaped, and exist in a wide range of sizes, from a few centimetres to a metre in diameter. They are ...

) **133.11 Without direct friction. ** 133.12 With direct friction. * 133.2 Sets of friction vessels. **133.21 Without direct friction. ** 133.22 With direct friction. **133.23 Mixed Sets of Friction idiophones (134) * 134.1 Without direct friction. * 134.2 With direct friction. * 134.3 Mixed

Blown idiophones (14)

Blown idiophones are idiophones set in vibration by the movement of air, for example the

Aeolsklavier The aeolodion or aeolodicon (also called in Germany ''Windharmonika'') is an obsolete keyed wind instrument resembling the harmonium, its tone being produced from steel springs. It had a range of six octaves, and its tone was similar to that of t ...

, an instrument consisting of several pieces of wood which vibrate when air is blown onto them by a set of

bellows A bellows or pair of bellows is a device constructed to furnish a strong blast of air. The simplest type consists of a flexible bag comprising a pair of rigid boards with handles joined by flexible leather sides enclosing an approximately airtig ...

. The piano chanteur features plaques.

Blown sticks (141)

* 141.1 Individual blown sticks. * 141.2 Sets of blown sticks. ** Aeolodion

Blown plaques (142)

* 142.1 Individual blown plaques. * 142.2 Sets of blown plaques. Mixed sets of blown idiophones (143)

Unclassified idiophones (15)

Membranophones (2)

Membranophone A membranophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by way of a vibrating stretched membrane. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification. ...

s primarily produce their sounds by means of the vibration of a tightly stretched membrane. This group includes all drums and

kazoo The kazoo is an American musical instrument that adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of '' mirliton'' (which itself is a membranophone), one of a class of instruments which modifie ...

Struck membranophones (21)

Struck drums are instruments which have a struck membrane. This includes most types of drums, such as the

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...

, or

kettle drum Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...

, and the

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

Directly struck membranophones (211)

Instruments in which the membrane is struck directly, such as through bare hands, beaters or keyboards. * 211.1 Instruments in which the body of the drum is dish- or bowl-shaped (

s) ** 211.11 Single instruments ** 211.12 Sets of instruments * 211.2 Instruments in which the body is tubular ( tubular drums) ** 211.21 Instruments in which the body has the same diameter at the middle and end (

cylindrical drum Cylindrical drums are a category of drum instruments that include a wide range of implementations, including the bass drum and the Iranian ''dohol''. Cylindrical drums are generally two-headed and straight-sided, and sometimes use a buzzing, pe ...

s) *** 211.211 Instruments which have only one usable membrane **** 211.211.1 Instruments in which the end without a membrane is open **** 211.211.2 Instruments in which the end without a membrane is closed *** 211.212 Instruments which have two usable membranes **** 211.212.1 Single instruments **** 211.212.2 Sets of instruments ***211.213 Mixed sets of cylindrical drums ** 211.22 Instruments in which the body is barrel-shaped ( barrel drums) *** 211.221 Instruments which have only one usable membrane **** 211.221.1 Instruments in which the end without a membrane is open **** 211.221.2 Instruments in which the end without a membrane is closed *** 211.222 Instruments which have two usable membranes **** 211.222.1 Single instruments **** 211.222.2 Sets of instruments ***211.223 Mixed sets of barrel drums ** 211.23 Instruments in which the body is hourglass-shaped *** 211.231 Instruments which have only one usable membrane **** 211.231.1 Instruments in which the end without a membrane is open **** 211.231.2 Instruments in which the end without a membrane is closed *** 211.232 Instruments which have two usable membranes **** 211.232.1 Single instruments ****211.232.2 Sets of instruments ***211.223 Mixed sets of hourglass drums ** 211.24 Instruments in which the body is conical-shaped (

conical drum Conical drums are a class of membranophone, or drum, that is characterized by sloping sides. They are usually one-headed. An example is the timbal The timbau or Brazilian timbal is a membranophone instrument derived from the caxambu drum, usu ...

s) *** 211.241 Instruments which have only one usable membrane **** 211.241.1 Instruments in which the end without a membrane is open **** 211.241.2 Instruments in which the end without a membrane is closed *** 211.242 Instruments which have two usable membranes ****211.242.1 Single instruments ****211.242.2 Sets of instruments ***211.243 Mixed sets of single-conical drums ***211.244 Instruments in which the body is double-conical ****211.244.1 Instruments which have only one usable membrane *****211.244.11 Instruments in which the end without a membrane is open *****211.244.12 Instruments in which the end without a membrane is closed ****211.244.2 Instruments which have two usable membranes ***** 211.244.21 Single instruments ***** 211.244.22 Sets of instruments ***211.245 Mixed sets of double-conical drums ***211.246 Mixed sets of conical drums ** 211.25 Instruments in which the body is goblet-shaped (

goblet drum The goblet drum (also chalice drum, tarabuka, tarabaki, darbuka, darabuka, derbake, debuka, doumbek, dumbec, dumbeg, dumbelek, toumperleki, tumbak, or zerbaghali; arz, دربوكة / Romanized: ) is a single-head membranophone with a goblet- ...

s) *** 211.251 Instruments which have only one usable membrane **** 211.251.1 Instruments in which the end without a membrane is open **** 211.251.2 Instruments in which the end without a membrane is closed *** 211.252 Instruments which have two usable membranes **** 211.252.1 Single instruments **** 211.252.2 Sets of instruments ***211.253 Mixed sets of goblet drums **211.26 Mixed sets of tubular drums * 211.3 Instruments in which the body depth is not greater than the radius of the membrane (

frame drum A frame drum is a drum that has a drumhead width greater than its depth. It is one of the most ancient musical instruments, and perhaps the first drum to be invented. It has a single drumhead that is usually made of rawhide, but man-made mate ...

s). ** 211.31 Instruments which do not have a handle *** 211.311 Instruments which have only one usable membrane *** 211.312 Instruments which have two usable membranes ** 211.32 Instruments which have a handle *** 211.321 Instruments which have only one usable membrane *** 211.322 Instruments which have two usable membranes

Shaken membranophones (212)

Instruments which are shaken, the membrane being vibrated by objects inside the drum ( rattle drums).

Plucked membranophones (22)

Instruments with a string attached to the membrane, so that when the string is plucked, the membrane vibrates (plucked drums).
Some commentators believe that instruments in this class ought instead to be regarded as chordophones (see below).

Friction membranophones (23)

Instruments in which the membrane vibrates as a result of friction. These are drums which are rubbed, rather than being struck.

Friction drums with stick (231)

Instruments in which the membrane is vibrated from a stick that is rubbed or used to rub the membrane * 231.1 Instruments in which the stick is inserted in a hole in the membrane ** 231.11 Instruments in which the stick can not be moved and is subject to rubbing, causing friction on the membrane ** 231.12 Instruments in which the stick is semi-movable, and can be used to rub the membrane ** 231.13 Instruments in which the stick is freely movable, and is used to rub the membrane * 231.2 Instruments in which the stick is tied upright to the membrane

Friction drum with cord (232)

Instruments in which a cord, attached to the membrane, is rubbed. * 232.1 Instruments in which the drum is held stationary while playing ** 232.11 Instruments which have only one usable membrane ** 232.12 Instruments which have two usable membranes * 232.2 Instruments in which the drum is twirled by a cord, which rubs in a notch on the stick held by the player

Hand friction drums (233)

Instruments in which the membrane is rubbed by hand

Singing membranes (kazoos) (24)

This group includes

s, instruments which do not produce sound of their own, but modify other sounds by way of a vibrating membrane.

Free kazoos (241)

Instruments in which the membrane is vibrated by an unbroken column of wind, without a chamber

Tube or vessel-kazoos (242)

Instruments in which the membrane is placed in a box, tube or other container

Unclassified membranophones (25)

Chordophones (3)

Chordophone String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the st ...

s primarily produce their sounds by means of the vibration of a string or strings that are stretched between fixed points. This group includes all instruments generally called

string instrument String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the ...

s in the west, as well as many (but not all)

keyboard instrument A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument played using a keyboard, a row of levers which are pressed by the fingers. The most common of these are the piano, organ, and various electronic keyboards, including synthesizers and digital piano ...

s, such as

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

s and

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

Simple chordophones or
zither Zithers (; , from the Greek word ''cithara'') are a class of stringed instruments. Historically, the name has been applied to any instrument of the psaltery family, or to an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat ...
s (31)

Instruments which are in essence simply a string or strings and a string bearer. These instruments may have a resonator box, but removing it should not render the instrument unplayable, though it may result in quite a different sound being produced. They include the

therefore, as well as other kinds of

zither Zithers (; , from the Greek word ''cithara'') are a class of stringed instruments. Historically, the name has been applied to any instrument of the psaltery family, or to an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat ...

s such as the

koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

, and

musical bow The musical bow (bowstring or string bow, a subset of bar zithers) is a simple string instrument used by a number of South African peoples, which is also found in the Americas via slave trade. It consists of a flexible, usually wooden, stick 1 ...

Bar zither Bar zither is class of musical instruments (subset of zither) within the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system for a type of simple chordophone (stringed instrument), in which the body of the instrument is shaped like a bar. In the system, bar ...
s (311)

The string bearer is bar-shaped. * 311.1

Musical bow The musical bow (bowstring or string bow, a subset of bar zithers) is a simple string instrument used by a number of South African peoples, which is also found in the Americas via slave trade. It consists of a flexible, usually wooden, stick 1 ...

s – The string bearer is flexible (and curved). ** 311.11 Idiochord musical bows – The string is cut from the bark of the cane, remaining attached at each end. *** 311.111 Mono-idiochord musical bows – Containing one string only *** 311.112 Poly-idiochord musical bows or harp-bows – Containing several strings that pass over some type of bridge. ** 311.12 Heterochord musical bows – The string is of separate material from the bearer. *** 311.121 Mono-heterochord musical bows – The bow has one heterochord string only. **** 311.121.1 Without resonator. ***** 311.121.11 Without tuning noose. ***** 311.121.12 With tuning noose. **** 311.121.2 With resonator. ***** 311.121.21 With independent resonator. ******311.121.211 Without tuning noose. ****** 311.121.212 With tuning noose. ***** 311.121.22 With resonator attached. ****** 311.121.221 Without tuning noose. ****** 311.121.222 With tuning noose. *** 311.122 Poly-heterochord musical bows – The bow has several heterochord strings. **** 311.122.1 Without tuning noose. **** 311.122.2 With tuning noose. * 311.2

Stick zither Bar zither is class of musical instruments (subset of zither) within the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system for a type of simple chordophone (stringed instrument), in which the body of the instrument is shaped like a bar. In the system, bar ...

s – With rigid string carrier ** 311.21 Musical bow/stick – The string carrier has one rigid and one flexible end. *** 311.211 Instrument has one resonator gourd *** 311.212 Instrument has several resonator gourds ** 311.22 True stick zithers – NB Round sticks which happen to be hollow by chance do not belong on this account to the tube zithers, but are round-bar zithers; however, instruments in which a tubular cavity is employed as a true resonator, like the modern Mexican harpa, are tube zithers. *** 311.221 With one resonator gourd *** 311.222 With several resonator gourds.

Tube zithers (312)

The string bearer is a vaulted surface. * 312.1 Whole tube zithers – The string carrier is a complete tube ** 312.11 Idiochord tube zithers. ***312.111 Without extra resonator. *** 312.112 With extra resonator. ** 312.12 Heterochord tube zithers. *** 312.121 Without extra resonator. *** 312.122 With extra resonator. * 312.2 Half-tube zithers – The strings are stretched along the convex surface of a gutter. ** 312.21 Idiochord half-tube zithers. ***312.211 Without extra resonator. *** 312.212 With extra resonator. ** 312.22 Heterochord half-tube zithers. ***312.221 Without extra resonator. *** 312.222 With extra resonator.

Raft zithers (313)

The string bearer is composed of canes tied together in the manner of a raft. * 313.1 Idiochord raft zithers. **313.11 Without extra resonator. **313.12 With extra resonator. * 313.2 Heterochord raft zithers. **313.21 Without extra resonator. **313.22 With extra resonator.

Board zithers (314)

The string bearer is a board. * 314.1 True board zithers. ** 314.11 Without resonator. ** 314.12 With resonator. *** 314.121 With resonator bowl. *** 314.122 With resonator box – the

is part of this subdivision. ***314.123 With resonator tube * 314.2 Board zither variations. ** 314.21 Ground zithers. ***314.211 Without resonator. *** 314.212 With resonator. **** 314.212.1 With resonator bowl. **** 314.212.2 With resonator box ****314.212.3 With resonator tube ** 314.22 Harp zithers. ***314.221 Without resonator. *** 314.222 With resonator. **** 314.222.1 With resonator bowl. **** 314.222.2 With resonator box ****314.222.3 With resonator tube

Trough zither Trough zithers are a group of African stringed instruments or chordophones whose members resemble wooden bowls, pans, platters, or shallow gutters with strings stretched across the opening. A type of zither, the instruments may be quiet, dependin ...
s (315)

The strings are stretched across the mouth of a trough. * 315.1 Without resonator. * 315.2 With resonator.

Frame zither Frame zither is a class of musical instrument (subset of zither) within the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system for a type of simple chordophone (stringed instrument), in which the body of the instrument is made from a frame. Frame zithers ...
s (316)

The strings are stretched across an open frame. * 316.1 Without resonator. * 316.2 With resonator.

Composite chordophones (32)

Acoustic and electro-acoustic instruments which have a resonator as an integral part of the instrument, and solid-body electric chordophones. This includes most western string instruments, including

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...

-type instruments such as

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

s and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

s, and

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

Lutes (321)

The plane of the strings runs parallel with the resonator's surface. * 321.1 Bow lutes – Each string has its own flexible carrier. * 321.2 Yoke lutes or lyres – The strings are attached to a yoke which lies in the same plane as the sound-table and consists of two arms and a cross-bar. ** 321.21 Bowl lyres. ** 321.22 Box lyres. ** 321.23 Tube lyres. * 321.3 Handle lutes – The string bearer is a plain handle. ** 321.31 Spike lutes. *** 321.311 Spike bowl lutes. *** 321.312 Spike box lutes. *** 321.313 Spike tube lutes. ** 321.32 Necked lutes *** 321.321 Necked bowl lute –

Mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

Balalaika The balalaika (russian: link=no, балала́йка, ) is a Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck and three strings. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the thir ...

, etc. *** 321.322 Necked box lutes –

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

Violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

, etc. *** 321.323 Necked tube lutes

Harps (322)

The plane of the strings lies perpendicular to the resonator's surface. * 322.1 Open harps – The harp has no pillar. ** 322.11

Arched harp An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vault ...

s. ** 322.12

Angular harp Angular harp is a category of musical instruments in the Hornbostel-Sachs system of musical instrument classification. It describes a harp in which "the neck makes a sharp angle with the resonator," the two arms forming an "open" harp. The har ...

s. * 322.2 Frame harps – The harp has a pillar ** 322.21 Without tuning mechanism. *** 322.211 Diatonic frame harps. ****322.211.1 With all strings in one plane. **** 322.211.2 With strings in two planes crossing each other. *** 322.212 Chromatic frame harps. **** 322.212.1 With all strings in one plane. Inline chromatic harp **** 322.212.2 With strings in two planes crossing each other.

Cross-strung harp The cross-strung harp or chromatic double harp is a multi-course harp that has two rows of strings which intersect without touching. While accidentals are played on the pedal harp via the pedals and on the lever harp with levers, the cross-strung ...

** 322.22 With tuning action. *** 322.221 With manual tuning action. Lever harp ****322.221.1 With all strings in one plane. **** 322.221.2 With strings in two planes crossing each other. *** 322.222 With pedal action.

Pedal harp The pedal harp (also known as the concert harp) is a large and technologically modern harp, designed primarily for use in art music. It may be played solo, as part of a chamber ensemble, or in an orchestra. It typically has 47 strings with seve ...

****322.222.1 With all strings in one plane. **** 322.222.2 With strings in two planes crossing each other.

Harp lutes (323)

The plane of the strings lies at right angles to the sound-table; a line joining the lower ends of the strings would be perpendicular to the neck. These have notched bridges.

Unclassified chordophones (33)

Aerophones (4)

Aerophones primarily produce their sounds by means of vibrating air. The instrument itself does not vibrate, and there are no vibrating strings or membranes.

Free aerophones (41)

Instruments in which the vibrating air is not contained within the instrument, for example,

acme siren The Acme siren is a musical instrument used in concert bands for comic effect. Often used in cartoons, it produces the stylized sound of a police siren. It is one of the few aerophones in the percussion section of an orchestra. The instrument is ...

s or the

bullroarer The bullroarer, ''rhombus'', or ''turndun'', is an ancient ritual musical instrument and a device historically used for communicating over great distances. It consists of a piece of wood attached to a string, which when swung in a large circle ...

Displacement free aerophones (411)

The air-stream meets a sharp edge, or a sharp edge is moved through the air. In either case, according to more recent views, a periodic displacement of air occurs to the alternate flanks of the edge. Examples are the swordblade or the whip.

Interruptive free aerophones (412)

The air-stream is interrupted periodically. * 412.1 Idiophonic interruptive aerophones or reeds – The air-stream is directed against a lamella, setting it in periodic vibration to interrupt the stream intermittently. In this group also belong reeds with a 'cover,' i.e. a tube in which the air vibrates only in a secondary sense, not producing the sound but simply adding roundness and timbre to the sound made by the reed's vibration; generally recognizable by the absence of fingerholes though present-day ethnomusicologists, such as Margaret Kartomi (page 173) and Ellingson (PhD dissertation, 1979, p. 544), might support the suggestion that, in keeping with the spirit of the original Hornbostel–Sachs classification scheme, of categorization by what first produces the initial sound in the instrument, that such reeds should not really remain as aerophones, exiting for the lamellophones. ** 412.11 Concussion reeds – Two lamellae make a gap which closes periodically during their vibration. *** 412.111 Independent pairs of concussion reeds. *** 412.112 Paired sets of concussion reeds ** 412.12 Percussion reeds – A single lamella strikes against a frame. *** 412.121 Independent percussion reeds. *** 412.122 Sets of percussion reeds. – Earlier organs ** 412.13

Free-reed instrument A free reed aerophone is a musical instrument that produces sound as air flows past a vibrating reed in a frame. Air pressure is typically generated by breath or with a bellows. In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, it is number: 412.13 (a member ...

s feature a reed which vibrates within a closely fitting slot (there may be an attached pipe, but it should only vibrate in sympathy with the reed, and not have an effect on the pitch – instruments of this class can be distinguished from 422.3 by the lack of finger-holes). *** 412.131 Individual free reeds. *** 412.132 Sets of free reeds –

Accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

, and

reed pipe A reed pipe (also referred to as a ''lingual'' pipe) is an organ pipe that is sounded by a vibrating brass strip known as a ''reed''. Air under pressure (referred to as ''wind'') is directed towards the reed, which vibrates at a specific pitc ...

s of the

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

. ** 412.14 Band reed instruments – The air hits the sharp edge of a band under tension. The acoustics of this instrument have so far not been investigated.412.14 Ribbon reeds
" ''Mimo-db.eu.'' *** 412.141 Individual band reeds. *** 412.142 Sets of band reeds ** 412.15 Mixed sets of reeds * 412.2 Non-idiophonic interruptive instruments. The interruptive agent is not a reed. ** 412.21 Rotating aerophones (interruptive agent rotates in its own plane and does not turn on its axis)-

Siren disk A siren disk is used in pneumatic siren (noisemaker), sirens and has holes which are variously spaced apart. When the disk is spun in front of a jet of air, the holes modulate the air-jet which produces a sound. The pitch (music), pitch of a sire ...

. *** 412.211 Independent disks. *** 412.212 Sets of disks ** 412.22 Whirling aerophones (interruptive agent turns on its axis) –

Bullroarer The bullroarer, ''rhombus'', or ''turndun'', is an ancient ritual musical instrument and a device historically used for communicating over great distances. It consists of a piece of wood attached to a string, which when swung in a large circle ...

whirly tube The whirly tube, corrugaphone, or bloogle resonator, also sold as Free-Ka in the 1960s-1970s, is an experimental musical instrument which consists of a corrugated (ribbed) plastic tube or hose (hollow flexible cylinder), open at both ends and ...

. *** 412.221 Independent tubes. *** 412.222 Sets of tubes ** 412.23 Sets of disks and tubes * 412.3 Mixed sets of interruptive aerophones

Plosive aerophones (413)

The sound is caused by a single compression and release of air. Examples include the botija, the

gharha Ghara is an earthen pot made in India and Pakistan. It is used for storing drinking water and keeping it cool. The word ''ghara'' has cognates in Pahari, Bengali and Odia languages that can all be traced to the Sanskrit word ''ghaṭa'' meaning ...

, the

ghatam The ghaṭam ( sa, घटं ''ghaṭaṁ'', kan, ಘಟ ''ghaṭah'', ta, கடம் ''ghatam'', te, ఘటం ''ghatam'', ml, ഘടം, ''ghatam'') is a percussion instrument used in various repertoires across India. It's a variant ...

, and the

udu The udu is a plosive aerophone (in this case implosive) and an idiophone of the Igbo people, Igbo of Nigeria. In the Igbo language, ''ùdù'' means 'vessel'. Actually being a water jug with an additional hole, it was played by Igbo women for ce ...

. Mixed sets of free aerophones (414)

Non-free aerophones (wind instruments proper) (42)

The vibrating air is contained within the instrument. This group includes most of the instruments called

wind instrument A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitc ...

s in the west, such as the

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

, as well as many other kinds of instruments such as

conch shell Conch () is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point at both ends). In North Ame ...

Edge-blown aerophones or flutes (421)

The player makes a ribbon-shaped flow of air with their lips (421.1), or their breath is directed through a duct against an edge (421.2). * 421.1 Flutes without duct – The player themself creates a ribbon-shaped stream of air with their lips. ** 421.11 End-blown flutes – The player blows against the sharp rim at the upper open end of a tube. *** 421.111 Individual end-blown flutes. **** 421.111.1 Open single end-blown flutes – The lower end of the flute is open. ***** 421.111.11 Without fingerholes. ***** 421.111.12 With fingerholes. **** 421.111.2 Stopped single end-blown flutes – The lower end of the flute is closed. ***** 421.111.21 Without fingerholes. ***** 421.111.22 With fingerholes. *** 421.112 Sets of end-blown flutes or panpipes – Several end-blown flutes of different pitch are combined to form a single instrument. **** 421.112.1 Open panpipes. ***** 421.112.11 Open (raft) panpipes – The pipes are tied together in the form of a board, or they are made by drilling tubes *in a board. ***** 421.112.12 Open bundle (pan-) pipes – The pipes are tied together in a round bundle. **** 421.112.2 Stopped panpipes. *****421.112.21 Stopped (raft) panpipes – The pipes are tied together in the form of a board, or they are made by drilling tubes *in a board. ***** 421.112.22 Stopped bundle (pan-) pipes – The pipes are tied together in a round bundle. **** 421.112.3 Mixed open and stopped panpipes. *****421.112.21 Mixed (raft) panpipes – The pipes are tied together in the form of a board, or they are made by drilling tubes *in a board. ***** 421.112.22 Mixed bundle (pan-) pipes – The pipes are tied together in a round bundle. ** 421.12 Side-blown flutes – The player blows against the sharp rim of a hole in the side of the tube. *** 421.121 (Single) side-blown flutes. **** 421.121.1 Open side-blown flutes. ***** 421.121.11 Without fingerholes. ***** 421.121.12 With fingerholes –

Western concert flute The Western concert flute is a family of transverse (side-blown) woodwind instruments made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist (in British English), flutist (in Ameri ...

. **** 421.121.2 Partly stopped side-blown flutes – The lower end of the tube is a natural node of the pipe pierced by a small hole. *****421.121.21 Without fingerholes. ***** 421.121.22 With fingerholes **** 421.121.3 Stopped side-blown flutes. ***** 421.121.31 Without fingerholes. ****** 421.121.311 With fixed stopped lower end – (apparently non-existent). ****** 421.121.312 With adjustable stopped lower end – piston flutes. ***** 421.121.32 With fingerholes. ******421.121.321 With fixed stopped lower end ****** 421.121.322 With adjustable stopped lower end *** 421.122 Sets of side-blown flutes. **** 421.122.1 Sets of open side-blown flutes. ****421.122.2 Sets of partly stopped side-blown flutes. **** 421.122.3 Sets of stopped side-blown flutes. *****421.122.31 With fixed stopped lower end *****421.122.32 With adjustable stopped lower end *****421.122.33 Mixed ****421.122.4 Mixed sets of stopped side-blown flutes. ** 421.13 Vessel flutes (without distinct beak) The body of the pipe is not tubular but vessel-shaped – Xun. * 421.2 Flutes with duct or duct flutes – A narrow duct directs the air-stream against the sharp edge of a lateral orifice. ** 421.21 Flutes with external duct – The duct is outside the wall of the flute; this group includes flutes with the duct chamfered in the wall under a ring-like sleeve and other similar arrangements. *** 421.211 (Single) flutes with external duct. **** 421.211.1 Open flutes with external duct. ***** 421.211.11 Without fingerholes. ***** 421.211.12 With fingerholes. **** 421.211.2 Partly stopped flutes with external duct. *****421.211.21 Without fingerholes. ***** 421.211.22 With fingerholes. **** 421.211.3 Stopped flutes with external duct. *****421.211.31 Without fingerholes. ***** 421.211.32 With fingerholes. *** 421.212 Sets of flutes with external duct. ** 421.22 Flutes with internal duct – The duct is inside the tube. This group includes flutes with the duct formed by an internal baffle (natural node, block of resin) and an exterior tied-on cover (cane, wood, hide). *** 421.221 (Single) flutes with internal duct. **** 421.221.1 Open flutes with internal duct. ***** 421.221.11 Without fingerholes –

Whistle A whistle is an instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a larg ...

***** 421.221.12 With fingerholes –

Recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

**** 421.221.2 Partly stopped flute with internal duct. **** 421.221.3 Stopped flutes with internal duct. ***** 421.221.31 Without fingerholes. ****** 421.221.311 With fixed stopped lower end. ****** 421.221.312 With adjustable stopped lower end. **** 421.221.4 Vessel flutes with duct. ***** 421.221.41 Without fingerholes. ***** 421.221.42 With fingerholes –

Ocarina The ocarina is a wind musical instrument; it is a type of vessel flute. Variations exist, but a typical ocarina is an enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body. It is traditionally made from c ...

. *** 421.222 Sets of flutes with internal duct. **** 421.222.1 Sets of open flutes with internal duct. ***** 421.222.11 Without fingerholes – Open flue pipes of the

. ***** 421.222.12 With fingerholes – Double flageolet. **** 421.222.2 Sets of partly stopped flutes with internal duct. **** 421.222.3 Sets of stopped flutes with internal duct. * 421.3 Mixed sets of flutes

Reed aerophones (422)

The player's breath is directed against a lamella or pair of lamellae which periodically interrupt the airflow and cause the air to be set in motion. * 422.1

Double reed A double reed is a type of reed used to produce sound in various wind instruments. In contrast with a single reed instrument, where the instrument is played by channeling air against one piece of cane which vibrates against the mouthpiece and c ...

instruments – There are two lamellae which beat against one another. ** 422.11 (Single) oboes. *** 422.111 With regular bore. **** 422.111.1 Without fingerholes. **** 422.111.2 With fingerholes. –

Oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

. *** (422.112 With irregular bore.) ** 422.12 Sets of oboes. *** 422.121 With regular bore. **** 422.121.1 Without fingerholes. **** 422.121.2 With fingerholes. *** (422.122 With irregular bore.) *** (422.123 With mixed bores.) * 422.2 Single reed instruments – The pipe has a single 'reed' consisting of a percussion lamella. ** 422.21 (Single) clarinets. *** 422.211 With regular bore. **** 422.211.1 Without fingerholes. **** 422.211.2 With fingerholes – Western

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

. *** 422.212 With irregular bore –

Saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

. ** 422.22 Sets of clarinets. *** 422.221 With regular bore. **** 422.221.1 Without fingerholes. **** 422.221.2 With fingerholes. *** (422.222 With irregular bore.) *** (422.223 With mixed bores.) * 422.3 Reedpipes with free reeds – The reed vibrates through ta closely fitted frame. There must be fingerholes, otherwise the instrument belongs to the free reeds 412.13. ** 422.31 Single pipes with free reeds. – (

Bawu The ''bawu'' (; also ''ba wu'') is a Chinese wind instrument. Although shaped like a flute, it is actually a free reed instrument, with a single metal reed. It is played in a transverse (horizontal) manner. It has a pure, clarinet-like timbre an ...

). ** 422.32 Double pipes with free reeds. – (

Hulusi The ''hulusi'' (traditional: 葫蘆絲; simplified: 葫芦丝; pinyin: húlúsī), also known as the cucurbit flute and the gourd flute is a free reed wind instrument from China, Vietnam and the Shan State and by the indigenous people of A ...

). * (422.4 Reedpipes with band reeds – Though the precise acoustics of 412.14 are as yet unknown, wherefore it is as yet unknown whether the instrument must be fingerholed in order to belong to this class rather than 412.14, nevertheless it should be physically possible to put a band reed in a pipe.) * 422.5 Mixed sets of reedpipes * 422.6 Non-idiophonic interruptor pipes. The interruptive agent is not a reed. ** 422.61 Rotating aerophones (interruptive agent rotates in its own plane and does not turn on its axis)-

pipes. *** 422.611 (Single) diskpipes **** 422.611.1 With regular bore ***** 422.611.11 Without fingerholes. ****** 422.611.111 With independent disks. ****** 422.611.112 With sets of disks ***** 422.611.12 With fingerholes ****** 422.611.121 With independent disks. ****** 422.611.122 With sets of disks **** 422.611.2 With irregular bore ***** 422.611.21 Without fingerholes. ****** 422.611.211 With independent disks. ****** 422.611.212 With sets of disks ***** 422.611.22 With fingerholes ****** 422.611.221 With independent disks. ****** 422.611.222 With sets of disks *** 422.612 Sets of diskpipes **** 422.612.1 With regular bore ***** 422.612.11 Without fingerholes. ****** 422.612.111 With independent disks. ****** 422.612.112 With sets of disks ***** 422.612.12 With fingerholes ****** 422.612.121 With independent disks. ****** 422.612.122 With sets of disks **** 422.612.2 With irregular bore ***** 422.612.21 Without fingerholes. ****** 422.612.211 With independent disks. ****** 422.612.212 With sets of disks ***** 422.612.22 With fingerholes ****** 422.612.221 With independent disks. ****** 422.612.222 With sets of disks **** 422.612.3 With mixed bores ***** 422.612.31 Without fingerholes. ****** 422.612.311 With independent disks. ****** 422.612.312 With sets of disks ***** 422.612.32 With fingerholes ****** 422.612.321 With independent disks. ****** 422.612.322 With sets of disks ** 422.62 Whirling aerophones (interruptive agent turns on its axis) –

pipes, Matryoshka tubes. *** 422.621

pipes **** 422.621.1 Independent singly nested tubes. ***** 422.621.11 With same bore ****** 422.621.111 Without fingerholes. ****** 422.621.112 With fingerholes ***** 422.621.12 With opposite bores ****** 422.621.121 Without fingerholes. ****** 422.621.122 With fingerholes **** 422.621.2 Sets of singly nested tubes ***** 422.621.21 With same bore ****** 422.621.211 Without fingerholes. ****** 422.621.212 With fingerholes ***** 422.621.22 With opposite bores ****** 422.621.221 Without fingerholes. ****** 422.621.222 With fingerholes *** 422.622 Multiply nested (Matryoshka) tubes **** 422.622.1 With same bores ***** 422.622.11 Without fingerholes. ***** 422.622.12 With fingerholes **** 422.622.2 With opposite bores ***** 422.622.21 Without fingerholes. ***** 422.622.22 With fingerholes ** 422.63 Sets of diskpipes and Matryoshka tubes * 422.7 Mixed sets of interruptor pipes

Trumpets (423)

The player's vibrating lips set the air in motion. * 423.1

Natural trumpet A natural trumpet is a valveless brass instrument that is able to play the notes of the harmonic series. History The natural trumpet was used as a military instrument to facilitate communication (e.g. break camp, retreat, etc.). Even before th ...

s – There are no means of changing the pitch apart from the player's lips. Examples include the

bugle The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, normally having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure. History The bugle developed from early musical or communication ...

didgeridoo The didgeridoo (; also spelt didjeridu, among other variants) is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo was developed by ...

natural horn The natural horn is a musical instrument that is the predecessor to the modern-day (French) horn (differentiated by its lack of valves). Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth century the natural horn evolved as a separation from the trump ...

, and the

shofar A shofar ( ; from he, שׁוֹפָר, ) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying the ...

. ** 423.11 Conches – A conch shell serves as trumpet. *** 423.111 End-blown. **** 423.111.1 Without mouthpiece. **** 423.111.2 With mouthpiece. *** 423.112 Side-blown. **** 423.112.1 Without mouthpiece. **** 423.112.2 With mouthpiece. *** 423.113 Sets of conches **** 423.113.1 End-blown. **** 423.113.2 Side-blown. **** 423.113.3 Mixed. ** 423.12 Tubular trumpets. *** 423.121 End-blown trumpets – The mouth-hole faces the axis of the trumpet. **** 423.121.1 End-blown straight trumpets – The tube is neither curved nor folded. ***** 423.121.11 Without mouthpiece. ***** 423.121.12 With mouthpiece. **** 423.121.2 End-blown horns – The tube is curved or folded. ***** 423.121.21 Without mouthpiece. ***** 423.121.22 With mouthpiece. **** 423.121.3 Sets of End-blown trumpets ***** 423.121.31 Straight trumpets ***** 423.121.32 End-blown horns ***** 423.121.33 Mixed *** 423.122 Side blown trumpets. **** 423.122.1 Without mouthpiece. **** 423.122.2 With mouthpiece **** 423.122.3 Sets of side blown trumpets * 423.2 Chromatic trumpets – The pitch of the instrument can be altered mechanically ** 423.21 Keyed trumpets – Ophicleide. *** 423.211 Regular bore *** (423.212 Irregular bore) *** 423.213 Sets of keyed trumpets **** 423.213.1 Regular bore **** (423.213.2 Irregular bore) **** (423.213.3 Mixed bores) ** 423.22 Slide trumpets –

Trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

bazooka Bazooka () is the common name for a Man-portable anti-tank systems, man-portable recoilless Anti-tank warfare, anti-tank rocket launcher weapon, widely deployed by the United States Army, especially during World War II. Also referred to as the ...

*** 423.221 Regular bore *** (423.222 Irregular bore) *** 423.223 Sets of slide trumpets **** 423.223.1 Regular bore **** (423.223.2 Irregular bore) **** (423.223.3 Mixed bores) ** 423.23 Valved trumpets –

euphonium The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" ...

baritone horn The baritone horn, or sometimes just called baritone, is a low-pitched brass instrument in the saxhorn family.Robert Donington, "The Instruments of Music", (pp. 113ff ''The Family of Bugles'') 2nd ed., Methuen, London, 1962 It is a piston-val ...

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

, and other members of the

saxhorn The saxhorn is a family of valved brass instruments that have conical bores and deep cup-shaped mouthpieces. The saxhorn family was developed by Adolphe Sax, who is also known for creating the saxophone family. The sound of the saxhorn has a ...

family. *** 423.231 Regular bore *** (423.232 Irregular bore) *** 423.233 Sets of slide trumpets **** 423.233.1 Regular bore **** (423.233.2 Irregular bore) **** (423.233.3 Mixed bores) ** 423.24 Mixed sets of chromatic trumpets * 423.3 Mixed sets of trumpets

Mixed sets of wind instruments (424)

Mixed sets of aerophones (43)

Electrophones (5)

* 51. Instruments having electric action (e.g. pipe organ with electrically controlled solenoid air valves); * 52. Instruments having electrical amplification, such as the Neo-Bechstein piano of 1931, which had 18 microphones built into it; * 53. ''Radioelectric instruments'': instruments in which sound is produced by electrical means. The fifth top-level group, the

electrophone An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is plugged into ...

s category, was added by Sachs in 1940, to describe instruments involving electricity. Sachs broke down his 5th category into 3 subcategories: 51=electrically actuated acoustic instruments; 52=electrically amplified acoustic instruments; 53= instruments which make sound primarily by way of electrically driven oscillators, such as

theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...

s or

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s, which he called radioelectric instruments.

Francis William Galpin Francis William Galpin (December 25, 1858 December 30, 1945) was an English cleric and antiquarian musicologist. He was known as a collector of old musical instruments. Life Born in Dorchester, Dorset, Galpin was educated at Sherborne and Trini ...

provided such a group in his own classification system, which is closer to Mahillon than Sachs–Hornbostel. For example, in Galpin's 1937 book ''A Textbook of European Musical Instruments'', he lists electrophones with three second-level divisions for sound generation ("by oscillation", "electro-magnetic", and "electro-static"), as well as third-level and fourth-level categories based on the control method. Sachs himself proposed subcategories 51, 52, and 53, on pages 447–467 of his 1940 book ''The History of Musical Instruments''. Present-day ethnomusicologists, such as Margaret Kartomi (page 173) and Ellingson (PhD dissertation, 1979, p. 544), suggest that, in keeping with the spirit of the original Hornbostel–Sachs classification scheme, of categorization by what first produces the initial sound in the instrument, that only subcategory 53 should remain in the electrophones category. Thus it has been more recently proposed that, for example, the pipe organ (even if it uses electric key action to control solenoid valves) remain in the aerophones category, and that the electric guitar remain in the chordophones category, etc.

Application of the system

Beyond the top three groups are several further levels of classification, so that the

, for example, is in the group labeled 111.212 (periods are usually added after every third digit to make long numbers easier to read). A long classification number does not necessarily indicate the instrument is a complicated one. The valveless bugle, for instance, has the classification number 423.121.22, even though it is generally regarded as a relatively simple instrument. The numbers in the bugle's classification indicate the following: * 4 – an aerophone * 42 – the vibrating air is enclosed within the instrument * 423 – the player's lips cause the air to vibrate directly (as opposed to an instrument with a reed like a

, or an edge-blown instrument, like a

) * 423.1 – the player's lips are the only means of changing the instrument's pitch (that is, there are no valves as on a trumpet) * 423.12 – the instrument is tubular, rather than being a conch-type instrument * 423.121 – the player blows into the end of the tube, as opposed to the side of the tube * 423.121.2 – the tube is bent or folded, as opposed to straight * 423.121.22 – the instrument has a mouthpiece 423.121.22 does not uniquely identify the bugle, but rather identifies the bugle as a certain kind of instrument which has much in common with other instruments in the same class. Another instrument classified as 423.121.22 is the bronze

lur A lur, also lure or lurr, is a long natural blowing horn without finger holes that is played with a brass-type embouchure. Lurs can be straight or curved in various shapes. The purpose of the curves was to make long instruments easier to car ...

, an instrument dating back to the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

Suffixes and composite instruments

After the number described above, a number of

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carry ...

es may be appended. An 8 indicates that the instrument has a keyboard attached, while a 9 indicates the instrument is mechanically driven. In addition to these, there are a number of suffixes unique to each of the top-level groups indicating details not considered crucial to the fundamental nature of the instrument. In the membranophone class, for instance, suffixes can indicate whether the skin of a drum is glued, nailed or tied to its body; in the chordophone class, suffixes can indicate whether the strings are plucked with fingers or plectrum, or played with a bow. There are ways to classify instruments with this system even if they have elements from more than one group. Such instruments may have particularly long classification numbers with colons and hyphens used as well as numbers. Hornbostel and Sachs themselves cite the case of various

bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, ...

s where some of the pipes are single reed (like a clarinet) and others are double reed (like the

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

). A number of similar composite instruments exist.

References

External links

Hornbostel–Sachs on www.music.vt.edu
(archived)

Wesleyan University (archived)
International Committee of Musical Instrument Museums and Collections
publishes updates to the Hornbostel–Sachs system
Revision of the Hornbostel–Sachs Classification of Musical Instruments
by the MIMO Consortium, 8 July 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hornbostel-Sachs Organology 1914 introductions Classification systems

Idiophones (1)

Struck idiophones (11)

Directly struck idiophones (111)

Indirectly struck idiophones (112)

Plucked idiophones (12)

In the form of a frame (121)

In the form of a comb (122)

Mixed sets of lamellophones (123)

Friction idiophones (13)

Friction sticks (131)

Friction plaques (132)

Friction vessels (133)

Blown idiophones (14)

Blown sticks (141)

Blown plaques (142)

Unclassified idiophones (15)

Membranophones (2)

Struck membranophones (21)

Directly struck membranophones (211)

Shaken membranophones (212)

Plucked membranophones (22)

Friction membranophones (23)

Friction drums with stick (231)

Friction drum with cord (232)

Hand friction drums (233)

Singing membranes (kazoos) (24)

Free kazoos (241)

Tube or vessel-kazoos (242)

Unclassified membranophones (25)

Chordophones (3)

Simple chordophones or zither Zithers (; , from the Greek word ''cithara'') are a class of stringed instruments. Historically, the name has been applied to any instrument of the psaltery family, or to an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat ...s (31)

Bar zither Bar zither is class of musical instruments (subset of zither) within the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system for a type of simple chordophone (stringed instrument), in which the body of the instrument is shaped like a bar. In the system, bar ...s (311)

Tube zithers (312)

Raft zithers (313)

Board zithers (314)

Trough zither Trough zithers are a group of African stringed instruments or chordophones whose members resemble wooden bowls, pans, platters, or shallow gutters with strings stretched across the opening. A type of zither, the instruments may be quiet, dependin ...s (315)

Frame zither Frame zither is a class of musical instrument (subset of zither) within the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system for a type of simple chordophone (stringed instrument), in which the body of the instrument is made from a frame. Frame zithers ...s (316)

Composite chordophones (32)

Lutes (321)

Harps (322)

Harp lutes (323)

Unclassified chordophones (33)

Aerophones (4)

Free aerophones (41)

Displacement free aerophones (411)

Interruptive free aerophones (412)

Plosive aerophones (413)

Non-free aerophones (wind instruments proper) (42)

Edge-blown aerophones or flutes (421)

Reed aerophones (422)

Trumpets (423)

Mixed sets of wind instruments (424)

Mixed sets of aerophones (43)

Electrophones (5)

Application of the system

Suffixes and composite instruments

See also

References

External links

Simple chordophones or
zither Zithers (; , from the Greek word ''cithara'') are a class of stringed instruments. Historically, the name has been applied to any instrument of the psaltery family, or to an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat ...
s (31)

Bar zither Bar zither is class of musical instruments (subset of zither) within the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system for a type of simple chordophone (stringed instrument), in which the body of the instrument is shaped like a bar. In the system, bar ...
s (311)

Trough zither Trough zithers are a group of African stringed instruments or chordophones whose members resemble wooden bowls, pans, platters, or shallow gutters with strings stretched across the opening. A type of zither, the instruments may be quiet, dependin ...
s (315)

Frame zither Frame zither is a class of musical instrument (subset of zither) within the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system for a type of simple chordophone (stringed instrument), in which the body of the instrument is made from a frame. Frame zithers ...
s (316)