The

Hornbostel–Sachs Hornbostel–Sachs or Sachs–Hornbostel is a system of musical instrument classification devised by Erich Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs, first published in the in 1914. An English translation was published in the '' Galpin Society Journ ...

system of

musical instrument classification In organology, the study of musical instruments, many methods of classifying instruments exist. Most methods are specific to a particular Culture, cultural group and were developed to serve the musical needs of that culture. Culture-based classif ...

defines

idiophone An idiophone is any musical instrument that creates sound primarily by the vibration of the instrument itself, without the use of air flow (as with aerophones), strings (chordophones), membranes (membranophones) or electricity ( electrophone ...

s as all instruments in which sound is produced primarily by way of the instrument itself

vibrating Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendulum ...

without the use of membranes or strings.

Idiophones (1)

Struck idiophones (11)

Idiophones set in motion by a percussion action: hitting, shaking, or scraping. Also see

Struck 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 ...

Directly struck idiophones (111)

111.1 Concussion Idiophones or clappers 111.11 Concussion sticks or sticks of clap *

Claves Claves (; ) are a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of short, wooden sticks about 20–25 centimeters (8–10 inches) long and about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in diameter. Although traditionally made of wood (typically rosewood, ebony ...

111.12 Concussion plaques or plaque clappers * Clapper * Guban *

Paiban The ''paiban'' () is a Clapper (musical instrument), 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.''Comprehensive Introduction t ...

* Hyoshigi * Pak *

Slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

111.13 Concussion troughs or trough clappers * Balingbing 111.14 Concussion vessels or vessel clappers *

Spoons Spoons may refer to: * Spoon, a utensil commonly used with soup * Spoons (card game), the card game of Donkey, but using spoons Film and TV * ''Spoons'' (TV series), a 2005 UK comedy sketch show *Spoons, a minor character from ''The Sopranos' ...

111.141 Castanets - Natural and hollowed-out vessel clappers *

Castanets Castanets, also known as ''clackers'' or ''palillos'', are a percussion instrument ( idiophonic), used in Spanish, Calé, Moorish, Ottoman, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Sephardic, Portuguese, Filipino, Brazilian, and Swiss music. In ancient ...

* Coconut shells * Krap 111.142 Cymbals - Vessel clappers with manufactured rim * Chap *

Ching Ching may refer to: People * Ching, a unisex given name ** Ching He Huang, a food writer and TV chef ** Ching Hammill (1902–1925), American football player ** Ching Johnson (1898–1979), Canadian National Hockey League player ** Willis August ...

Cymbal 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 sou ...

s, in pairs **

Clash Cymbals Clash cymbals (also called concert cymbals, orchestral cymbals, or crash cymbals) are cymbals played in matched pairs by holding one cymbal in each hand and striking the two together. To differentiate this type of cymbal from a suspended cymbal, t ...

in pairs 111.2 Percussion Idiophones 111.21 Percussion sticks or bars 111.211 Individual percussion sticks * Dhantal *

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...

111.212 Sets of percussion sticks in a range of different pitches combined into one instrument. - All xylophones, as long as their sounding components are not in two different planes. *

Balafon The balafon (pronounced , or, by analogy with ''xylophone'' etc., ) is a gourd-resonated xylophone, a type of struck idiophone. It is closely associated with the neighbouring Mandé peoples, Mandé, Bwaba Bobo people, Bobo, Senufo people, Seno ...

* Gandingan a kayo *

Glasschord The glasschord ( French: fortepiano à cordes de verre) is a struck crystallophone resembling the celesta. History The glasschord was invented circa 1785 by physicist M. Beyer of Paris. It creates sound by using cloth covered wooden hammers to s ...

* Glass Marimba * Kulintang a kayo * Luntang or kwintangan kayo *

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 mari ...

* Marimbaphone (also bowed) * Pong lang *

Xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Each bar is an idiophone tuned to a pitch of a musical scale, whether pentatonic or heptatonic in the case of many African ...

* Xylorimba 111.22 Percussion plaques 111.221 Individual percussion plaques 111.222 Sets of percussion plaques *

Crotales Crotales (, ), sometimes called antique cymbals, are percussion instruments consisting of small, tuned bronze or brass disks. Each is about in diameter with a flat top surface and a nipple on the base. They are commonly played by being struck ...

* Lithophone *

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

s **

Celesta The celesta () or celeste (), also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music ...

Fangxiang The ''fangxiang'' (also ''fang xiang'', ''fang hsiang''; zh, s=, t=, p=fāngxiǎng; also known in the West as the Chinese chang) is an organized-suspended (bianxuan) Chinese metallophone that has been used for over 1,000 years. It was first u ...

** Gangsa ** Gendér **

Glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( ; or , : bells and : play) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a Musical keyboard, keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the v ...

** Kulintang a tiniok ( kulintang a putao, sarunay) **

Ranat ek lek The ''ranat ek lek'' (, ) is a metallophone used in the classical music of Thailand. It is the smaller of the two sizes of Thai metallophone; the larger one is called '' ranat thum lek''. This musical instrument was originated in the reign o ...

Ranat thum lek The ''ranat thum lek'' (, ) is a metallophone used in the classical music of Thailand. It is the larger of the two sizes of Thai metallophones; the smaller one is called ''ranat ek lek The ''ranat ek lek'' (, ) is a metallophone used in th ...

Toy piano The toy piano, also known as the ( in German), is a small piano-like musical instrument. Most modern toy pianos use round metal rods, as opposed to strings in a regular piano, to produce sound. The U.S. Library of Congress recognizes the toy pia ...

** Ugal **

Vibraphone The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...

111.23 Percussion tubes 111.231 Individual percussion tubes. * Agung a tamlang * Alimba * Huari * Huiringua * Kagul * Krin or Kolokolos * Mondo * Mukoko *

Slit drum A slit drum, or slit gong, is a hollow percussion instrument, often made out of wood or bamboo. In spite of its often being called a drum, it is not a true drum, because it lacks a ''drumhead'', the membrane (made out of animal skin or plastic) ...

* Takuapu * Teponaztli 111.232 Sets of percussion tubes. * Jegog * Tubular bells or chimes 111.24 Percussion vessels. * Boungu *

Cajón A cajón ( ; "box, crate, drawer") is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, or st ...

Chuk Inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit alpha (IKK-α) also known as IKK1 or conserved helix-loop-helix ubiquitous kinase (CHUK) is a protein kinase that in humans is encoded by the ''CHUK'' gene. IKK-α is part of the IκB kinase c ...

s **

Crash cymbal A crash cymbal is a type of cymbal that produces a loud, sharp "crash" and is used mainly for occasional accents, as opposed to a ride cymbal. It can be mounted on a stand and played with a drum stick, or by hand in clash cymbals, pairs. One ...

** Hi-hat cymbal **

Ride cymbal The ride cymbal is a cymbal of material sustain used to maintain a beat (music), beat in music.Schroedl, Scott (2001). ''Play Drums Today!'', p.7. Hal Leonard. . A standard in most drum kit, drum kits, the ride's function is to maintain a steady ...

Splash cymbal In a drum kit, splash cymbals are the smallest accent cymbals, often a smaller derivative of the more common crash cymbals. Splash cymbals and china cymbals are the main types of effects cymbals. The most common sized splash has a diameter of 10" ...

* Handpan * Hang * Kagul or tagutok *

s: * Slit gong *

Steelpan The steelpan (also known as a pan or steel drum) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago from Afro–Trinidadians and Tobagonians, Afro-Trinidadians. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. In 1992, the steelpan was declared ...

steel drum The steelpan (also known as a pan or steel drum) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago from Afro-Trinidadians. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. In 1992, the steelpan was declared Trinidad and Tobago’s national in ...

Tank drum A steel tongue drum, tank drum, or hank drum is a round steel slit drum, slit/tongue drum in the idiophone family originally fashioned from a propane cylinder. Description A steel tongue drum can be made from an empty, often 20-lb (9-kg) propane t ...

* Udu (also an

aerophone An aerophone is a musical instrument that produces sound primarily by causing a body of air to vibrate, without the use of strings or membranes (which are respectively chordophones and membranophones), and without the vibration of the instrume ...

) * Wood block 111.241 Gongs - The vibration is strongest near the vertex. 111.241.1 Individual gongs. * Babendil 111.241.2 Sets of gongs. *

Agung The agung is a set of two wide-rimmed, vertically suspended gongs used by the Maguindanao, Maranao, Sama-Bajau and Tausug people of the Philippines as a supportive instrument in kulintang ensembles. The agung is also ubiquitous among ot ...

or agong * Bock-a-da-bock * Gandingan *

Kulintang Kulintang (, ) is a modern term for an ancient instrumental form of music composed on a row of small, horizontally laid gongs that function melodically, accompanied by larger, suspended gongs and drums. As part of the larger gong-chime culture ...

or kolintang * Reyong 111.242 Bells - The vibration is weakest near the vertex. * Bell tree 111.242.1 Individual bells 111.242.11 Resting bells whose opening faces upward. *

Cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell (instrument), bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. ...

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. *

Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () 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 m ...

111.242.2 Sets of bells or chimes. 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. *

Carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a musical keyboard, keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are Bellfounding, cast in Bell metal, bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and Musical tuning, tu ...

Indirectly struck idiophones (112)

112.1 Shaken idiophones or rattles 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. * Sleigh bells 112.112 Stick rattles - Rattling objects are strung on a bar or ring. * Jingle bells 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 so ...

Tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thoug ...

(the membrane attached to a number of these also makes them a membranophone) *

Vibraslap The vibraslap is a percussion instrument consisting of a piece of stiff wire (bent into a U-shape) connecting a wooden ball to a hollow box of wood with metal "teeth" inside. The percussionist holds the metal wire in one hand and strikes the ba ...

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. * Hosho *

Maraca A maraca ( , , ), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas, also known as tamaracas, were rattles of d ...

s * Rainstick 112.2 Scraped Idiophones * Washboard 112.21 Scraped sticks. 112.211 Scraped sticks without resonator. 112.212 Scraped sticks with resonator. 112.22 Scraped tubes. * Kagul 112.23 Scraped vessels. *

Güiro The güiro () is a percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines (see photo) along the notches to produce a ratchet sound. The güiro is commonly ...

112.24 Scraped wheels - cog rattles *

Ratchet Ratchet may refer to: Devices * Ratchet (device), a mechanical device that allows movement in only one direction * Ratchet effect in sociology and economics * Ratchet, metonymic name for a socket wrench incorporating a ratcheting device * Ratc ...

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)

Instruments set into vibration by plucking.

Lamellophone 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 ...

In the form of a frame (121)

121.1 Clack idiophones - The lamella is carved in the surface of a fruit shell, which serves as resonator. * Cricri 121.2 Guimbardes and Jaw harps - 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 of one substance with the frame of the instrument. * Đàn môi * Genggong *

Gogona The ''gogona'' is a jaw harp, a vibrating reed instrument that is used primarily in the traditional Bihu music in Assam, India. It is made of a piece of bamboo/ horn that has a bifurcation on one end. The solid end is gripped with the teeth an ...

* Kubing * Mukkuri 121.22 Heteroglot guimbardes - The lamella is attached to the frame. 121.221 Individual heteroglot guimbardes. *

Jew's harp The Jew's harp, also known as jaw harp, juice harp, or mouth harp, is a lamellophone instrument, consisting of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue or reed attached to a frame. Despite the colloquial name, the Jew's harp most likely originated in ...

Morsing The morsing (also mukharshanku, mourching, morching or morchang; Sanskrit: दंत वाद्यन्तरात्मसत्रस्य, Telugu: మోర్సింగ్, Kannada: ಮೋರ್ಸಿಂಗ್, Rajasthani: मोर ...

* Temir komuz 121.222 Sets of heteroglot guimbardes. * Kouxian

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. *

Array mbira The Array mbira is a handcrafted modern musical instrument with a unique harp- or bell-like sound. It is made in the United States by its inventor Bill Wesley and manufactured by Wesley with Patrick Hadley in San Diego, California, United States. ...

* Agidigbo *

Ikembe Ikembe, is a type of musical instrument of the lamellaphone group, common amongst the people of Rwanda, Burundi and the Congo Basin, Congo. The instrument consists of several iron Lamella (materials), lamellae, fixed to a rectangular wooden soun ...

(Eleke,

Kisanji Kisanji is the name given to the lamellaphone of the Ngala-speaking people of western DR Congo and eastern Congo Republic. It is also known as Ikembe, Chisanji, Eleke or sanza, and is played by holding the instrument in both hands and pluckin ...

) *

Kalimba 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 ...

( thumb piano) * Kasayi *

Marímbula The marímbula () is a plucked box musical instrument of the Caribbean. In Cuba it is common in the changüí genre, as well as old styles of son. In Mexico, where it is known as marimbol is played in son jarocho; in the Dominican Republic, ...

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 Tine (structural), tines, played by holding the instrument ...

(Sansa, Sanza, Kaffir piano,

Likembe 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 Tine (structural), tines, played by holding the instrument ...

) * Malimbe * Mechanical music box * Oopoochawa * Space Harp (electric thumb piano, Frankiphone) * Tom * Zimbabwean Marimba 122.11 Without resonator. 122.12 With resonator. 122.2 With cut-out lamellae *

Comb A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...

* Mechanical music box

Friction idiophones (13)

Instruments set into vibration by rubbing.

Friction sticks (131)

131.1 Individual friction sticks. 131.2 Sets of friction sticks. *

Nail violin } The nail violin is a musical instrument that consists of a semicircular wooden Sound board (music), soundboard, with Nail (engineering), nails of various lengths arranged to produce a chromatic scale when a Bow (music), bow is drawn across them. ...

131.21 Without direct friction. 131.22 With direct friction.

Friction plaques (132)

132.1 Individual friction plaques. * Daxophone *

Musical saw A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is a hand saw used as a musical instrument. Capable of continuous glissando (portamento), the sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin. The musical saw is classified as a plaque frict ...

132.2 Sets of friction plaques. * Marimbaphone

Friction vessels (133)

133.1 Individual friction vessels. 133.2 Sets of friction vessels. *

Glass harmonica The glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, glass harmonium, bowl organ, hydrocrystalophone, or simply the armonica or harmonica (derived from , ''harmonia'', the Greek language, Greek word for harmony), is a type of musical instr ...

( hydrodaktulopsychicharmonica) * Glass harp *

Singing bowl 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 ...

* Verrophone

Blown idiophones (14)

Instruments set into vibration by blowing or moving air.

Blown sticks (141)

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

Blown plaques (142)

142.1 Individual blown plaques. 142.2 Sets of blown plaques.

Unclassified idiophones (15)

Idiophones not allocated a number in the Hornbostel-Sachs system. *

Suikinkutsu A is a type of Japanese garden ornament and music device. It consists of an upside down buried pot with a hole at the top. Water drips through the hole at the top onto a small pool of water inside of the pot, creating a pleasant splashing soun ...

a japanese water zither *

Wobble board The wobble board is a musical instrument invented and popularized by Australian musician and artist Rolf Harris, and is featured in his best-known song " Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport". A wobble board, like some other musical instruments, can be or ...

, a directly flexed idiophone * Waterphone, an arrangement of rods around a central resonating bowl, played by bowing, shaking, or percussively using sticks or mallets with Superballs on the end *

Shishi-odoshi (literally, "deer-frightening" or "boar-frightening"), in a wide sense, refers to Japanese devices made to frighten away animals that pose a threat to agriculture, including ''kakashi'' (scarecrows), ''naruko'' (clappers) and ''sōzu''. In a na ...

a japanese garden ornament

External links

*
Idiophone
, ''Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary''. *
Musical Instruments: Chapter Three, Idiophones
, ''Rudolf Rasch: My Work on the Internet, Part Three''. *

, ''Virtual Instrument Museum''.
Ethnomusicology Collection of Idiophones
- University of Washington Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Idiophones Lists of musical instruments by Hornbostel–Sachs number Lists of percussion instruments