Musical instrument classificationMusical instrument classification is the practice of grouping musical instruments according to shared characteristics. It is a central concern of organology, the study of musical instruments. Classifications may be based on the material that vibrates, the method of sound production, playing technique, construction, musical role, register, or a society's own concepts about instruments.
KazooThe kazoo is a musical instrument that adds a buzzingtimbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of mirliton (itself a membranophone), one of a class of instruments that modify the player's voice by way of a vibratingmembrane of goldbeater's skin or material with similar characteristics. There is a smaller version of the kazoo, known as a humazoo.
Hornbostel–SachsHornbostel–Sachs or Sachs–Hornbostel is a system of musical instrument classification devised by Erich Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs. This system was first published in the Zeitschrift für Ethnologie in 1914. An English translation was published in the Galpin Society Journal in 1961, which is the most widely used system for classifying musical instruments by ethnomusicologists and organologists (people who study musical instruments).
Musical instrumentA 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 plays a musical instrument is known as an instrumentalist. The history of musical instruments dates to the beginnings of human culture.
Eunuch fluteThe eunuch flute, onion flute, or mirliton (; French: flûte eunuque, flûte à l'oignon or mirliton; German: Zwiebelflöte) is a membranophone that was in use during the 16th and 17th centuries. It produces a sound akin to a comb and paper and is still manufactured as a toy. The sound of the eunuch flute resembles that of a kazoo. Unlike the kazoo, it is held transversally (basically a transverse kazoo) against the mouth while the user vocalizes into the aperture.
Acoustic membraneAcoustic membranes are elasticmembranes used to produce, transmit or regulate sound. In musical instruments such as drums, it is the drumhead that is vibrated to produce sound; in microphones and loudspeakers, it is diaphragms and cones that transfer sound waves to and from electricity to play music and facilitate communication.
TimpaniThe timpani (; Italian pronunciation:) 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 made of copper. Thus, timpani are an example of kettledrums, also known as vessel drums and semispherical drums, whose body is similar to a section of a sphere whose cut conforms the head.
SwazzleA swazzle (also swozzle, schwazzle or swatchel) is a device used to produce the distinctive shrill voice of Punch in a Punch and Judy show. It consists of a cotton tape "reed" kept taut between two curved strips of metal, held in the mouth of the professor (performer). The design of the swazzle was once a secret guarded by the professors and only taught to those with a genuine respect for and interest in learning the performance of Punch and Judy puppetry.
TablaThe tabla is a pair of hand drums from South Asia, particularly the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments and vocals, or as a part of larger ensembles. It is frequently played in popular and folk music performances in India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Talking drumThe talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa, which can be used as a form of speech surrogacy by regulating its pitch and rhythm to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It has two drumheads connected by leather tension cords. It is often played while being held under the arm. The player can change the pitch of the drum by tightening and loosening the cords between their arm and body.
Goblet drumThe goblet drum (also chalice drum, tarabuka, tarabaki, darbuka, darabuka, derbake, debuka, doumbek, dumbec, dumbeg, dumbelek, toumperleki, tumbak, tabla, or zerbaghali; Arabic: دربوكة / Romanized: darbuka) is a single-head membranophone with a goblet-shaped body. It is most commonly used in the traditional music of North Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans. The instrument is also featured in traditional music from South Asia and Eastern Europe.
Curt SachsCurt Sachs (German:; 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 Erich von Hornbostel. BiographyBorn in Berlin, Sachs studied piano, music theory and composition as a youth in that city.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.