Musical Instruments

saxophone

Family of single-reed woodwind instruments

recorder

Family of woodwind instruments whose sound is produced by blowing into a "whistle" mouthpiece, usually made of wood or plastic

accordion

Instrument consisting of a bellows between two keyboards (piano-like keys played by the right hand, and buttons played by the left hand) whose sound is produced by air pressure that causes free steel reeds to vibrate.

percussion instruments

Instrument of definite or indefinite pitch whose sound is produced by striking by hand, or with a stick or hammer, or by shaking or rubbing

string instruments

Instrument whose sound in produced by the vibrations of strings

woodwind instruments

Instrument whose sound is produced by vibrations of air in a tube; holes alone the length of tube are opened and closed by the fingers, or by pads, to control the pitch

electronic instruments

Instrument whose sound is produced, modified, or amplified by electronic means.

brass instruments

Instrument, made of brass or silver, whose sound is produced by the vibrations of the player's lips as he or she blows into a cup- or funnel-shaped mouthpiece

keyboard instruments

Instrument--such as the piano, organ, or harpsichord--played by pressing a series of keys with the fingers

single-reed woodwinds

Instruments whose sound is produced by a single piece of came, or reed, fastened over a hole in the mouthpiece. The reed vibrates when the player blows into the mouthpiece

double-reed woodwinds

Instruments whose sounds is produced by two narrow pieces of cane held between the player's lips; these pieces vibrate when the player blows between them

pipe organ

Keyboard instrument with many sets of pipes controlled from two or more keyboards, including a pedal keyboard played by the organist's feet. They keys control valves from which air is blown across or through openings in the pipes. (The electronic one is an electronic instrument that is sometimes designed to imitate the sound of a pipe organ.)

harpsichord

Keyboard instrument, widely used from about 1500 to 1755, whose sound is produced by plectra which pluck its wired strings. The harpsichord was revived during twentieth century.

tuba

Largest brass instrument, with the lowest range, commonly used in symphony orchestras and bands

double bass (bass)

Largest string instrument, having the lowest range of the string family

guitar

Plucked string instrument with six strings stretched alone a fretted fingerboard

harp

Plucked string instrument, consisting of strings stretched within a triangular frame

tremolo

Rapid repetition of a tone, produced in string instruments by quick up-and-down strokes of the bow

clarinet

Single-reed woodwind instrument with a beak-shaped mouthpiece, cylindrical in shape with a slightly flared bell

bow

Slightly curved stick strung tightly with horsehair, used to play string instruments.

vibrato

Small fluctuations of pitch that make the tone warmer, produced in string instruments by rocking the left hand while it pressed the string down

plectrum

Small wedge of plastic, leather, or quill used to pluck the strings of certain instruments, such as the guitar, koto, and harpsichord.

piccolo

Smallest woodwind instrument, having the highest range; a smaller version of the flute

viola

String instrument with a lower range than a violin and a higher range than a cello

cello (violincello)

String instrument with a range lower than that of the viola and higher than that of the double bass

violin

String instrument with the highest range of the string family

tape studio

Studio with tape recorders and other equipment used to create electronic music by modifying and combining recorded sounds

synthesizer

System of electronic components that can generate, modify, and control sound; used to compose music and to perform it.

timpani (kettledrums)

Percussion instruments of definite pitch, shaped like large kettles with calfskin or plastic stretched across the tops, played with soft padded mallets

mute

Device used to veil or muffle the tone of an instrument. For string instruments, the mute is a clamp that fits into the bridge; for brass instruments. it is a funnel-shaped piece of woo, metal, or plastic that fits into the bell

mute

Device used to veil or muffle the tone of an instruments, the mute is a clamp that fits onto the bridge; for brass instruments, it is a funnel-shaped piece of wood, metal, or plastic that fits into the bell

contrabassoon

Double-reed woodwind instrument with a register one octave lower than that of the bassoon

oboe

Double-reed woodwind instrument with a relatively high range, conical in shape with a small flared bell

bassoon

Double-reed woodwind instrument, made of wood, having a low range

English horn

Double-reed woodwind instrument, slightly larger than the oboe and with a lower range, straight in shape with an egg-shaped bell

register

Part of the tonal range of an instrument or voice. The tone color of the instrument or voice. The tone color of the instrument or voice may vary with the register in which it is played or sung

celesta

Percussi0on instrument of definite pitch, with metal bars that are struck by hammers controlled by a keyboard

xylophone

Percussion instrument of definite pitch, consisting of flat wooden bars set in a frame and played by striking with hard plastic or wooden hammers

glockenspiel

Percussion instrument of definite pitch, made up of flat metal bars set in a frame and played by striking with small metal hammers

chimes

Percussion instrument of definite pitch, with suspended metal tubes that are struck with a hammer

cymbals

Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a pair of metal plates, played by striking the plates against each other.

tambourine

Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a skin stretched across a shallow cylinder, with small circular plates set into the cylinder with jingle when the skin is struck or the cylinder is shaken.

triangle

Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a triangular length of metal suspended from a hook or cord, played by striking with a metal rod

snare drum (side drum)

Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, in the shape of a cylinder with a stretched below the lower skin at either end. A "snare" of gut or metal is stretched below the lower skin and produces a rattling sound when the drum is struck.

gong (tam-tam)

Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, made up of a large flat metal plate that is suspended and struck with a mallet

bass drum

Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, the largest of the orchestral drums

French horn

Brass instrument of medium range, whose tube is coiled into a roughly circular shape and fitted with valves; commonly used in symphony orchestras and in bands. (Sometimes called a horn)

trombone

Brass instrument of moderately low range, whose tube is on elongated loop with a movable slide, commonly use in symphony orchestras, bands, and jazz ensembles.

cornet

Brass instrument similar in shape to a trumpet, with a mellower tone

euphonium

Brass instrument similar in shape to the tuba and the baritone horn, with a higher range than the tuba's, commonly used in bands

baritone horn

Brass instrument similar in shape to the tuba, with a higher range, commonly used in bands

trumpet

Brass instrument with the highest range, commonly used in symphony orchestras, bands, and jazz and rock groups

variations

Changing some features of a musical idea while retaining others.

computer music

Composition including sounds generated and manipulated by computer

stop (double, triple, quadruple)

Means of playing a string instrument by which the bow is drawn across two, three, or four strings at the same tie or almost the same time

pizzicato

Means of playing a string instrument by which the strings are plucked, usually with a finger of the right hand

theme

Melody that serves as the starting point for an extended piece of music

bass clarinet

Member of the clarinet family, having a low range. Its shape is curved at the end before flaring into a bell

computer

Tool used to synthesize music, to help composers write scores, to store samples of audio signals, and to control synthesizing mechanisms

harmonics

Very high-pitched whistle-like tones, produced in bowed string instruments by lightly touching the string at certain points while bowing

reed

Very thin piece of cane, used in woodwind instruments to produce sound as it is set into vibration by a stream of air

piano

Widely used keyboard instrument of great range and versatility, whose sound is produced by felt-covered hammers striking against steel strings

flute

Woodwind instrument, usually made of metal, with a high range, whose tone is produced by blowing across the edge of a mouth hole.