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Types
of Musical Instruments
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There are basically two ways of classifying musical instruments. In
basic music classes students are still taught that the four types are woodwind,
brass, string and percussion. This is the orchestral classification of
instruments and is useful in the setting of traditional Western, Classical and
Art Music. However, many students are now making instruments that do not fall
into one of these classes. Instruments made in other parts of the world and used
in different types of music need to be classified differently. It would be
preferable, in those cases, to use the following types that are based on how the
sound is produced rather than the placement in a classical orchestral setting.
The types that may be used by students are more specific, inclusive and
accurate. The four types are chordophones, aerophones, membranophones, and
idiophones. A description for each of these follows.
Chordophones
A vibrating string or strings make the
sound of these instruments. This type can be subdivided according to the
relationship between the strings and the resonator. A resonator is usually a
surrounding structure that is able to pick up the original vibration and vibrate
sympathetically with it, causing an amplification of the original sound and
modifying them is such a way as to make them more musical. The subdivisions of
the chordophones depend on not only the resonator but also on how the string is
played. Below are the subdivisions of chordophone.
1. zithers
-
strings are stretched across, over, or inside a resonator (or between
two resonators), which may be a hollow tube or gourd, a board, or a hollow
container.
-
strings may be struck or plucked
-
examples are piano, hammer dulcimer, harpsichord, or Appalachian
dulcimer.
2. lutes
-
strings are
stretched over a resonator and up a neck
-
strings may be
plucked or bowed.
-
examples are
violin, fiddle, guitar or banjo
3. lyres
4. harps
- strings leave
the resonator at a slant and move up a neck to be connected to the resonator.
- examples are
the orchestral harp and the Irish harp.
5. musical
bows
- the string(s)
are stretched from one end of a wooden bow to the other
- the string(s)
may be plucked or bowed with a second, small bow.
Aerophones
In this type of instrument, vibrating
air produces the sound. Aerophones are subdivided according to what causes the
air to begin to vibrate. Below are examples of the subdivisions.
1. whistles
- air is blown
into the tube at a sharp edge in the instrument
- examples are
recorders and police whistles.
2. blowholes
- air is blown across the sharp edge at the blowhole, which may be either at the
end or onthe side of the tube.
- examples are
panpipes or flutes.
3. reeds
- the vibration is started by a single, or double reeds that are part of the
mouthpiece or by a free reed instrument where the reed is mounted within the
instrument
- examples are
saxophone, oboe, bagpipes, and harmonica
4. cup
mouthpiece
- the lips of the player vibrate against the mouthpiece causing a sympathetic
vibration inthe air inside the instrument.
- examples are
bugle and conch shell
5. organs
- air is pumped
over the sharp edge of a tube by a mechanism powered by the performer in some
way.
- example is the
pump organ
Membranophones
In a membranophone the sound is made
by the vibration of a stretched membrane or skin across some sort of resonator.
They are subdivided by the shape of that resonating body. The five subdivisions
are listed below.
1. tubular
drums
- these can further be divided into cylindrical, conical, barrel, long, waisted,
goblet and footed according to the shape.
2. kettledrums
(vessel drums)
- all of these
have rounded bottoms
3. frame drums
- the membrane
is stretched over a frame making a wide shallow instrument
4. friction
drums
- while the resonator may have many shapes the sound is produced by running a
stick through a hole in the membrane rather than by beating it.
5. mirlitons
- the membrane
vibrates when air is blown across it.
Idiophones
The idiophone itself will vibrate and
is the main source of the musical sound. They are subdivided according to what
you do to make them vibrate.
1. percussion
- they are hit
with sticks, beaters, or clappers
- examples are
bells, steel drums.
2. shaken
- they are
shaken
- examples are
maracas, eggs, jingle bells.
3. concussion
- they are
played by classing two of them together
- examples are
castanets, claves and spoons.
4. friction
- sound is
produced by rubbing this instrument
- examples are
wine glasses and a glass armonica.
5. scraped
- sound is
produced by scraping a stick across a set of notches or corrugations
- examples are
guiros and washboards.
6. stamping
- the instrument
is stamped on the ground, floor, or some hard surface
- examples are
tap shoes.
7. plucked
- these
idiophones have a thin tongue of metal or bamboo that vibrates when plucked
- examples are
Jew’s harp, mbira, or a thumb piano.
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