Types of Musical Instruments
The different types of musical instruments include wind instruments such as flutes, pan pipes, and xylophones, string instruments such as lyres, harps, and zithers, and percussion instruments such as drums and gongs. We'll look at each of these types of instruments in a little more detail below.
- Percussion Instruments Percussion instruments use the vibration of air to create sounds. Percussion instruments can be divided into two categories based on how they create sound.
- Cymbals - Cymbals are struck with a mallet to produce a high-pitched sound.
- Chimes - Chimes are struck with a wooden hammer to produce a lower pitched sound.
- Wind Instruments - Wind instruments use air to create sound. Wind instruments can be divided into two categories based on how the air is directed to create sound.
- Reed - Reed instruments use sheets of reeds made of grass, bamboo, or other plants to create sound. Reeds are placed inside a tube to create an instrument in which air moves the reeds, creating sound.
- Plucked - Plucked instruments use a string to strike a skin or a membrane to create sound. Some of the most prominent percussion instruments include the drum, gong, xylophone, and marimba. Likewise, wind instruments such as the saxophone, clarinet, and flute are also well-known instruments.
Stringed Instruments
Stringed instruments use a series of strings to produce sound. The type of string used determines the type of string instrument. For example, a violin produces a musical tone by cutting the string at a specific point, while a piano does so by pressing keys.
- Lyres - Lyres are string instruments that have been attested in numerous ancient cultures. The earliest reference to a lyre dates back to ancient Egypt, where it was thought to be a result of the combination of bow and lyre.
- Harps - Harps are also a type of string instrument that have been attested in numerous ancient cultures. The word harp derives from the Hebrew word for "drawing," which refers to the ancient belief that this type of instrument could be used to perform magic.
- Zithers - Zithers are stringed instruments that have been attested in numerous ancient cultures. The word "zither" derives from the German word "zither," which means "string instrument."
- Aerophones Aerophones use a combination of air, strings, and/or frets to create sound. Aerophones come in three varieties: wind, membrane, and string. The most prominent aerophones are the wind aerophones such as the flute and the whistle, and the membrane aerophones such as the harp and the xylophone.
Ancient Musical Instruments
Many of the ancient musical instruments have been lost to history over the centuries, so it's difficult to identify exactly which ones came first. For instance, archaeologists have discovered clay tablets that have images of stringed instruments such as lyres, but no one is sure if these instruments were used for music or if they were used for another purpose. We do know that some of the ancient musical instruments have been traced back thousands of years. For example, archaeologists believe that the first pottery musical instrument was created around 5500 B.C. The instrument was a simple clay pot that was placed on a surface, and air pressure created sound when people played the instrument.
Drums
Drums are percussion instruments that consist of a membrane stretched over a container, such as a skin or a pot. Different types of drums are used for different purposes, and some are used for dancing.
Use of Musical Instruments in Different Cultures
Unlike other forms of art and literature, the use of musical instruments is often more closely linked to a particular culture's history. For instance, the earliest record of the harp comes from ancient Greece, and flutes have been found in ancient Chinese cities. These types of instruments were typically played at ceremonial occasions, and the harp was thought to have spiritual properties. We can also see how the use of various musical instruments changed over time. For example, during the medieval era, the lyre was the most prominent stringed instrument in Europe. However, it was replaced by the violin during the Baroque period.
Ancient Egypt
The origins of musical instruments in ancient Egypt are unclear since they were found throughout different parts of the world, but there are a few that are believed to have been developed in the Nile River Valley.
- Drums - Drums were the most prominent instrument in ancient Egyptian culture. Clay pots were often placed on top of these drums, and the sound created by the percussion was used for entertainment, religious ceremonies, and military purposes.
- Flutes - These were played during religious ceremonies, and the flute was believed to have medicinal properties.
- Trumpets - Trumpets were also used during religious ceremonies, and they were often used by Pharaohs to communicate with their subjects.
Ancient Greece
The lyre was the most prominent instrument during the ancient Greek era, and it was typically played by women. The lyre was also used in ancient Greece for entertainment, education, and religious purposes. The lyre was believed to be the work of the gods, and it was thought to bring good fortune to its users. In fact, the word "lyre" comes from the Greek word "lyra," which means "to sing." Varying types of music were played on the lyre during the ancient Greek era, and some of the most prominent styles included pastoral songs, hymns, and epic poems.
Ancient China
The most prominent type of musical instrument during the ancient Chinese era was the percussion instrument, the guqin. This instrument consists of a zither that uses a set of 86 strings to produce a variety of tones. The guqin has been used for hundreds of years, and it is still used in modern-day China. It was also thought to have been used by early Chinese royalty because it was associated with happiness and fortune.
