MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Word Lists | Collins English Word Lists

Musical instruments

accordiona portable box-shaped instrument of the reed organ family, consisting of metallic reeds that are made to vibrate by air from a set of bellows controlled by the player's hands. Notes are produced by means of studlike keys aeolian harpa stringed instrument that produces a musical sound when a current of air or wind passes over the strings alphorn or alpenhorna wind instrument used in the Swiss Alps, consisting of a very long tube of wood or bark with a cornet-like mouthpiece althorna valved brass musical instrument belonging to the saxhorn or flügelhorn families Autoharp(trademark)a zither-like musical instrument used in country-and-western music, equipped with button-controlled dampers that can prevent selected strings from sounding, thus allowing chords to be played. It is plucked with the fingers or a plectrum baby granda small grand piano, approximately 5 feet long Bach trumpeta modern small three-valved trumpet for playing clarino passages in Bach's music bagpipesany of a family of musical wind instruments in which sounds are produced in reed pipes supplied with air from a bag inflated either by the player's mouth, as in the Irish bagpipes or Highland bagpipes of Scotland, or by arm-operated bellows, as in the Northumbrian bagpipes balalaikaa plucked musical instrument, usually having a triangular body and three strings: used chiefly for Russian folk music bandorea 16th-century plucked musical instrument resembling a lute but larger and fitted with seven pairs of metal strings banjoa stringed musical instrument with a long neck (usually fretted) and a circular drumlike body overlaid with parchment, plucked with the fingers or a plectrum barrel organan instrument consisting of a cylinder turned by a handle and having pins on it that interrupt the air flow to certain pipes, thereby playing any of a number of tunes barytona bass viol with sympathetic strings as well as its six main strings bass druma large shallow drum of low and indefinite pitch basset hornan obsolete woodwind instrument of the clarinet family bass guitara guitar that has the same pitch and tuning as a double bass, usually electrically amplified bassoona woodwind instrument, the tenor of the oboe family. Range: about three and a half octaves upwards from the B flat below the bass staff bass violanother name for viola da gamba beatboxa drum machine bella hollow, usually metal, cup-shaped instrument that emits a musical ringing sound when struck, often by a clapper hanging inside it bodhrána shallow one-sided drum popular in Irish and Scottish folk music Böhm flutea type of flute in which the holes are covered with keys; the standard type of modern flute bombardona brass instrument of the tuba type, similar to a sousaphone bongoa small bucket-shaped drum, usually one of a pair, played by beating with the fingers boudoir granda domestic grand piano between 5 and 6 feet in length bouzoukia Greek long-necked stringed musical instrument related to the mandolin buglea brass instrument similar to the cornet but usually without valves: used for military fanfares, signal calls, etc calliopea steam organ carillona set of bells usually hung in a tower and played either by keys and pedals or mechanically castanetscurved pieces of hollow wood, usually held between the fingers and thumb and made to click together: used esp by Spanish dancers celesta or celestea keyboard percussion instrument consisting of a set of steel plates of graduated length that are struck with key-operated hammers. The tone is an ethereal tinkling sound. Range: four octaves upwards from middle C cello or violoncelloa bowed stringed instrument of the violin family. Range: more than four octaves upwards from C below the bass staff. It has four strings, is held between the knees, and has an extendible metal spike at the lower end, which acts as a support cembaloanother word for harpsichord chamber organa small compact organ used esp for the authentic performance of preclassical music Chapman stick(trademark)an electronically amplified musical instrument with ten or twelve strings and a fretted neck, which is played by striking the strings against the frets with the fingers chimea percussion instrument consisting of a set of vertical metal tubes of graduated length, suspended in a frame and struck with a hammer Chinese blocka percussion instrument consisting of a hollow wooden block played with a drumstick chitarronea large lute with a double neck in common use during the baroque period, esp in Italy cimbalon or cymbalona type of dulcimer, esp of Hungary cithara or kitharaa stringed musical instrument of ancient Greece and elsewhere, similar to the lyre and played with a plectrum cittern, cither or citherna medieval stringed instrument resembling a lute but having wire strings and a flat back clarineta keyed woodwind instrument with a cylindrical bore and a single reed. It is a transposing instrument, most commonly pitched in A or B flat clarionan obsolete high-pitched small-bore trumpet clarsachthe Celtic harp of Scotland and Ireland clavea clublike thickening at the upper end of an organ, esp of the antenna of an insect clavicembaloanother name for harpsichord clavichorda keyboard instrument consisting of a number of thin wire strings struck from below by brass tangents. The instrument is noted for its delicate tones, since the tangents do not rebound from the string until the key is released clavierany keyboard instrument concert granda full-size grand piano, usually around 7 feet in length concertinaa small hexagonal musical instrument of the reed organ family in which metallic reeds are vibrated by air from a set of bellows operated by the player's hands. Notes are produced by pressing buttons congaa large tubular bass drum, used chiefly in Latin American and funk music and played with the hands contrabassa member of any of various families of musical instruments that is lower in pitch than the bass contrabassoonthe largest instrument in the oboe family, pitched an octave below the bassoon; double bassoon cor anglaisa woodwind instrument, the alto of the oboe family. It is a transposing instrument in F. Range: two and a half octaves upwards from E on the third space of the bass staff corneta three-valved brass instrument of the trumpet family. Written range: about two and a half octaves upwards from E below middle C. It is a transposing instrument in B flat or A cornetta musical instrument consisting of a straight or curved tube of wood or ivory having finger holes like a recorder and a cup-shaped mouthpiece like a trumpet cottage pianoa small upright piano cowbella metal percussion instrument usually mounted on the bass drum or hand-held and struck with a drumstick crumhorn or krummhorna medieval woodwind instrument of bass pitch, consisting of an almost cylindrical tube curving upwards and blown through a double reed covered by a pierced cap crwthan ancient stringed instrument of Celtic origin similar to the cithara but bowed in later types cymbala percussion instrument of indefinite pitch consisting of a thin circular piece of brass, which vibrates when clashed together with another cymbal or struck with a stick cymbaloanother name for dulcimer didgeridooa deep-toned native Australian wind instrument made from a long hollowed-out piece of wood Dobro(trademark)an acoustic guitar having a metal resonator built into the body double bassa stringed instrument, the largest and lowest member of the violin family. Range: almost three octaves upwards from E in the space between the fourth and fifth leger lines below the bass staff. It is normally bowed in classical music, but it is very common in a jazz or dance band, where it is practically always played pizzicato double bassoonthe lowest and largest instrument in the oboe class; contrabassoon druma percussion instrument sounded by striking a membrane stretched across the opening of a hollow cylinder or hemisphere drum machinea synthesizer specially programmed to reproduce the sound of drums and other percussion instruments in variable rhythms and combinations selected by the musician; the resulting beat is produced continually until stopped or changed dulcimera tuned percussion instrument consisting of a set of strings of graduated length stretched over a sounding board and struck with a pair of hammers electric guitaran electronically amplified guitar, used mainly in pop music electronic organan electrophonic instrument played by means of a keyboard, in which sounds are produced and amplified by any of various electronic or electrical means English horna double-reed woodwind instrument similar to the oboe but larger and a fifth lower in pitch euphoniuma brass musical instrument with four valves; the tenor of the tuba family. It is used mainly in brass bands fiddleany instrument of the viol or violin family, esp the violin fifea small high-pitched flute similar to the piccolo and usually having no keys, used esp in military bands flageoleta high-pitched musical instrument of the recorder family having six or eight finger holes flugelhorna type of valved brass instrument consisting of a tube of conical bore with a cup-shaped mouthpiece, used esp in brass bands. It is a transposing instrument in B flat or C, and has the same range as the cornet in B flat flutea wind instrument consisting of an open cylindrical tube of wood or metal having holes in the side stopped either by the fingers or by pads controlled by keys. The breath is directed across a mouth hole cut in the side, causing the air in the tube to vibrate. Range: about three octaves upwards from middle C French horna valved brass instrument with a funnel-shaped mouthpiece and a tube of conical bore coiled into a spiral. It is a transposing instrument in F. Range: about three and a half octaves upwards from B on the second leger line below the bass staff gittaronean acoustic bass guitar gitternan obsolete medieval stringed instrument resembling the guitar glass harmonicaa musical instrument of the 18th century consisting of a set of glass bowls of graduated pitches, played by rubbing the fingers over the moistened rims or by a keyboard mechanism glockenspiela percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned metal plates played with a pair of small hammers gonga percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a metal platelike disc struck with a soft-headed drumstick gran cassaanother name for bass drum grand pianoa form of piano in which the strings are arranged horizontally. Grand pianos exist in three sizes guitara plucked stringed instrument originating in Spain, usually having six strings, a flat sounding board with a circular sound hole in the centre, a flat back, and a fretted fingerboard. Range: more than three octaves upwards from E on the first leger line below the bass staff Hammond organ(trademark)an electric organ with two keyboards, electronic tone generation, and a wide variety of tone colours: invented in 1934 handbella bell rung by hand, esp one of a tuned set used in musical performance harmonicaa small wind instrument of the reed organ family in which reeds of graduated lengths set into a metal plate enclosed in a narrow oblong box are made to vibrate by blowing and sucking harmoniuma musical keyboard instrument of the reed organ family, in which air from pedal-operated bellows causes the reeds to vibrate harpa large triangular plucked stringed instrument consisting of a soundboard connected to an upright pillar by means of a curved crossbar from which the strings extend downwards. The strings are tuned diatonically and may be raised in pitch either one or two semitones by the use of pedals (double-action harp). Basic key: B major; range: nearly seven octaves harpsichorda horizontally strung stringed keyboard instrument, triangular in shape, consisting usually of two manuals controlling various sets of strings plucked by pivoted plectrums mounted on jacks. Some harpsichords have a pedal keyboard and stops by which the tone colour may be varied Hawaiian guitara lap-held steel-strung guitar with a wood or metal body, tuned to an open chord and played with a slide helicona bass tuba made to coil over the shoulder of a band musician horna primitive musical wind instrument made from the horn of an animal hornpipean obsolete reed instrument with a mouthpiece made of horn hunting hornan obsolete brass instrument from which the modern French horn was developed hurdy-gurdyany mechanical musical instrument, such as a barrel organ idiophonea percussion instrument, such as a cymbal or xylophone, made of naturally sonorous material jew's-harpa musical instrument consisting of a small lyre-shaped metal frame held between the teeth, with a steel tongue plucked with the finger. Changes in pitch are produced by varying the size of the mouth cavities kazooa cigar-shaped musical instrument of metal or plastic with a membranous diaphragm of thin paper that vibrates with a nasal sound when the player hums into it kettledruma percussion instrument of definite pitch, consisting of a hollow bowl-like hemisphere covered with a skin or membrane, supported on a tripod or stand. The pitch may be adjusted by means of screws or pedals, which alter the tension of the skin keyboarda musical instrument, esp an electronic one, played by means of a keyboard kita kind of small violin, now obsolete, used esp by dancing masters in the 17th–18th centuries koraa West African instrument with twenty-one strings, combining features of the harp and the lute kotoa Japanese stringed instrument, consisting of a rectangular wooden body over which are stretched silk strings, which are plucked with plectrums or a nail-like device lur or lurea large bronze musical horn found in Danish peat bogs and probably dating to the Bronze Age lutean ancient plucked stringed instrument, consisting of a long fingerboard with frets and gut strings, and a body shaped like a sliced pear lyra viola lutelike musical instrument popular in the 16th and 17th centuries: the forerunner of the mandolin lyrean ancient Greek stringed instrument consisting of a resonating tortoise shell to which a crossbar was attached by two projecting arms. It was plucked with a plectrum and used for accompanying songs mandolaan early type of mandolin mandolin or mandolinea plucked stringed instrument related to the lute, having four pairs of strings tuned in ascending fifths stretched over a small light body with a fretted fingerboard. It is usually played with a plectrum, long notes being sustained by the tremolo maracaa percussion instrument, usually one of a pair, consisting of a gourd or plastic shell filled with dried seeds, pebbles, etc. It is used chiefly in Latin American music marimbaa Latin American percussion instrument consisting of a set of hardwood plates placed over tuned metal resonators, played with two soft-headed sticks in each hand mbiraan African musical instrument consisting of tuned metal strips attached to a resonating box, which are plucked with the thumbs mellophonea brass band instrument similar in tone to a French horn melodeon or melodiona type of keyboard instrument similar to the harmonium metallophoneany of various musical instruments consisting of tuned metal bars struck with a hammer, such as the glockenspiel Moog(trademark)a type of synthesizer mouth organanother name for harmonica musettea type of bagpipe with a bellows popular in France during the 17th and 18th centuries nakerone of a pair of small kettledrums used in medieval music ngomaa type of drum nickelodeon(formerly) a Pianola, esp one operated by inserting a five-cent piece nose flute(esp in the South Sea Islands) a type of flute blown through the nose oboea woodwind instrument of the family that includes the bassoon and cor anglais, consisting of a conical tube fitted with a mouthpiece having a double reed. It has a penetrating nasal tone. Range: about two octaves plus a sixth upwards from B flat below middle C oboe da cacciaa member of the oboe family; the predecessor of the cor anglais oboe d'amorea type of oboe pitched a minor third lower than the oboe itself. It is used chiefly in the performance of baroque music ocarinaan egg-shaped wind instrument with a protruding mouthpiece and six to eight finger holes, producing an almost pure tone octachordan eight-stringed musical instrument ondes Martenotan electronic keyboard instrument in which the frequency of an oscillator is varied to produce separate musical notes ophicleidean obsolete keyed wind instrument of bass pitch orchestrina or orchestrionany of various types of mechanical musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of an orchestra organa large complex musical keyboard instrument in which sound is produced by means of a number of pipes arranged in sets or stops, supplied with air from a bellows. The largest instruments possess three or more manuals and one pedal keyboard and have the greatest range of any instrument orphariona large lute in use during the 16th and 17th centuries oudan Arabic stringed musical instrument resembling a lute or mandolin panpipesa number of reeds or whistles of graduated lengths bound together to form a musical wind instrument pedal steel guitara floor-mounted, multi-neck, lap steel guitar with each set of strings tuned to a different open chord and foot pedals to raise or lower the pitch penny whistlea type of flageolet with six finger holes, esp a cheap one made of metal pianoa musical stringed instrument resembling a harp set in a vertical or horizontal frame, played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike the strings and produce audible vibrations Pianola(trademark)a type of mechanical piano in which the keys are depressed by air pressure from bellows, this air flow being regulated by perforations in a paper roll piccoloa woodwind instrument, the smallest member of the flute family, lying an octave above that of the flute pipeany musical instrument whose sound production results from the vibration of an air column in a simple tube player pianoa mechanical piano; Pianola portative organa small portable organ with arm-operated bellows popular in medieval times racketa medieval woodwind instrument of deep bass pitch rebec or rebecka medieval stringed instrument resembling the violin but having a lute-shaped body recordera wind instrument of the flute family, blown through a fipple in the mouth end, having a reedlike quality of tone. There are four usual sizes: bass, tenor, treble, and descant reco-recoa percussion instrument consisting of a ridged gourd or bamboo cane that is scraped with a piece of wood or metal reed organa wind instrument, such as the harmonium, accordion, or harmonica, in which the sound is produced by reeds, each reed producing one note only reed pipea wind instrument, such as a clarinet or oboe, whose sound is produced by a vibrating reed regala portable organ equipped only with small reed pipes, popular from the 15th century and recently revived for modern performance rotean ancient violin-like musical instrument; crwth sackbuta medieval form of trombone samisena Japanese musical instrument somewhat like a guitar, but with a long neck and three strings plucked with a spatula sarangia stringed instrument of India played with a bow sarodan Indian stringed musical instrument that may be played with a bow or plucked sarrusophonea wind instrument resembling the oboe but made of brass saxhorna valved brass instrument used chiefly in brass and military bands, having a tube of conical bore and a brilliant tone colour. It resembles the tuba and constitutes a family of instruments related to the flugelhorn and cornet saxophonea keyed wind instrument of mellow tone colour, used mainly in jazz and dance music. It is made in various sizes, has a conical bore, and a single reed shawma medieval form of the oboe with a conical bore and flaring bell, blown through a double reed side druma small double-headed drum carried at the side with snares that produce a rattling effect sistruma musical instrument of ancient Egypt consisting of a metal rattle sitara stringed musical instrument, esp of India, having a long neck, a rounded body, and movable frets. The main strings, three to seven in number, overlie other sympathetic strings, the tuning depending on the raga being performed slide guitara technique of guitar playing derived from bottleneck, using a steel or glass tube on one finger across the frets snare druma cylindrical drum with two drumheads, the upper of which is struck and the lower fitted with a snare sousaphonea large tuba that encircles the player's body and has a bell facing forwards Spanish guitarthe classic form of the guitar; a six-stringed instrument with a waisted body and a central sound hole spineta small type of harpsichord having one manual square pianoan obsolete form of piano, horizontally strung and with an oblong frame steam organa type of organ powered by steam, once common at fairgrounds, in which the pipes are sounded either by a keyboard or in a sequence determined by a moving punched card steel guitara type of guitar, now esp. an electric guitar, with raised metal strings, held on the lap or mounted on legs and played by plucking while sliding a steel bar across the strings to change the pitch stylophonea type of battery-powered electronic instrument played with a steel-tipped penlike stylus synthesizeran electrophonic instrument, usually operated by means of a keyboard and pedals, in which sounds are produced by voltage-controlled oscillators, filters, and amplifiers, with an envelope generator module that controls attack, decay, sustain, and release syrinxthe vocal organ of a bird, which is situated in the lower part of the trachea tablaa musical instrument of India consisting of a pair of drums whose pitches can be varied tabor or taboura small drum used esp in the Middle Ages, struck with one hand while the other held a three-holed pipe tamboura drum tambouraan instrument with a long neck, four strings, and no frets, used in Indian music to provide a drone tambourinea percussion instrument consisting of a single drumhead of skin stretched over a circular wooden frame hung with pairs of metal discs that jingle when it is struck or shaken tam-tama large gong of indefinite pitch, sounded with a soft-headed mallet theorboan obsolete form of the lute, having two necks, one above the other, the second neck carrying a set of unstopped sympathetic bass strings Theremin(trademark)an electronic musical instrument, played by moving the hands through electromagnetic fields created by two metal rods timbal or tymbala type of kettledrum timpani or tympania set of kettledrums, two or more in number tom-toma drum associated either with the American Indians or with Eastern cultures, usually beaten with the hands as a signalling instrument trianglea percussion instrument consisting of a sonorous metal bar bent into a triangular shape, beaten with a metal stick trigon(in classical Greece or Rome) a triangular harp or lyre trombonea brass instrument, a low-pitched counterpart of the trumpet, consisting of a tube the effective length of which is varied by means of a U-shaped slide. The usual forms of this instrument are the tenor trombone (range: about two and a half octaves upwards from E) and the bass trombone (pitched a fourth lower) trumpeta valved brass instrument of brilliant tone consisting of a narrow tube of cylindrical bore ending in a flared bell, normally pitched in B flat. Range: two and a half octaves upwards from F sharp on the fourth line of the bass staff tubaa valved brass instrument of bass pitch, in which the bell points upwards and the mouthpiece projects at right angles. The tube is of conical bore and the mouthpiece cup-shaped tubular bellsan orchestral percussion instrument of 18 chromatically tuned metal tubes suspended vertically and struck near the top uillean pipesbagpipes developed in Ireland and operated by squeezing bellows under the arm ukulele or ukelelea small four-stringed guitar, esp of Hawaii upright pianoa piano which has a rectangular vertical case vibraphonea percussion instrument, used esp in jazz, consisting of a set of metal bars placed over tubular metal resonators, which are made to vibrate electronically vihuelaan obsolete plucked stringed instrument of Spain, related to the guitar vinaa stringed musical instrument, esp of India, related to the sitar violany of a family of stringed musical instruments that preceded the violin family, consisting of a fretted fingerboard, a body rather like that of a violin but having a flat back and six strings, played with a curved bow. They are held between the knees when played and have a quiet yet penetrating tone; they were much played, esp in consorts, in the 16th and 17th centuries violaa bowed stringed instrument, the alto of the violin family; held beneath the chin when played. It is pitched and tuned an octave above the cello viola da braccioa type of viol held on the shoulder, from which the modern viola was developed viola da gambathe second largest and lowest member of the viol family viola d'amorean instrument of the viol family having no frets, seven strings, and a set of sympathetic strings. It was held under the chin when played violina bowed stringed instrument, the highest member of the violin family, consisting of a fingerboard, a hollow wooden body with waisted sides, and a sounding board connected to the back by means of a soundpost that also supports the bridge. It has two f-shaped sound holes cut in the belly. The instrument, noted for its fine and flexible tone, is the most important of the stringed instruments. It is held under the chin when played. Range: roughly three and a half octaves upwards from G below middle C violonethe double-bass member of the viol family lying an octave below the viola da gamba. It corresponds to the double bass in the violin family virginala smaller version of the harpsichord, but oblong in shape, having one manual and no pedals vocodera type of synthesizer that uses the human voice as an oscillator washboardsuch a board used as a rhythm instrument played with the fingers in skiffle, Country and Western music, etc Welsh harpa type of harp in which the strings are arranged in three rows, used esp for the accompaniment of singing, improvisation on folk tunes, etc whipa percussion instrument consisting of two strips of wood, joined forming the shape of a V, and clapped loudly together whistleany pipe that is blown down its end and produces sounds on the principle of a flue pipe, usually having as a mouthpiece a fipple cut in the side wood blockanother word for Chinese blockWurlitzer(trademark) xylophonea percussion instrument consisting of a set of wooden bars of graduated length. It is played with hard-headed hammers xylorimbaa large xylophone with an extended range of five octaves zithera plucked musical instrument consisting of numerous strings stretched over a resonating box, a few of which may be stopped on a fretted fingerboard ▷ See instrument