Instrument Classification Flashcards

Study Notes

String Family

Comprises instruments that are bowed, plucked, or strummed.
Includes violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, and harp.

Chordophones

Refers to instruments that produce sound through vibrating strings.
Examples include the kora (Africa), sitar (India), shamisen (Japan), and banjo (America).

Woodwind Family

Instruments generate sound by air vibrating through a reed; the flute is the exception as it does not use a reed.
Key instruments include clarinet, oboe, bassoon, English horn, bass clarinet, and piccolo.

Brass Family

Instruments create sound through air vibrating in a cup-shaped mouthpiece.
Notable instruments are trumpet, trombone, tuba, and baritone.

Aerophones

Encompasses any instrument producing sound by letting air pass through it.
Includes entire woodwind and brass families, along with harmonica (America), bagpipes (Scotland), pan flute (South America), and venu (India).

Percussion

Serves as the rhythmic foundation of orchestras; consists of objects that are struck or hit.
Non-pitched examples include bass drum, snare, woodblocks, and cymbals; pitched examples include timpani, piano, marimba, and xylophone.

Idiophones

A type of percussion that produces sound from the material itself being struck.
Examples exclude drums and include woodblock, claves, cymbals, marimba, xylophone, and piano.

Membranophones

Instruments that create sound via a membrane stretched across them.
Examples include djembe (Africa), tabla (India), timpani (Europe), congas (Latin America), bongos (Latin America), and mridangam (India).

Electrophones

Instruments that generate sound electronically.
Key examples include computer, synthesizer, vocoder, turntable, electric guitar, electric bass, and theremin.

Description

Test your knowledge on various musical instrument families with these flashcards. Learn about string family, chordophones, and woodwind instruments through definitions and examples. Perfect for music students and enthusiasts alike!