Musical Instruments

Acoustic electric violins, like acoustic electric guitars, can be played both with or without amplification. They contain a pick up that allows them to be plugged into an amplifier. These...

The world renowned Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has been manufacturing sought-after musical instruments for more than half a century. Originally an amplifier manufacturer, it has gone on...

Whether playing in a band, recording in a studio, or merely playing music as a hobby at home, knowing what instrument you want to purchase is important. Knowing the differences between digital...

Musical instruments can cost hundreds of dollars. Anybody in the market for a new instrument should seriously consider selling his or her old instrument to recoup the price of the old instrument...

Making music should be a part of every child's life. However, musical instruments can be expensive and are not available to everybody. In fact, many types of music originated with homemade...

If you or your child has an interest in music and wants to become a musician, chances are pretty good that you are going to need to buy or rent a musical instrument. Purchasing a musical...

For many musicians, regular cleaning of their instrument is a calming ritual, something undertaken with great care in order to keep the instrument in peak playing condition. There are many...

Before changing mandolin strings, release as much pressure as possible so the strings do not spring back and cause injury. Remove and replace old mandolin strings with help from the member of an...

An Irish reel refers to a traditional tune type, similar to a jig, that is in 4/4 time and played in cut time. Recognize an Irish reel with help from the member of an Irish band in this free video...

Violin shoulder rests can be attached to the instrument in different ways, depending on the style of rest. Attach a shoulder rest using screws or rubber bands with advice from an accomplished...

Teaching yourself to play the violin usually involves researching instructional materials, such as books and videos, but learning to properly hold the instrument is the first step. Get ideas for...

When choosing a violin, consider the purchase or rental price, the sound quality of the instrument and the musician's skill level. Determine which violin matches budget and preference with advice...

The baritone is a musical instrument of the brass family. It's often called the baritone horn, and it's similar in appearance to the euphonium. Consisting primarily of wound pipe, it has a...

One of the most prominent characteristics of electric guitars and brass instruments is their smooth, shiny surface. This can be attributed to the finish used by their manufacturers. When it comes...

The cello and the double bass share a few similarities, such as the fact that both instruments are members of the string family and have similar construction. On the other hand, there are quite a...

Chamber music is classical music written for small groups of musicians. It was created in the 17th century for the purpose of being performed in small spaces, such as palace chambers or private...

Pianos are versatile instruments and can be easily learned due to their relatively simple mechanism. There is no special skill set required to play a note--you just hit a key--though proper...

Selmer (formerly Selmer-Bundy) is a musical instrument brand manufactured by Conn-Selmer Corporation of Elkhart, Indiana. The Selmer brand traces its roots to 19th century France, where its...

Although the viola is tuned in concert pitch (or "C"), not only is the music for this instrument written in an unusual clef, it shares a range with many instruments that are not in concert pitch....

Blues music has a distinctive sound, which is often the result of the instruments that musicians use to play it. In the early days of blues, performers often used simple, inexpensive instruments...

Many guitar players customize instruments bought "off the rack", while others have instruments tailor-made to their specifications. A custom guitar helps players express their individuality;...

Buying wholesale music instruments is common among schools, orchestral organizations, and live bands. Some people think that purchasing such items at wholesale value requires a certain license or...

Of the many instrument families, the woodwinds may be the most diverse, both in terms of the instruments included in this group and the versatile methods by which the instruments produce their...

The South African National Anthem is a blend of dialects, languages, meter and musical instruments. The instruments are often optional, as the National Anthem is most often performed a capella....

Electronic keyboards once occupied a very small niche in the spectrum of musical instruments. Limited in tonal possibilities and lacking realistic sounds, their narrow scope prevented all but the...

The Durro brand of strings seems to have passed into oblivion since the 1940s, when "Durro" was the brand name used by Buegeleisen & Jacobson (B&J), a musical instrument retailer in New...

With origins that can be traced as far back as the cave people, the mandolin ranks as one of the oldest instruments in existence. Over time, musicians have refined the mandolin, which was first...

The timpani, also known as kettledrums, are instruments in the percussion family, consisting of a plastic or animal skin head stretched over a bowl (usually copper) that is played by striking the...

Making instruments is an excellent way for children to learn about concepts concerning pitch, rhythm and properties of various instrument families. Homemade instruments allow children to become...

String instruments have been made and played the world over in a variety of incarnations. There are string instruments that were meant to be plucked like the harpsichord, strummed like the guitar,...

Lap harps are stringed instruments available in a couple of different varieties. Psaltery lap harps are small, highly portable instruments that rest flat on your lap. These instruments will be...

Any instrument that produces sound from having air blown into it can be considered a wind instrument. The second-oldest instrument type, preceded only by those of the drum category, basic wind...

The history of African musical instruments is as rich and diverse as the people that populate the African continent. Artistic displays of color and symbols were created to illustrate the...

Building instruments for kids can be a fun project for adults and children alike. By participating in the building process, kids learn about such concepts as the production of sound, tone, pitch,...

Glockenspiels and xylophones are both melodic percussion instruments. Originating in different parts of the world, the instruments have similar design, but use different materials, resulting in...

The saxophone is a reed instrument, generally made of brass. It is one of the newer families of instruments in existence, in part because its complex construction requires a high degree of precise...

The history of guitars is fraught with mystery and speculation. Although stringed instruments can be traced back thousands of years, most early instruments bore little likeness to the guitar as we...

Many people think that a keyboard and a piano are the same thing. However, the two are very different in nature and are typically classified as two separate instruments--despite each one having a...

Music has been an integral part of culture since man first walked on this planet. It has been used to share stories, pass down knowledge and to entertain. As early as 6,000 B.C., people were...

Although the washboard was initially designed for washing clothes, it soon became utilized as a musical instrument. While historical evidence concerning the washboard is somewhat sketchy, the...

Classical music is a genre with a rich, diverse history that encompasses several sub-genres such as baroque, romantic, light classical and chamber music. Classical music is renown for its...

String quartets serve as sort of mini-orchestra; they originally allowed people to play music on a smaller scale, without the fuss and bother of dozens of players. Famous composers such as Mozart...

String instruments are among the oldest known instruments, dating back to the ancient Egyptians and Persians. The sound and pitch of these instruments varies by the string's length and thickness,...

Timpani (known as timpano in singular form) are percussion instruments consisting of a piece of skin placed over a large drum usually made of copper and played with a specialized stick called a...

When confronted with the term "rock guitar," an image of a modern, solid-body electric guitar comes to mind, but the phrase encompasses much more than the guitar itself. It is also a reference to...

There are many types of woods used to make musical instruments. Due to the very different sound qualities of each type, different kinds of instruments can be made for each type of wood. By...

Almost all musical instruments can be classified into four traditional groups. Although instruments are used to play many different kinds of music, the original four groups are reflected in the...

All brass instruments are not made out of brass; non-Western European brass instruments are carved from wood or shells. These include the didgeridoo and the conch shell, while their brass brothers...

Musical instruments come in all shapes and sizes. Children can learn to play these instruments as early as elementary school and may continue on to a career in music if they do well. There is a...

Music therapy is a discipline in which music is used to achieve therapeutic goals. These goals can include advances in social skills, communication skills, following directions, physical...