types:
orgue de Barbarie
a musical instrument that makes music by rotation of a cylinder studded with pegs
basse
the member with the lowest range of a family of musical instruments
guimbarde
a small lyre-shaped musical instrument that is placed between the teeth and played by twanging a wire tongue while changing the shape of the mouth cavity
boîte à musique
produces music by means of pins on a revolving cylinder that strike the tuned teeth of a comb-like metal plate
instrument à vent
a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by an enclosed column of air that is moved by the breath
accordéon
a portable box-shaped free-reed instrument; the reeds are made to vibrate by air from the bellows controlled by the player
banjo
a stringed instrument of the guitar family that has long neck and circular body
tuba
the lowest brass wind instrument
bombarde
a large shawm; the bass member of the shawm family
castagnettes
a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance
corde
stringed instruments that are played with a bow
cuivre
a wind instrument that consists of a brass tube (usually of variable length) that is blown by means of a cup-shaped or funnel-shaped mouthpiece
célesta
a musical instrument consisting of graduated steel plates that are struck by hammers activated by a keyboard
carillon
a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer; used as an orchestral instrument
chordophone
a stringed instrument of the group including harps, lutes, lyres, and zithers
clavicorde
an early stringed instrument like a piano but with more delicate sound
cymbale
a percussion instrument consisting of a concave brass disk; makes a loud crashing sound when hit with a drumstick or when two are struck together
tambour
a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end
tympanon
a stringed instrument used in American folk music; an elliptical body and a fretted fingerboard and three strings
glockenspiel
a percussion instrument consisting of a set of graduated metal bars mounted on a frame and played with small hammers
gong
a percussion instrument consisting of a metal plate that is struck with a softheaded drumstick
guitare
a stringed instrument usually having six strings; played by strumming or plucking
kazoo
a toy wind instrument that has a membrane that makes a sound when you hum into the mouthpiece
timbale
a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it
xylophone
a percussion instrument with wooden bars tuned to produce a chromatic scale and with resonators; played with small mallets
ocarina
egg-shaped terra cotta wind instrument with a mouthpiece and finger holes
orgue
wind instrument whose sound is produced by means of pipes arranged in sets supplied with air from a bellows and controlled from a large complex musical keyboard
piano
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
sitar
a stringed instrument of India; has a long neck and movable frets; has 6 or 7 metal strings for playing and usually 13 resonating strings
triangle
a percussion instrument consisting of a metal bar bent in the shape of an open triangle
vibraphone
a percussion instrument similar to a xylophone but having metal bars and rotating disks in the resonators that produce a vibrato sound
cithare
a musical stringed instrument with strings stretched over a flat sounding board; it is laid flat and played with a plectrum and with fingers