Musical Instruments

There are many kinds of musical instruments. They are divided into three main classes according to the way they are played. For example, some instruments are played by blowing air into them. These are called wind instruments. In some of these, the air is made to vibrate inside a wooden tube, and these are said to be of the woodwind family. Examples of woodwind instruments are the flute, the clarinet and the bassoon. Other instruments are made of brass, the trumpet and the horn for example. There are also various other wind instruments such as the mouth organ and the bagpipe.

Some instruments are played by banging or striking them. One obvious example is the drum, of which there are various kinds. Instruments like this are called percussion instruments.

The last big group of musical instruments is the ones which have strings. There are two main kinds of stringed instruments. Those in which the music is made by plucking the strings, and those where the player draws a bow across the strings. Examples of the former are the harp and the guitar. Examples of the latter are the violin and the cello.