Musical Instruments · Nouns — English Vocabulary

a musical instrument that we play by holding it under our chin and moving a bow across its strings

"The violin was very expensive."

"She plays the violin in the school orchestra."

a musical instrument, usually with six strings, that we play by pulling the strings with our fingers or with a plectrum

"He plays the guitar well."

"She bought a new guitar last week."

a musical instrument with a curved metal tube and one wide end, which is played by blowing into it while pressing and releasing its three buttons

"He played the trumpet."

"He practiced playing the trumpet every day for two hours annoying his neighbors but eventually earning a seat in the city youth orchestra."

a musical instrument consisting of a hollow, round frame with plastic or skin stretched tightly across one or both ends, played by hitting it with sticks or hands

"The drum sounded loud."

"He hit the drum hard with his stick and made a loud booming sound."

a large musical instrument of the violin family that is held upright and is played by pulling a bow across its strings

"He plays the cello."

"The cello produces a deep rich sound that is often described as being the closest musical instrument to the human voice in tone and expression."

a curved metal wind instrument that is played by blowing into it while pressing its buttons

"He played the saxophone."

"The saxophone made the jazz performance sound smooth and expressive."

a musical instrument with a mouthpiece and keys, that is played by blowing into it

"She learned the clarinet."

"The clarinet gave the piece a soft and elegant tone."

a wind instrument consisting of a wide hollow end and a sliding metal tube used to vary the pitch and produce a wide range of tones

"The trombone is shiny."

"He learned to play the trombone in school band."

a triangular musical instrument with a row of strings that are stretched vertically, played with the fingers

"She plays the harp."

"The angelic sound of the harp filled the concert hall, captivating the audience with its ethereal melody."

a box-like musical instrument that is held in both hands and is played by squeezing and stretching it while pressing its keys

"She plays the accordion."

"The accordion added a lively sound to the traditional music performance."

a woodwind instrument like an oboe that has a lower pitch and larger size

"The orchestra featured an English horn."

"The melancholic melody of the English horn added a poignant depth to the orchestral piece."

a brass instrument with a curl in its tube and a flared bore that is played by valves

"He played the French horn."

"The majestic sound of the French horn resonated through the concert hall, filling the space with warmth."

a wind instrument with a reed and several sticks, played by squeezing a bag and blowing through one of its pipes, originated from Scotland

"The bagpipe played a tune."

"The sound of the bagpipe echoed through the valley as the piper played a traditional Scottish lament."

a guitar capable of converting the vibration of its strings into electrical impulses using a pickup

"The loud electric guitar riff shook the room."

"The electric guitar solo was distorted and loud filling the arena with screaming feedback and power chords."

a type of electric guitar that produces the lowest pitch in the family of guitars

"The bass guitar is loud."

"She played the bass guitar in the band."

an early keyboard instrument resembling a piano in which the strings are plucked rather than being hit with a hammer

"The harpsichord was popular in Baroque music."

"The harpsichord was a popular keyboard instrument during the Baroque period before the piano was invented."

a stringed musical instrument with a circular body and a long neck

"He plays the banjo at parties."

"The banjo's distinctive twang came from its drum like body and the metal strings stretched across a bridge."

a stringed musical instrument with a trapezoidal board or box that is played by hitting the metal strings with a pair of light hammers

"She struck the strings of the dulcimer with small hammers."

"The hammered dulcimer is played by striking strings with small mallets producing a shimmering ethereal sound."

a stringed instrument that was popular during the Renaissance with a pear-shaped body and a neck that was thicker under the treble strings

"The Renaissance cittern was strummed like a modern guitar."

"The musician skillfully played the ancient cittern, its unique timbre evoking the spirit of the Renaissance."

the largest member of the violin family in the modern symphony orchestra that produces the lowest pitch

"The jazz band's double bass provided the rhythm."

"The double bass is the largest string instrument in the orchestra and provides the lowest pitch foundation."

a small U-shaped string instrument similar to the harp originated in ancient Greece

"The ancient poet sang while playing a lyre."

"The ancient Greek lyre was strummed while reciting epic poetry accompanying the rhythmic verses of Homer's works."

a string instrument with a pear-shaped body, 11 strings and a short neck that is fretless

"The musician played a haunting melody on the oud."

"The oud is a pear shaped string instrument from the Middle East with no frets on its neck."

a traditional plucked musical instrument from Afghanistan, known for its pear-shaped body, resonant sound, and intricate melodies

"The rubab is a traditional lute from Afghanistan."

"The rubab is a lute like instrument from Afghanistan and surrounding regions carved from a single piece of mulberry wood."

any of the group of African musical instruments with a row of narrow metal pieces that is hold in the hands and played with the thumbs

"He used his thumbs to play a melody on the thumb piano."

"The thumb piano known as the mbira has metal tines that are plucked with the thumbs over a wooden soundboard."

a woodwind instrument of the oboe family consisting of a long wooden tube and a double reed

"He played the bassoon."

"The rich, deep tone of the bassoon added a unique and resonant quality to the orchestral performance."

a brass instrument resembling a small trumpet, without any valves or keys, used for military calls

"The bugle sounded the call."

"The clear, piercing notes of the bugle signaled the start of the solemn military ceremony."

a large double-reed woodwind instrument, producing deep, resonant tones and serving as the lowest-pitched instrument in the woodwind family

"The contrabassoon plays an octave lower than the bassoon."

"The contrabassoon sounds an octave lower than the bassoon with such deep pitch that the listener feels rather than hears it."

a small mouth organ with a row of metal reeds, hold against the lips and played by blowing or sucking air

"He played the harmonica well."

"The blues musician’s soulful harmonica playing created a raw and emotional atmosphere."

a wind instrument consisting of a keyboard and a mouthpiece into which the player blows

"She blew into the melodica while pressing the keys."

"The melodica is a handheld keyboard instrument that the player blows into through a plastic tube."

a woodwind double-reed instrument with a long tubular body and holes and keys on top

"She plays oboe well."

"She plays the oboe beautifully in the school orchestra every single week."

a large wind instrument with a curved tube and a wide bore that produces the lowest pitches in the brass family

"The tuba played the lowest notes in the brass section."

"The tuba player's cheeks puffed out as he pushed air through the massive brass tubing to produce a booming low note."

a modern, handcrafted percussion instrument known for its unique UFO-shaped design, with melodic and rhythmic properties

"The hang drum produced a soft"

"The hang drum is a convex steel instrument played with the fingers producing soft melodic percussive tones."

a large percussion instrument played by striking a drumhead stretched over a hollow shell, producing deep, low-pitched tones

"The bass drum boomed at the climax of the symphony."

"The bass drum player struck the large drum with a felt covered mallet creating a deep thud that shook the floor."

a set of kettledrums played in an orchestra

"The timpani player tuned the drums before the concert."

"The timpanist adjusted the tension of the drum heads by using a pedal to change the pitch during a musical passage."

a percussion instrument consisting of a row of wooden bars in different lengths set on a frame, played by a wooden or plastic mallet

"He played a cheerful melody on the xylophone."

"The xylophone's wooden bars were struck with hard mallets producing a sharp bright percussive tone."

an electronic musical instrument that produces the sounds of other instruments

"The synthesizer sounds unique."

"The synthesizer created complex electronic sounds used in modern music production studios"

a cylindrical percussion instrument from India, typically used in the state of Kerala's traditional temple music

"The chenda drum is used in traditional Indian performances."

"The chenda is a cylindrical drum from Kerala India played with sticks to accompany traditional temple music and dance."

a small toy instrument that produces a buzzing sound when the player blows into its hollow pipe which has a hole in it

"He hummed into the kazoo to make a buzzing sound."

"The kazoo produces sound when the player hums into it causing a membrane to vibrate and add a buzzing timbre."

the smallest member of the flute family that plays higher notes than the ordinary flute

"The piccolo's high-pitched notes cut through the orchestra."

"The piccolo plays the highest notes in the orchestra and its shrill sound can be heard above the entire ensemble."

a Middle Eastern frame drum with a circular frame and a thin, stretched membrane, known for its rhythmic sound, used in Middle Eastern and Persian music

"The daf is a Persian drum."

"The daf is a large Persian frame drum with metal rings inside that jingle when the drum is struck."

a pair of small, hand-played drums from India and Pakistan that are used in classical, devotional, and popular music styles

"The musician played complex rhythms on the tabla."

"The tabla consists of two hand drums of different sizes and materials played together in Hindustani classical music."

a percussion instrument with a set of wooden bars in different lengths mounted on a frame, played with a yarn or mallets

"The marimba solo was warm and resonant."

"The marimba's wooden bars have resonator tubes underneath that amplify its warm mellow tone more than a xylophone."

an electronic musical instrument played without physical contact, controlled by hand movements near two antennas that manipulate electromagnetic fields to produce sound

"Strange theremin instrument."

"The theremin is an electronic musical instrument played without physical contact."

a musical instrument we play by pressing the black and white keys on the keyboard

"The piano sounds beautiful."

"He learned to play the piano as a child."

a tube-like musical instrument that is played by blowing over a hole while covering and uncovering its other holes

"The flute is light."

"The flute created a gentle melody that matched the quiet atmosphere of the room."

a type of electronic musical instrument with keys like those of a piano, which is able to make many different sounds

"She plays the keyboard."

"He learned to play the electronic keyboard, mastering its diverse range of synthesized sounds and rhythms."

a brass instrument with a coiled tube and flared bell, played by buzzing the lips and adjusting valves and hand placement for different pitches

"He plays the horn."

"The majestic sound of the French horn echoed through the concert hall, filling the space with warmth."

a stringed musical instrument with a curved back and four pairs of metal strings, played with a plectrum

"He played a folk tune on his mandolin."

"The mandolin has eight strings tuned in pairs and produces a bright ringing sound used in bluegrass music."

a percussion instrument that produces sound when shaken, typically consisting of a container filled with small objects or beads

"The baby shook the rattle."

"The percussionist used a specialized rattle filled with tiny seeds to create a unique, rustling sound effect."

musical instrument or device that records and plays back audio samples for music production and performance

"Use the sampler for effects."

"Modern electronic music heavily relies on the sampler to manipulate and incorporate diverse audio snippets."