Classical (1700-1899)
40 instruments
Piano
Invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Florence. 88 keys spanning 7.25 octaves. Over 12,000 ...
Saxophone
Invented by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian instrument maker. Made of brass but classified as woodw...
Clarinet
Invented by Johann Christoph Denner around 1700. Single reed instrument with the widest pi...
Mandolin
Eight strings in four pairs, each pair tuned in unison. The Neapolitan mandolin is the mos...
Ukulele
Based on Portuguese machete brought by immigrants to Hawaii. Four strings tuned GCEA. The ...
Accordion
Invented by Cyrill Demian in Vienna. The bellows provide air to free reeds. Piano accordio...
Harmonica
Invented by Christian Friedrich Buschmann. Over 40 million sold annually. Little Walter de...
Tuba
The largest and lowest brass instrument. Over 18 feet of tubing. The sousaphone is a tuba ...
Tabla
The principal percussion instrument of Hindustani classical music. A pair of hand drums, t...
Sitar
18 to 21 strings, only 6 or 7 are plucked. The sympathetic strings vibrate to create reson...
Balalaika
A triangular-bodied string instrument. Three strings, two tuned to the same note. The prim...
Conga
Derived from African makuta drums. Tall narrow single-headed drums. Played with hands in s...
Cornet
Similar to trumpet but with a conical bore. Produces a warmer, mellower tone. Bix Beiderbe...
Euphonium
The tenor member of the tuba family. A conical bore brass instrument. Known as the cello o...
Glass Armonica
Invented by Benjamin Franklin. Glass bowls rotate on a spindle, touched by wet fingers. Mo...
Calliope
A steam-powered organ used on riverboats and at circuses. Whistles are blown by steam pres...
Autoharp
Invented by Charles Zimmermann in Philadelphia. 36 or 37 strings with chord bars that mute...
Cajon
A box-shaped drum from Peru. The player sits on top and strikes the front face. Developed ...
Uilleann Pipes
The most complex form of bagpipe. Bellows under the arm fill the bag, not mouth blowing. T...
Concertina
Invented by Charles Wheatstone. Hexagonal bellows instrument with buttons on both ends. Th...
Ocarina
An ancient vessel flute shaped like a sweet potato. Over 12,000 years of history in variou...
Sousaphone
Designed by John Philip Sousa for marching bands. Wraps around the body with the bell poin...
Flugelhorn
A wider-bored trumpet with a conical tube. Produces a warmer and more mellow tone than tru...
Ophicleide
The immediate predecessor of the tuba. A keyed brass instrument in the bass range. Nine ke...
Wagner Tuba
Designed by Richard Wagner for his Ring Cycle. A hybrid between horn and tuba. Played by h...
Sarrusophone
Invented by Pierre-Louis Gautrot to compete with the saxophone. A double-reed instrument m...
Baryton
A bowed string instrument with sympathetic strings. Over 100 strings on some models. Princ...
Contrabassoon
The lowest instrument in the orchestra. Over 18 feet of tubing folded into a compact shape...
English Horn
Neither English nor a horn. The alto member of the oboe family. A bulb-shaped bell gives i...
Piccolo
Half the size of a flute, plays one octave higher. The highest instrument in the orchestra...
Contrabass Clarinet
The lowest clarinet, sounding two octaves below the standard Bb clarinet. Over 9 feet of t...
Bass Saxophone
The lowest common member of the saxophone family. Over 6 feet tall. Adolphe Sax designed t...
Sopranino Saxophone
The highest member of the saxophone family in regular use. Over 180 years of history. Rare...
Berimbau
A single-stringed bow instrument from Brazil. Used in capoeira martial arts. The gourd res...
Cuatro
A five-course string instrument from Puerto Rico. Ten strings in five pairs. The name mean...
Tres
A Cuban guitar-like instrument with three double courses. Six strings in three pairs. Over...
Charango
A small 10-string instrument from the Andes. Traditionally made from an armadillo shell. F...
Tiple
A Colombian string instrument with 12 strings in four courses. Over 200 years of Colombian...
Sarod
A plucked string instrument from India. Over 20 strings, only 4-5 are played. The rest are...
Esraj
A bowed string instrument from Bengal. Over 300 years of tradition. A hybrid between the s...