Medieval (1-1399)
28 instruments
Xylophone
Similar to marimba but with higher pitch and shorter resonators. The name means wood sound...
Erhu
A two-stringed bowed instrument known as the Chinese violin. No fingerboard, the strings a...
Koto
A 13-string zither over 6 feet long. Tuning is adjusted by movable bridges. The oldest kot...
Djembe
The goblet-shaped drum from West Africa. Played with bare hands, never sticks. Three basic...
Kalimba
Also known as the thumb piano or mbira. Metal tines attached to a wooden board. Each tine ...
Church Bell
The largest bells weigh over 100 tons. The Tsar Bell in Moscow cracked and was never rung....
Lute
The most important instrument of the Renaissance. A pear-shaped body with a bent-back pegb...
Recorder
Not a beginner instrument despite school usage. Over 500 years of serious repertoire. The ...
Hammered Dulcimer
A trapezoidal zither struck with small hammers. Over 2,000 years of history. Found across ...
Hurdy Gurdy
A crank-operated string instrument. The wheel acts as a bow against the strings. Keys chan...
Nyckelharpa
A Swedish keyed fiddle. 16 strings, 3 are bowed, the rest are sympathetic. Over 670 years ...
Darbuka
A goblet-shaped hand drum from the Middle East. Also called doumbek or tabla. Made of cera...
Taiko
Japanese drumming dating back over 1,700 years. The largest taiko weigh over 300 kg. O-dai...
Gamelan
An ensemble of metallophones, xylophones, drums, and gongs. Over 1,200 years of Javanese a...
Mbira
The mbira dzavadzimu of the Shona people. 22 to 28 metal tines attached to a hardwood boar...
Shakuhachi
A Japanese bamboo flute with five finger holes. Over 1,300 years of history. Played by Zen...
Zurna
A loud double reed instrument from Turkey. Used in outdoor celebrations and weddings. The ...
Sho
A Japanese mouth organ derived from the Chinese sheng. Used in gagaku court music for over...
Hichiriki
A Japanese double-reed instrument used in gagaku. Only 18 cm long but extremely loud. Over...
Kagul
A Philippine bamboo buzzer. A section of bamboo is split and struck against the palm. The ...
Agung
A set of large gongs from the Philippines. Used in kulintang ensembles. The bossed gongs a...
Kulintang
A row of eight small gongs laid horizontally. The gongs are tuned to a pentatonic scale. O...
Ashiko
A cone-shaped hand drum from West Africa. Wider at the top than the bottom. The goat skin ...
Talking Drum
An hourglass-shaped drum that can mimic speech tones. The pitch changes by squeezing the c...
Ghatam
A clay pot used as a percussion instrument in Carnatic music. Over 1,500 years of Indian t...
Pakhawaj
The ancient predecessor of the tabla. A two-headed barrel drum. Over 1,500 years of Indian...
Morsing
An Indian jaw harp used in Carnatic music. Over 1,000 years of tradition. The frame is hel...
Sarangi
A bowed string instrument from India. Over 40 strings, only 3 are played. The rest are sym...