Modern (1900-1999)
41 instruments
Bass Guitar
Invented by Paul Tutmarc and later popularized by Leo Fender. Four strings tuned EADG, one...
Vibraphone
Invented by Herman Winterhoff. Metal bars with motor-driven resonators create vibrato. The...
Synthesizer
Robert Moog created the first commercially successful synthesizer. The Minimoog in 1970 ma...
Theremin
The only instrument played without touching. Two antennas detect hand position for pitch a...
Bongos
A pair of small open-bottomed drums attached together. The macho is larger, the hembra sma...
Steel Pan
The only new acoustic instrument invented in the 20th century. Made from 55-gallon oil dru...
Saw
A handsaw played with a bow. Pitch is changed by bending the blade. Produces an ethereal v...
Hammond Organ
Invented by Laurens Hammond. Uses tonewheels to generate sound. The Leslie speaker creates...
Turntable
Grandmaster Flash invented turntablism as a musical art form. The Technics SL-1200 is the ...
Sampler
The Fairlight CMI in 1979 was the first digital sampler. The MPC60 by Akai in 1988 transfo...
Drum Machine
The Roland TR-808 defined the sound of hip-hop and electronic music. The TR-909 defined ho...
Keytar
A keyboard worn like a guitar. The Roland SH-101 was an early example. Jan Hammer made it ...
Electric Violin
First experiments in the 1930s. No sound box, relies entirely on amplification. Five and s...
Pedal Steel Guitar
The sound of country music. Ten strings on two necks with pedals and knee levers. The peda...
Dobro
A resonator guitar with a metal cone amplifying the sound. Played lap-style with a steel b...
Melodica
A free reed instrument with a piano keyboard. Blow into the mouthpiece while pressing keys...
Mellophone
The marching band equivalent of the French horn. Three valves with the bell pointing forwa...
Chapman Stick
Invented by Emmett Chapman. A 10 or 12-string guitar-like instrument played by two-hand ta...
Warr Guitar
A touch-style instrument similar to the Chapman Stick. Up to 14 strings. Played by tapping...
Otamatone
A Japanese electronic instrument shaped like a musical note. Squeezing the cheeks opens th...
Stylophone
A miniature stylus-operated synthesizer. Over 4 million sold since 1967. David Bowie used ...
Ondes Martenot
Invented by Maurice Martenot. One of the earliest electronic instruments. Played with a ke...
Trautonium
Invented by Friedrich Trautwein. Played by pressing a wire against a rail. The pressure co...
Mellotron
A tape-based sampling keyboard. Each key plays a magnetic tape loop of a real instrument s...
Buchla Synthesizer
Designed by Don Buchla, the alternative to Moog. Uses touch plates instead of keyboard. Th...
Fairlight CMI
The first digital sampler and workstation. Over 250,000 dollars when released. Peter Gabri...
LinnDrum
The first drum machine with digital samples of real drums. Invented by Roger Linn. Used on...
Akai MPC60
The machine that built hip-hop. 16 velocity-sensitive drum pads. Invented by Roger Linn fo...
Roland TB-303
Designed as a bass accompaniment for solo guitarists. Failed commercially at launch. Redis...
Roland TR-808
The drum machine that built hip-hop. The booming kick drum is heard on thousands of record...
Roland TR-909
The drum machine that built techno and house. The hybrid analog and digital design was gro...
Minimoog
The first portable synthesizer. Designed by Bob Moog and Bill Hemsath. Three oscillators a...
Yamaha DX7
The best-selling synthesizer in history at over 200,000 units. FM synthesis created entire...
Korg M1
The best-selling workstation synthesizer. Over 250,000 units sold. The Piano 01 preset def...
Sequential Circuits Prophet-5
The first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer. Five voices of analog warmth. Over 8,...
Yamaha CS-80
The synthesizer that defined the Blade Runner score. Vangelis created the iconic soundtrac...
Korg MS-20
A semi-modular analog synthesizer. The dual filters are legendary. Over 100,000 units sold...
Moog Modular
The first commercial modular synthesizer. Bob Moog built them by hand in upstate New York....
ARP 2600
A semi-modular synthesizer used on the original Star Wars soundtrack. Over 3,000 units bui...
Crumar GDS
A hybrid digital-analog synthesizer. Used by Stevie Wonder extensively. Over 500 units mad...
EMS VCS 3
The British alternative to the Moog Modular. A portable analog synthesizer with a pin matr...