Musical instruments
Musical instruments has 41 English words, such as accordion, bagpipes, banjo, and bass drum. Learn them with pictures, IPA, meanings and example sentences.
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All 41 words in Musical instruments
accordion/əˈkoɹdiən/
An accordion is a portable musical instrument with a keyboard and bellows that produces sound by forcing air through reeds.
bagpipes
a musical instrument with a bag that is filled with air and connected to pipes that produce sound
The musician played the bagpipes at the festival.
banjo/ˈbænd͡ʒoʊ/
A musical instrument with a round body and a long neck, usually having four or five strings.
bass drum
a large drum that produces a deep, low sound, usually played with a pedal or a mallet.
The drummer struck the bass drum at the start of the parade.
bass guitar
a guitar with a low range of notes, usually used to provide the rhythm and foundation of a band’s music
She plays the bass guitar in a jazz band.
bassoon
a large woodwind instrument with a long, curved body that produces a deep, rich sound
The bassoon added a warm, deep sound to the orchestra.
bugle/ˈbjuːɡəl/
A bugle is a brass instrument like a small trumpet, without valves, used for military calls.
cello/ˈt͡ʃɛloʊ/
A large wooden string instrument that you play sitting down by holding it between your knees and drawing a bow across the strings.
clarinet/ˌklæɹɪˈnɛt/
A musical instrument of the woodwind family that is played by blowing air across a single reed.
cornet
A cornet is a small brass instrument with valves, similar to a trumpet but with a rounder shape and a softer sound.
Maya played the cornet in the school band.
cymbal
A cymbal is a thin, round metal plate that is struck with a stick or another cymbal to make a loud musical sound.
The drummer struck the cymbal at the end of the song.
double bass
A double bass is the largest bowed string instrument in an orchestra and produces the lowest musical pitches.
The musician tuned the double bass before the orchestra rehearsal.
drum/drʌm/
n. percussion instrument, musical instrument; v. to beat, to strike
drum kit
a group of drums and cymbals arranged for one person to play
The drummer set up the drum kit before the concert.
electronic keyboard
a musical keyboard instrument that produces sounds electronically
She practiced the melody on an electronic keyboard before the concert.
electronic organ
a keyboard instrument that produces electronic sounds and is designed to imitate a pipe organ
The church replaced its old pipe organ with an electronic organ.
flute/flu(ː)t/
A flute is a long, thin musical instrument that you blow across to make a sound.
french horn
a brass musical instrument with a long, coiled tube and a wide bell, played by blowing into a mouthpiece
She played the french horn in the school orchestra.
gong/ɡɔŋ/
A large metal disc that makes a deep ringing sound when struck with a mallet.
grand piano
a large piano with a horizontal, wing-shaped case and strings that extend away from the keyboard
She played a beautiful melody on the grand piano during the concert.
guitar/ɡɪˈtɑːr/
n. a musical instrument with six strings and a long neck, played by plucking or strumming the strings.
harmonica/ˌhɑɹˈmɑnɪkə/
A small musical instrument that you play by blowing air into and out of it with your mouth.
harp/hɑɹp/
A large musical instrument with strings stretched in a triangular frame, played by plucking with the fingers.
lyre
a small ancient stringed musical instrument with two curved arms and a crossbar, played by plucking its strings
In the museum, we saw an ancient lyre with seven strings.
monochord
A musical instrument with one string stretched over a resonating box, used to study musical intervals and pitch.
The music student used a monochord to hear how changing the string length altered the pitch.
oboenoun
n. a woodwind instrument shaped like a narrow tube, played by blowing through a double reed.
piano/piˈænoʊ/
n. a large musical instrument with a keyboard of black and white keys, played by pressing the keys with the fingers.
piccolo
A piccolo is a small flute with a very high, bright sound.
The piccolo added a bright, high melody to the marching band's music.
recorder/ɹiˈkɔɹdəɹ/
A recorder is a simple woodwind instrument that you blow into, or an electronic device used to record sound, video, or data.
saxophone/ˈsæksəˌfoʊ̯n/
A curved metal wind instrument played by blowing into a single-reed mouthpiece and pressing keys.
snare drum
a small drum with metal wires stretched across its bottom surface, producing a sharp, buzzing sound
The drummer played a sharp rhythm on the snare drum during the parade.
tambourine/ˌtæmbəˈɹiːn/
A tambourine is a small percussion instrument with metal jingles in the frame that you shake or hit to make a rhythm.
triangle/ˈtraɪæŋɡl/noun
n. a small percussion instrument made of a steel rod bent into a triangle and struck with a metal beater; n. a flat shape with three straight sides and three angles.
trombone
a brass musical instrument with a long sliding tube used to change the pitch of its notes
She plays the trombone in the school orchestra.
trumpet/ˈtɹʌmpɪt/
n. a brass musical instrument with three valves, played by blowing into it; v. (of an elephant) to make a loud call.
tuba
A tuba is a large brass musical instrument with a deep, low sound.
The musician played the tuba at the concert.
ukulele
A small, four-stringed musical instrument with a shape like a guitar.
Maya played the ukulele at the beach.
viola
A viola is a stringed musical instrument that is slightly larger than a violin and has a lower sound.
She plays the viola in the school orchestra.
violin/ˌvaɪəˈlɪn/
A musical instrument with four strings, held under the chin and played with a bow.
xylophone
A musical instrument made of wooden bars of different lengths that are struck with small sticks to produce notes.
The children played a cheerful tune on the xylophone.
zither
a stringed musical instrument with strings stretched over a flat wooden body, played by plucking
She played a gentle melody on the zither during the evening concert.