http://www.musicguidebook.com Straight answers on your questions about music and musical instruments. Learn about musical instruments and the world of music. en-nz http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/cumbus <p>Cumbus Origins Description Of Cumbus Care amp; Tuning Instructions for the Cumbus Cumbus Origins The Cumbus is a relatively young instrument. It was developed in Istanbul in the early 1900#8217;s. The inventor, Zeynel, was born in Salonika, now known as Thessaloníki, Greece.... <a href="/articles/cumbus">More</a></p> Sat, 16 May 2009 12:15:51 GMT /articles/cumbus bowedcumbusstring http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/theremin <p>The Thereminvox or Theremin is one of the earliest fully electronic musical instruments. Invented in 1919 by Russian Lev Sergeivitch Termen (later gallicized to Leon Theremin), the Thereminvox was an offshoot of government-sponsored research into proximity sensors. Consisting of a box with two ra... <a href="/articles/theremin">More</a></p> Sat, 16 May 2009 12:10:58 GMT /articles/theremin electronic musical instrumentmusicmusical instrumenttheremin http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/clarinet <p>Introduction History Maintenance Introduction The clarinet (sometimes historically spelled clarionet) is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. A person who plays the clarinet is called a clarinetist. The clarinet was invented in Nüremberg, Germany on January 14, 1690.... <a href="/articles/clarinet">More</a></p> Sat, 16 May 2009 11:47:08 GMT /articles/clarinet clarinetwindwoodwind http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/recorder <p>The recorder is a flute-like woodwind musical instrument. In German it is called the Blockflote, in French the flute bec, and in Italian the flauto dolce. It is held vertically from the lips (rather than horizontally like the 'transverse' flute). The player's breath is directed by a wooden 'fippl... <a href="/articles/recorder">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:37:40 GMT /articles/recorder recorderwindwoodwind http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/pakhawaj <p>Pakhawaj is an ancient barrel shaped drum with two playing heads. It is essentially a north Indian version of the Mridangam. It was once common throughout north India but in the last few generations tabla has usurped its position of importance. It has a right head which is identical to tabla exc... <a href="/articles/pakhawaj">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:37:38 GMT /articles/pakhawaj drumpakhawaj http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/oud <p>Origin of the Oud Description of the Oud Tuning the Oud Playing the Oud Origin of the Oud The Oud is a chordophone. Arabic legend claims the Oud to be a very long lived instrument with an illustrious history. These legends attribute the invention of the Oud, in the 3rd century, to Lamak... <a href="/articles/oud">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:37:36 GMT /articles/oud oudpluckedstring http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/hurdy-gurdy <p>What is a Hurdy Gurdy? The Hurdy Gurdys Ancient Roots What is a Hurdy Gurdy? The hurdy gurdy, known in France as the vielle a roue or vielle for short, is an ancient instrument which is undergoing a modern renaissance in Europe and America. First, to dispel a popular misconception: the hurd... <a href="/articles/hurdy-gurdy">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:37:35 GMT /articles/hurdy-gurdy hurdy gurdystring http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/guitar <p>A guitar is a stringed musical instrument played with the fingers (and sometimes a plectrum). The guitar is descended from the lute. Guitars usually have 6 strings, although there are variations on this, the most common being a twelve string guitar. A variety of different tunings are used. T... <a href="/articles/guitar">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:37:33 GMT /articles/guitar guitarpluckedstring http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/gottuvadhyam <p>The gottuvadhyam is a Carnatic string instrument originating from southern India. The most common use for it is a solo instrument in Carnatic music. It is also know as a gottuvadyam, chitravina, gettuvadyam, chitra vina, or mahanataka vina The form of the gottuvadhyam is similar to that of the S... <a href="/articles/gottuvadhyam">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:37:31 GMT /articles/gottuvadhyam gottuvadhyamstring http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/darbuka <p>The Darbuka is an hour-glass shaped drum that can be found throughout North African, Turkish and Middle Eastern cutures. Its name has many variations in spelling including: Darabuka Darbuka Doumbek Dumbek Dumbeck Doumbeck The Darbuka is played with the fingertips and is help under one a... <a href="/articles/darbuka">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:37:28 GMT /articles/darbuka Darbukadrum http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/tambourine <p>The tambourine is a percussion instrument that has a single drumhead mounted on a frame with small metal disks or plates. It is held in one hand and struck or tapped with the other hand. Another method to play the tambourine is to strike it against your leg or hip. The tambourine is found in a ... <a href="/articles/tambourine">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:34:16 GMT /articles/tambourine musical instrumentpercussiontambourine http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/tuba <p>The tuba is the largest of the low-brass instruments and is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid 19th century where it largely replaced the ophicleide. There is usually only one tuba in an orchestra, and is used as the bass of the brass se... <a href="/articles/tuba">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:34:15 GMT /articles/tuba brasstubawind http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/trumpet <p>The trumpet is a brass instrument. It is the highest in register, above the tuba, euphonium, trombone, sousaphone, and french horn. A person who plays the trumpet is sometimes called a trumpeter but more often a trumpet player. A standard Bb trumpet The trumpet is made of brass bent into... <a href="/articles/trumpet">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:34:14 GMT /articles/trumpet brasstrumpetwind http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/tubular-bell <p>Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Each bell is a metal, typically brass, tube, one and a quarter to one and a half inches in diameter, tuned by altering its length. Tubular bells are typically found in chromatic sets of one and a half octaves w... <a href="/articles/tubular-bell">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:34:14 GMT /articles/tubular-bell percussiontubular bell http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/toy-piano <p>The toy piano is a musical instrument, made as a child's toy, but which has also been used in more serious musical contexts. The instrument was invented in Philadelphia in 1872 by a German immigrant named Albert Schoenhut. It is often in the form of a scaled down model of a piano, usually no mo... <a href="/articles/toy-piano">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:34:14 GMT /articles/toy-piano keyboardmusictoy piano http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/triangle <p>The triangle is an idiophonic musical instrument of the percussion family. It is a bar of metal, most usually steel in modern instruments, bent into a triangle shape. One of the angles is left open, with the ends of the bar not quite touching - this causes the instrument to be of indeterminate p... <a href="/articles/triangle">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:34:13 GMT /articles/triangle percussiontriangle http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/trombone <p>Trombones of today History of the trombone Time line of the trombone Trombones of today The trombone is unique in that it was the only brass instrument capable of playing chromatically, that is, by half-steps in a scale, until valves were invented in the 1830's. First of all, one needs ... <a href="/articles/trombone">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:34:11 GMT /articles/trombone brasstrombonewind http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/tom-tom-drum <p>A tom-tom (not to be confused with a tamtam) is a cylindrical drum with no snare. Tom-Toms can be fitted with an adjustable mounting fora floor stand, or attachment to a bass drum or marching rig. They can be single or double-headed. Shell depth standards vary according to the era of manuf... <a href="/articles/tom-tom-drum">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:34:11 GMT /articles/tom-tom-drum drumtom-tom drum http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/sheng <p>The first free reed instrument was the Chinese sheng (#31513;; pinyin sh#275;ng), which is mouth-blown. It is thought that Johann Wilde and Pere Amiot traveled to China and brought the first shengs back to Europe in 1740 and 1777 respectively, although some believe shengs were known in Europe centur... <a href="/articles/sheng">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:34:10 GMT /articles/sheng free reedshengwindwoodwind http://www.musicguidebook.com/articles/timpani <p>Timpani, or kettledrums, are percussion musical instruments. A type of drum, they consist of a skin, called a head, stretched over a large hemispherical bowl generally made of copper. Unlike most drums, they have a definite pitch when struck. Timpani is an Italian plural, the singular of whic... <a href="/articles/timpani">More</a></p> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:34:09 GMT /articles/timpani drumtimpani