Music Glossary: Instruments and Families category

Six‑string plucked chordophone; steel/nylon variants; strumming and fingerstyle textures. more

Low single-reed with dark, rich tone; transposes (usually in B♭, down major 9th). more

Low, unpitched drum for weight and dramatic hits; orchestral and drum-set contexts. more

Electric/ acoustic bass tuned like double bass (E–A–D–G); anchors groove and harmony. more

Bass double-reed with flexible articulation and characterful low register. more

Tenor/bass string instrument tuned C–G–D–A; lyrical low-mid register and powerful bass. more

Single-reed with wide range and dynamic control; transposes major second. (B♭) more

Lowest double-reed sounding an octave below bassoon; seismic, weighty color. more

Metal plates for crashes, swells, and timekeeping; orchestral pairs and ride/hi-hat in kits. more

Lowest orchestral string; sounds an octave below written; tuned in fourths (E–A–D–G). more

Magnetic pickups into amps/pedals; wide expressive palette from clean to high gain. more

Alto double-reed in F; mellow, plaintive quality; transposing instrument. more

Soprano woodwind with bright, pure tone; agile in upper register; no reed. more

Plucked string instrument with pedals for chromatic alteration; rich resonance and glissandi. more

Brass with wide color palette and heroic to mellow tone; transposes a perfect fifth. more

Soprano double-reed with penetrating, expressive tone; signature nasal timbre. more

Keyboard with sustained tone generated by pipes or electronics; powerful pedal bass. more

Keyboard with percussive hammers; vast range; serves as solo, accompaniment, or percussion. more

Small flute sounding an octave above written; piercing brilliant color. more

Records/plays back audio snippets mapped to keys; cornerstone of hip‑hop and EDM. more

Transposing E♭ single-reed with warm/bright mix; common in jazz and pop. more

Transposing B♭ sax with robust, expressive tone; iconic jazz voice. more

Crisp unpitched drum with snares; articulation and backbeats. more

Electronic instrument generating and shaping waveforms; subtractive/FM/wavetable/granular methods. more

Tunable kettledrums providing pitched bass and rhythmic punctuation. more

Non-transposing brass with slide; powerful, clear low/mid; includes tenor, bass variants. more

Bright, projecting brass voice; agile fanfares to lyrical lines; transposes major second. (B♭) more