The banjo has evolved from its African roots, first as a minstrel instrument, and later as a jazz, bluegrass, and folk staple. At the American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, you can see more than 300 banjos – the largest public display in the world. The timeline below includes just a few.
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact time when instruments from other cultures were first used in Western contemporary music. It is better thought of as a period, rather than an exact moment.
Aside from their last names, the mountain dulcimer and hammered dulcimer share only a few traits. They’re both a type of zither—an instrument with strings that extend only to the ends of the soundboard—and they’re both folk instruments not often heard in modern popular music.
The harp is a seemingly mysterious instrument to many people, so let’s take a look at how this unique instrument actually works.
The name ocarina, meaning “little goose,” was coined in the late 19th century by Italian musician and baker Guiseppi Donati who modified the instrument to play a diatonic scale and popularized it in the west
An accordion is a free reed aerophone instrument with bellows, but there are actually many different instruments within the accordion family, with diverse sounds for various playing styles and genres of music.
For most of us, a plastic recorder was the first musical instrument we encountered back in elementary school, and for that reason it’s something we tend to think of as a childhood toy. However, the recorder is actually a serious instrument, with a rich history that goes back to ancient times.
Yamaha’s latest wind instrument, the Venova, is compact, durable, and great for a saxophone sound on the go. Check out Grace Kelly’s demonstration!
In this video, three musicians – Kenta Fukui (Sax), Kei Suzuki (Sax), and Naoyuki Takano (Clarinet) – take a spin on Yamaha’s latest wind instrument in a Venova jam session.
Many of these instruments, though based on ukuleles, are unique unto themselves, and can appeal to just about anyone. Making Music takes a look at a few.