Musical Instruments

There are five main groups of musical instruments. They are stringed instruments, wind instruments, percussion instruments, keyboard instruments, and electronic instruments.

Stringed instruments make tones when the player makes one or more string vibrate. The violin, cello, and guitar are stringed instruments.

Wind instruments are played by blowing into or through a tube. The player controls the sound by placing the fingers on holes, or by pressing valves that make the tube longer or shorter. The flute, trumpet and saxophone are wind instruments.

Percussion instruments have keys connected with a part that makes tones. The musician presses the keys to make sounds. The piano, harp, and pipe organ are keyboard instruments.

Electronic instruments us electricity to make sounds or to make the sounds louder. Electric guitars, syntresizers, electronic pianos, and electronic instruments.

Adapted from The World Book Encyclopedia, 2007

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