Descriptionary

cymbal, sizzle a type of crash cymbal embedded with loose rivets that produce a "sizzling" sound when struck.

glockenspiel a xylophonelike instrument having two rows of tuned steel bars arranged like the key­board of a piano. A portable lyre-shaped version used in marching bands is known as a bell lyre.

gong a large bronze cymbal suspended by a cord and struck with a mallet.

grelots sleigh bells.

guiro a hollow gourd cut with a row of deep lines that are scraped with a metal prong to produce a rasping sound, used as percussive accompaniment in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other Caribbean countries.

jingling Johnnie a crescent.

kettle drum see timpani.

maraca a dried gourd filled with seeds and used as a rattle in Latin American music.

marimba a xylophonelike instrument of Central America. It is distinguished from the xylophone by a row or rows of wooden bars with resonant gourds or tubes projecting underneath.

mridanga a two-headed Indian drum shaped like a barrel and played primarily with the fingertips.

pedal on a timpani, the foot pedal that changes the tension and pitch of a drumhead. Also, the foot or "kick" pedal of a bass drum.

roto toms modern, single-headed tom-toms whose pitch can be altered simply by rotating their heads slightly, used primarily in rock bands.

snare drum a somewhat flat drum fixed with a series of metallic strands or snares and used to carry the main beat in most modern music.

steel drum a Caribbean drum originally made from an oil drum, characterized by a multidented head, with each dent producing a different pitch; noted for its pleasing, tinkling sound, and popularly used in calypso music.

tablas a pair of Indian drums, one made from a log, the other made of metal.

tampon a double-headed drumstick shaken back and forth by the wrist to produce a roll on a bass drum.

tam-tam a gong.

timpani a large, kettle-shaped drum tuned to a spe­cific pitch that can be changed instantly by means of a foot pedal. Also known as a kettle drum.

tom-toms small, supplemental drums used primar­ily for fills, rolls, and flourishes; usually mounted on the bass drum.

triangle a steel rod bent into the shape of a triangle and "clanged" by a metal stick.

tubular bells chimes.

vibraphone an instrument similar to the xylophone and marimba, having two rows of tuned metal bars with resonators fitted with lids that open and close to provide a continuous vibrato effect; a popular jazz instrument.

xylophone an instrument similar to a marimba, characterized by two rows of wooden bars of gradu­ating length and struck by hammers to produce a "rattling skeleton" sound.

stringed instruments

aeolian harp named for the Greek god of winds, a stringed boxlike instrument placed in a window and played automatically by the wind, known since biblical times and popular from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

archlute a large lute with a double neck.

autoharp a type of zither in which strings are plucked or strummed while chords are produced by depressing keys.

balalaika a triangular shaped guitar with a long neck and three strings, used for accompanying folk songs in Russia and Eastern Europe.

bandurria a flat-backed, 12-string guitar used in Spain and Latin America.

banjolin a short-necked banjo with four strings.

baryton an 18th-century guitarlike instrument consisting of six melody strings played with a bow and from 16 to 40 "resonant" strings that could be plucked in accompaniment or simply left to vibrate in sympathy with the melody strings.

bass guitar low-toned guitar having four strings to play the bass line of a melody.

belly the upper body surface of a stringed instru­ment over which the strings are stretched.

bissex an 18th-century guitar having six strings that were plucked or strummed and another six strings that vibrated in sympathy.

biwa a Japanese, short-necked lute with four strings.

bouzouki a pear-shaped stringed instrument used in Greece as an accompaniment in folk songs.

bow a pliable stick strung with horsehair and used on stringed instruments (violin, viola, etc.) to create sound.

bridge a piece of wood or metal where the strings are attached on the belly of a guitar, lute, or similar instrument.

capo a device clamped over the strings of a fret to shorten the length of vibrations and to facilitate the playing of certain keys. Also known as a capotasto.

cello a bass violin having four strings and stood on the floor when played.

chitarrone a large lute (up to 6% feet) having between 11 and 16 strings, used for accompanying baroque music in the 16th and 17th centuries.

chyn a seven-stringed zither of ancient China, still in use.