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About This Quiz
Musical instruments have been around for thousands of years -- most cultures have their own instruments and musical styles. See how many of these popular instruments you can name from their images!
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Which instrument is shown here?
Xylophone
Bongo drum
Piano
Accordion
One hand plays the keys, while the other hand and arm work the bellows. Adjustments must be made to the straps, over time, to find the optimal positioning for each accordion player.
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Which instrument is shown here?
Tambourine
This term comes from the French word "tambour," which was a type of drum. Tambourines are an ancient instrument with roots in India, Greece, China, Egypt and Rome.
Cello
Tuba
Drums
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Which instrument is shown here?
Trumpet
Piano
Where did the piano come from? An Italian harpsichord maker by the name of Bartolomeo Cristofori is said to have made the first piano-like instrument, in the early 1700s.
Accordion keyboard
Flute
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Which instrument is shown here?
Snare Drum
What makes the snare drum different from other drums? Its sound is more snappy than other drums. Wires, or snares, vibrate to help create the sound.
Electronic keyboard
Bongo drum
Electronic drum
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Which instrument is shown here?
Banjo
Cello
Guitar
The classical guitar is one of the most widely played instruments in the world. There are many types of guitars, such as the electric guitar and bass guitar, to name a few.
Violin
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Which instrument is shown here?
Electronic drums
Bongos
Where do these drums come from? Bongos have their roots in African and Cuban culture. Interestingly enough, the two different drums have different names in Spanish -- they call the two drums hembra and macho.
Maracas
Flute
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Which instrument is shown here?
Piccolo
Viola
Violin
The first bowed string instruments were made in the early 1500s. Unlike current day violins, the first violins had only three strings.
Bass
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Which instrument is shown here?
Gong
Have you ever practiced mindfulness? Have you ever used a gong to aid your mindfulness practice? Gongs have been used for thousands of years in Asian culture as a way to practice sound therapy or mindfulness -- or to call workers in from the field.
Mandolin
Chimes
Xylophone
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Which instrument is shown here?
Harp
The harp is one of the oldest instruments in the world! It was popular in Mesopotamian culture and has a soothing, light sound.
Lyre
Bass guitar
Lute
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Which instrument is shown here?
Flute
Trombone
Clarinet
The clarinet is a woodwind instrument, popular with band students. To play, blow into the mouthpiece, which has a reed. Change the pitch by pressing or releasing rings and keys.
Grand piano
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Which instrument is shown here?
Chimes
Snare drum
Marimba
A marimba is made out of wooden bars that create beautiful music when tapped.
Keyboard
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Which instrument is shown here?
Clarinet
Piccolo
Trumpet
Bassoon
Watch out -- this woodwind instrument is four feet tall, with more than eight feet of tube! The bassoon is in the same family as the clarinet and oboe.
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Which instrument is shown here?
Flute
The flute has been around since the stone ages, but early bone flutes bear little resemblance to today's complex instruments. A flute has an airy and sweet sound.
Piccolo
Bass guitar
Tuba
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Which instrument is shown here?
Trumpet
Tuba
Did you know a tuba weighs around 25 pounds? It probably feels like more, after a few hours of marching. The sousaphone, also in the brass family, weighs even more, at 35 pounds!
Saxophone
Triangle
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Which instrument is shown here?
Cornet
The cornet and trumpet look very similar, and are both in the brass family. What's the difference between them? The cornet looks like a compact trumpet, and also plays more of a mellow sound.
Fiddle
Violin
Electric keyboard
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Which instrument is shown here?
Lyre
Harp
Mandolin
The mandolin is a member of the lute family. Most have eight strings, but some have ten or twelve.
Ukulele
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Which instrument is shown here?
Flute
Viola
Chimes
Ocarina
The ocarina is a vessel flute, a wind instrument thought to have been used in ancient times. It is small, with various holes and a protruding mouthpiece. "Legend of Zelda" fans love the ocarina.
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Which instrument is shown here?
English Horn
The oboe and English horn are very similar, except the English horn is bigger in size, thus deeper in tone. The fingerings are the same.
Tuba
Trumpet
Saxophone
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Which instrument is shown here?
Chimes
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums and other percussion instruments. There are many types of drums: electronic, tabla, frame, the talking drum and the goblet drum, to name just a few. Historically, drums have been used all over the world, which is why the ones we have today vary in so many ways!
Bongo drum
Fiddle
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Which instrument is shown here?
Ukulele
Banjo
Which has a more difficult chord structure of the stringed instruments? Not the banjo! It has fewer strings than some other stringed instruments, such as the guitar, which makes it a bit easier to learn.
Harp
Guitar
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Which instrument is shown here?
Flute
Electric guitar
Bass
Fife
This instrument is louder and has more of a piercing sound than the piccolo; however, it does resemble the piccolo in appearance. It is sometimes played by the leader of a marching band.
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Which instrument is shown here?
Violin
Double bass
Cello
Like the violin, the cello has four string. They are tuned to G, D, A and E. How can you tell the difference between the two? The violin is quite a bit smaller than the cello.
Lute
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Which instrument is shown here?
Organ
The organ has a very interesting history, as it dates back to the third century B.C. The first organ used wind and water pressure.
Piano
Electronic piano
Harpsichord
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Which instrument is shown here?
Guitar
Lute
A descendent of the oud, the lute was popular in the Middle Ages and is still played today. It is a stringed instrument, made of wood.
Viola
Harp
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Which instrument is shown here?
French Horn
Clarinet
Saxophone
The saxophone is a medium to large instrument in the woodwind family. It is commonly played in marching bands and is known for its full, jazzy sound.
Bassoon
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Which instrument is shown here?
Baritone horn
In a band, the baritone sometimes serves as the bass sound to trumpets. The euphonium is very similar, except that its bore gets wider from mouthpiece to bell, while the baritone has a constant bore size.
French Horn
Oboe
Trombone
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Which instrument is shown here?
Banjo
Oboe
Triangle
Trombone
The trombone is an instrument typically used in jazz music. A famous musician is even named after it- Trombone Shorty!
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Which instrument is shown here?
Grand piano
Did you know there are different types of grand pianos? The baby grand is about five feet long, while the concert grand is about nine feet!
Bass clarinet
Organ
Harpsichord
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Which instrument is shown here?
Piano
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is seen at many older churches and some other places of worship. The largest one in the world is in New Jersey, with over 33,000 pipes!
Electronic keyboard
Guitar
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Which instrument is shown here?
French Horn
Be aware- the French horn is not actually from France, and it's not called by that name in that country! It has its roots in Germany. It was first made in the 1600s and was a simple tube in a circular shape with a horn at the end.
English Horn
Bass Clarinet
Recorder
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Which instrument is shown here?
Recorder
Chimes
Marimba
Bells
There are different types of bells instruments, and they are all considered to be a part of the percussion family. Two of these are the cowbell and handbell. As you can imagine they make very different sounds!
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Which instrument is shown here?
Flute
Oboe
Recorder
If you guessed flute, you weren't too far from being correct. This instrument was called a flute until the 1700s, and is still called a flute in some languages, such as German and French.
Piccolo
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Which instrument is shown here?
Classical guitar
Electric Guitar
The electric guitar and bass guitar can be easily confused since they look so similar. How can you tell the difference? Count the strings! The bass has four strings while the electric has six.
Banjo
Violin
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Which instrument is shown here?
Marimba
Gong
Maracas
Shake it up! Maracas are a fun percussion instrument that look like rattles. They are popular in Latin and Caribbean music. The player holds one in each hand and shakes them to the beat or when called to in the song.
Wood block
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Which instrument is shown here?
Steel pan drum
The steel pan drum is a percussion instrument that is actually an idiophone, not a drum. What's an idiophone? It's an instrument that wholly vibrates when beaten.
Snare drums
Wood block
Gong
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Which instrument is shown here?
Trombone
Trumpet
Like all of the other instruments on this list, the trumpet is a brass. Although it's not as big as the others, it does have four to six feet of tubing!
Tuba
French horn
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Which instrument is shown here?
Bass clarinet
English horn
Soprano saxophone
Oboe
The oboe has a double reed, unlike the clarinet which has a single reed. What do you call someone who plays the oboe? An oboist!
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Which instrument is shown here?
Cowbell
Cowbells are often used in Cuban music. Playing it is simple -- just take the bell in one hand, and strike it with a wood dowel or drumstick. Every song needs more cowbell!
Wood block
Maracas
Hi-hat cymbals
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Which instrument is shown here?
Hi-hat cymbals
Grand piano
Keyboard
There are various types of keyboards, including the electronic keyboard. This instrument is used often in today's music. It can even make other sounds or give your song a different tone, such as an underwater feel or honky-tonk feel.
Organ
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Which instrument is shown here?
Chimes
harmonica
Some other names for the harmonica are the French harp and the mouth organ. It is often used in blues music and American folk music, and it's stereotypically played by lonely cowboys.
Fiddle sticks
Snare drum
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Which instrument is shown here?
Rattle
A rattle, in regards to instruments, is a percussion instrument that you play by simply shaking. Shakers and rattles are popular for dance music.
Harmonica
Bell
Triangle
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Which instrument is shown here?
Fiddle
Viola
The viola has its roots in Italy and, like other stringed instruments, is often played in an orchestra. The musician uses a bow to create different notes from the four strings.
Electric violin
Cello
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Which instrument is shown here?
Cymbals
Harp
bagpipes
The bagpipes are from both Ireland and Scotland, by way of the Middle East. Historically they were used for social dancing.
Tuba
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Which instrument is shown here?
Triangle
The triangle, like the cymbal, is played by suspending it in one hand and using the metal beater, which is held in the opposite hand, to strike it. If you look closely, you'll notice the triangle is not connected at one angle. This configuration allows the instrument to vibrate.
Chimes
Gong
Oboe
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Which instrument is shown here?
Electric guitar
Banjo
Organ
Bass Guitar
Remember that the bass guitar has four strings, and the electric has six. Looking to get a bass guitar? Check out these popular brands: Fender, Yamaha and Spector.
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Which instrument is shown here?
Flute
Piccolo
The piccolo is set to play an octave higher than the flute. There are not any instruments that play higher than this one in an orchestra!
Bells
Congo drum
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Which instrument is shown here?
Double Bass
The classic double bass is a tall instrument, as it is six feet tall! Don't worry, if you are shorter and desire to try out this beast -- it also comes in 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 sizes. Most are actually 3/4 size.
English Horn
French Horn
Aeolian Harp
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Which instrument is shown here?
Lute
Ukulele
The ukulele is a fun instrument to play, especially for the pop rock and acoustic music genre. Want to try it out? Recommended songs are "Soul Sister" by Train and "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz.
Fiddle
Banjo
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You Got:
/48
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