Music 220 Class Period 5 Outline
Instrument Classification: Hornbostel & Sachs System (late 19th/early
20th century)
- idiophones: whole instrument vibrates; hit with beater or a part of
itself
- examples: marimba, ilimba or mbira
- membranophones: membrane (hide or plastic) stretched over a cavity;
membrane vibrates
- examples: snare drum, tympani, talking drum
- chordophones: vibrating strings, often with resonating cavity; strings
are plucked or rubbed
- examples: musical bow, violin, Kola (Senegalese harp)
- aerophones: vibrating air column inside instrument:
- blow air through the instrument e.g. flute, recorder
- vibrate reed at one end of instrument e.g. clarinet, oboe
- buzz lips e.g. trumpet
- examples: flutes from New Guinea, China
- other categories
Elements of Music: Timbre
- refers to tone quality, which may be built into instrument
- different cultures will prefer different timbres on the stame instrument
- examples: vocal from