Music This article is about music as a form of art. For history see articles for History of music and Music history. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. Music ranges from strictly organized compositions (and their recreation in performance), through improvisational music to aleatoric forms. To many people in many cultures, music is an important part of their way of life. Etymology The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses").[4] Music as form of art Jean-Gabriel Ferlan performing at a 2008 concert at the collège-lycée Saint-François Xavier Music is composed and performed for many purposes, ranging from aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, or as an entertainment product for the marketplace. There are often many links between amateur and professional musicians. Composition Music can be composed for repeated performance or it can be improvised: composed on the spot. Notation Play
Musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates to the beginnings of human culture. Early musical instruments may have used for ritual: such as a trumpet to signal success on the hunt, or a drum in a religious ceremony. Cultures eventually developed composition and performance of melodies for entertainment. Musical instruments evolved in step with changing applications. The date and origin of the first device considered a musical instrument is disputed. Musical instruments developed independently in many populated regions of the world. Musical instrument classification is a discipline in its own right, and many systems of classification have been used over the years. Definition and basic operation[edit] A musical instrument makes sounds. Archaeology[edit] History[edit]
Musical instrument classification At various times, and in various cultures, various schemes of musical instrument classification have been used. The most commonly used system in use in the west today divides instruments into string instruments, woodwind instruments, brass instruments and percussion instruments. However other ones have been devised, and some cultures also use different schemes. The 8-fold system of pa yin ("8 sounds"), from the same source, occurred gradually, and in the legendary Emperor Shun's time (3rd millennium BC) it is believed to have been presented in the following order: metal (chin), stone (shih), silk (ssu), bamboo (chu), gourd (p'ao), clay (t'u), leather (ko), and wood (mu) classes, and it correlated to the 8 seasons and 8 winds of Chinese culture, autumn and west, autumn-winter and NW, summer and south, spring and east, winter-spring and NE, summer-autumn and SW, winter and north, and spring-summer and SE, respectively (Kartomi, 1990). Strings, percussion, and wind[edit]
List of musical instruments The following is a list of musical instruments, categorized by section. This includes the variations of categories, but not the categories themselves. Example: There are eight types of flutes in the Western concert flute category, which are all metal. Therefore there are eight instruments listed in that category but the Western concert flute is not considered a musical instrument and is not listed in the count of instruments. Percussion instruments[edit] Idiophones[edit] Membranophones[edit] Other: Wind instruments (aerophones)[edit] Melodica Stringed instruments (chordophones)[edit] Electronic instruments (electrophones)[edit] See also[edit] External links[edit]
Wind instrument Methods for obtaining different notes[edit] Almost all wind instruments use the last method, often in combination with one of the others, to extend their register. Types of wind instruments[edit] Wind instruments are typically grouped into two families: [1] Although brass instruments were originally made of brass and woodwind instruments have traditionally been made of wood, the material used to make the body of the instrument is not always a reliable guide to its family type. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, wind instruments are classed as aerophones. Physics of sound production[edit] Sound production in all wind instruments depends on the entry of air into a flow-control valve attached to a resonant chamber (resonator). To a rough approximation, a tube of about 40 cm. will exhibit resonances near the following points: Parts[edit] The bell of a B Flat clarinet The bell of a wind instrument is the round, flared opening opposite the mouthpiece. See also[edit]
Harmonica Reeds are pre-tuned to individual pitches. Tuning may involve changing a reed's length, the weight near its free end, or the stiffness near its fixed end. Longer, heavier and springier reeds produce deeper, lower sounds; shorter, lighter and stiffer reeds make higher-pitched sounds. If, as on most modern harmonicas, a reed is affixed above or below its slot rather than in the plane of the slot, it responds more easily to air flowing in the direction that initially would push it into the slot, i.e., as a closing reed. This difference in response to air direction makes it possible to include both a blow reed and a draw reed in the same air chamber and to play them separately without relying on flaps of plastic or leather (valves, wind-savers) to block the nonplaying reed. Parts[edit] Comb and two reedplates. Reed plate. Reedplate mounted on the comb of a diatonic harmonica. There are three types of harmonicas: the diatonic, the chromatic, and the tremolo. Comb[edit] Reed-plate[edit]
Richter-tuned harmonica Blues Harp The Richter-tuned harmonica, or 10-hole harmonica (in Asia) or blues harp (in America), is the most widely known type of harmonica. It is a variety of diatonic harmonica, with ten holes which offer the player 19 notes (10 holes times a draw and a blow for each hole minus one repeated note) in a three octave range. The standard diatonic harmonica is designed to allow a player to play chords and melody in a single key. Because they are only designed to be played in a single key at a time, diatonic harmonicas are available in all keys. Harps labeled G through B start (on hole 1 blow) below Middle C, while Harps labeled D through F start above middle C. Although there are 3 octaves between 1 and 10 "blow", there is only one full major scale available on the harmonica, between holes 4 and 7. Valved diatonics[edit] The valved diatonic is one of the most common ways of playing chromatic scales on diatonic harmonicas. Playing in different keys[edit] Specially-tuned instruments[edit]
Diatonic Harmonica String instrument Various stringed instruments of Chinese make on display in a shop. String instruments are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings. In most strings instruments, the vibrations are transmitted to the body of the instrument, which also vibrates, along with the air inside it. History[edit] Early string instruments have been excavated in ancient Mesopotamia, like the lyres of Ur, which date to 2500 BC.[1] Types of instruments[edit] Construction[edit] String instruments can be divided in three groups. It is also possible to divide the instruments in groups focused on how the instrument is played. Types of playing techniques[edit] For a full list, see List of string instruments. All string instruments produce sound from one or more vibrating strings, transferred to the air by the body of the instrument (or by a pickup in the case of electronically amplified instruments). Plucking[edit] Bowing[edit] Striking[edit] Other methods[edit] Changing the pitch of a vibrating string[edit]
Guitar History Before the development of the electric guitar and the use of synthetic materials, a guitar was defined as being an instrument having "a long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboard, ribs, and a flat back, most often with incurved sides".[1] The term is used to refer to a number of chordophones that were developed and used across Europe, beginning in the 12th century and, later, in the Americas.[2] A 3,300-year-old stone carving of a Hittite bard playing a stringed instrument is the oldest iconographic representation of a chordophone.[3] The term guitar is descended from the Latin word cithara but the modern guitar itself is generally not believed to have descended from the Roman instrument. A guitarra latina (left) and a guitarra morisca (right), Spain, 13th century At least two instruments called "guitars" were in use in Spain by 1200: the guitarra latina (Latin guitar) and the so-called guitarra moresca (Moorish guitar). Types Acoustic guitars Renaissance and Baroque guitars
Electric guitar Invented in 1931, the electric guitar became a necessity as jazz musicians sought to amplify their sound in the big band format. During the 1950s and 1960s, the electric guitar became the most important instrument in pop music.[1] It has evolved into a stringed musical instrument that is capable of a multitude of sounds and styles. It served as a major component in the development of rock and roll and many other genres of music. History[edit] The "Frying Pan", 1932 The need for the amplified guitar became apparent during the big band era as orchestras increased in size, particularly when guitars had to compete with large brass sections. Gibson Les Paul Custom 1954 The first solid body "Spanish" standard guitar was offered by Vivi-Tone no later than 1934. Gibson's first production electric guitar, marketed in 1936, was the ES-150 model ("ES" for "Electric Spanish"; and "150" reflecting the $150 price of the instrument, along with matching amplifier). In 1945, Richard D. Construction[edit]
3 Ways to Play Guitar Steps Part 1 Learning the Basics <img alt="Image titled Play Guitar Step 1" src=" width="728" height="409" class="whcdn" onload="WH.performance.clearMarks('image1_rendered'); WH.performance.mark('image1_rendered');"> Guitar Step 1 Version 12.360p.mp4 00:00 00:26 00:26 spaceplay / pauseescstopffullscreenshift + ←→slower / faster (latest Chrome and Safari)←→seek . seek to previous 12…6 seek to 10%, 20%, …60% to Play Guitar1Identify the parts of the guitar. Part 2 Playing Chords Part 3 Sticking With It Community Q&A Add New Question Is it best to play guitar sitting or standing? Ask a Question Tips Warnings The wikiHow Store (new!) see more
How to Play a Harmonica: 7 steps Steps Method 1 Getting Started <img alt="Image titled Play a Harmonica Step 1 preview" src=" width="728" height="410" class="whcdn" onload="WH.performance.clearMarks('image1_rendered'); WH.performance.mark('image1_rendered');">/images/thumb/c/c9/Play-a-Harmonica-Step-1-preview-Version-2.jpg/550px-Play-a-Harmonica-Step-1-preview-Version-2.jpg/images/thumb/c/c9/Play-a-Harmonica-Step-1-preview-Version-2.jpg/300px-Play-a-Harmonica-Step-1-preview-Version-2.jpg/9/92/Play a Harmonica Step 1 Version 2.360p.mp4 00:00 00:00 spaceplay / pauseescstopffullscreenshift + ←→slower / faster (latest Chrome and Safari)←→seek . seek to previous 12…6 seek to 10%, 20%, …60% 1Choose a harmonica. Method 2 Basic Harmonica Technique Method 3 Advanced Techniques Community Q&A Ask a Question Tips Article Info