http://www.ck12.org Chapter 5. Energy
Categories of Musical Instruments
There are three basic categories of musical instruments: percussion, wind, and stringed instruments. You can read
in theFigure5.78 how instruments in each category make sound and change pitch.
FIGURE 5.78
Q:Can you name other instruments in each of the three categories of musical instruments?
A:Other percussion instruments include drums and cymbals. Other wind instruments include trumpets and flutes.
Other stringed instruments include guitars and harps.
You can learn in greater depth how musical instruments work at the following URL: http://www.bashthetrash.com/
Instruments_Intro/How_InstrumentsWork-_In_Depth.html.
You can learn more about specific musical instruments at these URLs:
- http://www.ehow.com/video_6408523trombone-work.html
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MexOZ2Z-Kwg
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78urCu9pzi0
Summary
- All musical instruments create sound by causing matter to vibrate. Most musical instruments use resonance
to amplify sound waves and make sounds louder. Most musical instruments also have a way of changing the
frequency of sound waves, which changes the pitch of the sounds.