Alaska
inuit bird-bone flute
Canada, Greenland, Alaska (United States), Russia (Siberia/Chukotka) a small, whistle-like instrument made from the hollow wing bones of large birds, used for personal entertainment, mimicking animal calls, and spiritual communication during long winter months.
qilaut
Canada, Greenland, Alaska, Russia (Chukotka Peninsula) a large, circular frame drum made of caribou skin or synthetic materials stretched over a wooden hoop, of the Inuit, Iñupiat, Yup'ik, and Indigenous peoples of the Chukotka Peninsula, used to accompany storytelling, ceremonial songs, and "drum dances (Kalaallit drum dancing)"
Bermuda
quijada
Peru, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Belize, Bermuda a percussion instrument made from a dried donkey, horse, or cow jawbone with loose teeth that rattle when struck, used in Afro-Latin and folk music like Festejo and Son Jarocho.
steel pan
Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Turks and Caicos Island a percussion instrument tuned from the bottom of an oil barrel, used in calypso, soca, and steel band ensembles.
Canada
banjo
United States, Canada, Ireland, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands a plucked string instrument with a thin membrane like a drumhead stretched over a circular rim to form a resonator, used in bluegrass, country, old-time music, ragtime, and traditional jazz.
bluegrass mandolin
United States, Canada a small, eight-stringed, pear-shaped instrument, used to play fast melodic lines and rhythmic accompaniment in bluegrass and folk music.
bodhrán
Ireland, Canada (Newfoundland), Falkland Islands a circular frame drum played with the hands or a double-headed wooden mallet called a tipper, used in folk, traditional ensemble music, and lively dance tunes.
calliope
United States, Canada, United Kingdom a steam- or air-powered keyboard instrument that produces sound by sending pressurized gas through a series of large whistles, designed to be heard for miles and used for outdoor entertainment, riverboats, circus parades, circus music, and fairground performances.
carillon
Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada a massive keyboard instrument housed in a church tower or belfry, with at least 23 bronze bells that are fixed in place, with internal clappers connected to a wooden keyboard (baton console) by a system of wires and levers, used to play intricate melodies, complex harmonies, and public outdoor concerts.
dobro
United States, Canada a wood-bodied acoustic guitar with an internal metal resonator cone that acts as a physical amplifier, used in bluegrass, country, and blues music.
euphonium
United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France, Canada a conical-bore brass instrument, similar to a concert tuba but smaller and pitched one octave higher, used in wind bands and as the "cello" of the brass world.
inuit bird-bone flute
Canada, Greenland, Alaska (United States), Russia (Siberia/Chukotka) a small, whistle-like instrument made from the hollow wing bones of large birds, used for personal entertainment, mimicking animal calls, and spiritual communication during long winter months.
morris bells
United Kingdom, Australia, Canada small, tuned metal bells attached to leather pads or garters that are worn around a dancer’s shins, used to accentuates footwork in traditional seasonal folk dancing.
native american courting flute
United States (Great Plains, Southwest, Woodland, Southeastern tribes), Canada a front-held, two-chambered duct flute made of wood or cane, used to express affection during courtship or for personal spiritual reflection.
pipe organ
Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, Macau a massive, complex keyboard wind instrument that makes sound by driving pressurized air through thousands of individual pipes, controlled by multiple keyboards and foot pedals. It is often called the "King of Instruments", used in sacred music, classical orchestral performances, and solo classical music
powwow drum
United States (Great Plains, Southwest, Eastern Woodlands tribes), Canada (First Nations, Métis) a large, communal frame drum made of wood and rawhide, used in powwow celebrations, intertribal songs, ceremonial dances, and competitive vocal performances.
qilaut
Canada, Greenland, Alaska, Russia (Chukotka Peninsula) a large, circular frame drum made of caribou skin or synthetic materials stretched over a wooden hoop, of the Inuit, Iñupiat, Yup'ik, and Indigenous peoples of the Chukotka Peninsula, used to accompany storytelling, ceremonial songs, and "drum dances (Kalaallit drum dancing)"
spoons
United States, Ireland, Canada, United Kingdom, Falkland Islands a simple percussion instrument consisting of two ordinary spoons clapped together, used in folk music and jug bands.
tenor horn
United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada a medium-sized brass instrument, with a conical bore and a forward-facing bell, used in British-style brass bands and wind ensembles.
United States
cajun accordion
United States (Louisiana) a small, four-stop, one-row diatonic button accordion, used in Cajun dance music and Zydeco music.
aeolian harp
Germany, Italy, United States, United Kingdom a stringed instrument with a wooden resonating box and multiple strings tuned in unison, played only by the wind, used in Romantic poetry and meditative soundscapes.
aluphone
Worldwide (Western Classical/Experimental) a set of tuned, aluminum bells played with mallets mounted on a frame, used in drum corps, experimental music, orchestral music, film scores, and percussion ensembles.
anasazi flute
Ancestral Puebloans/United States (Pueblo, Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, Taos Pueblo) an ancient, six-hole, end-blown wooden flute, historically crafted from box elder wood, used in traditional Native American music, meditative soundscapes, and ceremonial settings
ankle rattle
Worldwide, United States (Native American), Mexico a percussion instrument worn around the ankle that produces rhythmic jingling sounds, typically used to accompany dance and ceremonial performances.
appalachian dulcimer
United States (Appalachia) a fretted hourglass-shaped string instrument with three or four strings, laid flat and plucked or strummed with a "noter" (small stick), used in Appalachian folk songs, ballads, and to accompany singing.
Artphon Chorda
United States, Worldwide (Popular Music/Experimental Music) a portable, electronic smart synth, looper, and MPE MIDI controller with a touch-sensitive surface that can be played by tapping, strumming, tilting, or sliding to create beats, basslines, chords, and melodies for music production and portable creative jamming.
autoharp
United States, Germany a fretted zither instrument with chord bars that mute specific strings when pressed, used for easy self-accompaniment in Appalachian folk, "old-time music", country, and bluegrass music
banjo
United States, Canada, Ireland, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands a plucked string instrument with a thin membrane like a drumhead stretched over a circular rim to form a resonator, used in bluegrass, country, old-time music, ragtime, and traditional jazz.
bluegrass mandolin
United States, Canada a small, eight-stringed, pear-shaped instrument, used to play fast melodic lines and rhythmic accompaniment in bluegrass and folk music.
bugle
United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France a conical bore horn with no valves or slides, used to play fanfares, military signals, and ceremonial calls.
calliope
United States, Canada, United Kingdom a steam- or air-powered keyboard instrument that produces sound by sending pressurized gas through a series of large whistles, designed to be heard for miles and used for outdoor entertainment, riverboats, circus parades, circus music, and fairground performances.
carillon
Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada a massive keyboard instrument housed in a church tower or belfry, with at least 23 bronze bells that are fixed in place, with internal clappers connected to a wooden keyboard (baton console) by a system of wires and levers, used to play intricate melodies, complex harmonies, and public outdoor concerts.
cigar box guitar
United States a simple stringed instrument made from a cigar box resonator and a neck, born out of necessity and resourcefulness, used in blues, jug bands, and the American DIY "maker" movement.
claviola
Germany, Italy, United States, United Kingdom a handheld, wind-blown free-reed keyboard instrument, used in folk music, modern jazz, avant-garde ensembles, experimental, and chamber music.
cloud-chamber bowls
United States, Germany, Netherlands a microtonal percussion instrument with large, suspended glass resonators made from salvaged carboys that produce a bell tone when struck with mallets, used in avant-garde and experimental musical compositions.
cowbell
United States, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Brazil, West Africa a handheld or mounted metal idiophone that provides sharp rhythmic accents, used in Latin, funk, rock, and marching band music.
crystal glasses
Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, United States a friction-based musical instrument where the rims of crystal glasses are rubbed with moistened fingers to produce pure, shimmering tones through high-frequency vibrations, used in solo recitals, experimental soundtracks, and delicate arrangements of classical melodies.
crystal singing bowls
United States, China, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan modern friction-based percussion instruments made from high-purity quartz silica that produce powerful, sustained harmonic tones when struck or rubbed with a mallet, used in sound healing, meditation, and New Age ambient music.
dobro
United States, Canada a wood-bodied acoustic guitar with an internal metal resonator cone that acts as a physical amplifier, used in bluegrass, country, and blues music.
euphonium
United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France, Canada a conical-bore brass instrument, similar to a concert tuba but smaller and pitched one octave higher, used in wind bands and as the "cello" of the brass world.
fife
United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Anguilla, US Virgin Islands a small, high-pitched, transverse flute made of wood or metal, used in drum and fife corps to signal troop movements, military march music, patriotic folk melodies, and traditional outdoor performances.
finger drum pad
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United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, South Korea an electronic touchpad percussion controller that allows users to trigger drum sounds and samples with their fingertips, used in electronic, hip-hop, and live beat-making performances.
flexatone
United Kingdom, United States, Worldwide (Western Classical) a small percussion instrument with a flexible metal blade and beaters, used for eerie, comical, or supernatural sound effects in orchestral, jazz, and film music.
flugelhorn
Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, Belgium a brass instrument in the western trumpet family with a wider, conical bore and deep funnel-shaped mouthpiece, used in jazz ballads, brass bands, and lyrical orchestral solos.
glass armonica
United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, France a series of nesting glass bowls rotating on a horizontal spindle that produces ringing tones through friction when touched by the player's wet fingers, used in classical chamber music, opera, and film scores. Invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761.
hammond organ
United States, United Kingdom an electric keyboard instrument with rotating tonewheels to generate electromagnetic signals, used in jazz, blues, gospel, and rock music.
hand pan
Switzerland, United States, Germany, France, Worldwide a convex steel percussion instrument played with the hands, used in ambient, world, and meditative music.
harmonetta
Germany, France, United States, Bulgaria a mouth-blown free-reed instrument with a grid of 32 hexagonal buttons, used in jazz, folk, and classical music.
harmonica
United States a mouth-blown free-reed instrument played by blowing or drawing air through its reeds, used in blues, folk, rock, and country music.
harpejji
United States a large, flat, rectagular stringed instrument played by tapping the strings on a fretboard with both hands, used in contemporary, modern jazz, film score, and solo pop performance.
harpsichord
Italy, France, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States a piano-like keyboard instrument in which strings are plucked when keys are pressed, used in Baroque and early Classical music.
hawaiian steel guitar
Hawaii, United States, Japan, Australia a type of guitar played with a metal slide and on the lap or on a horizontal stand, used in traditional Hawaiian island melodies, country-western, and blues music.
heckelphone
Germany, Austria, United States, France, United Kingdom a low-pitched double-reed woodwind instrument with a large globular bell, used in large-scale late-Romantic orchestral works and modern film scores.
irish tin whistle
Ireland, United Kingdom, United States, Falkland Islands a simple six-holed fipple flute with a plastic or metal mouthpiece and a cylindrical tube, used in fast-paced melodies in traditional folk music, jigs, reels, contemporary folk, and film music. Often called the "penny whistle".
Kaossilator
Japan, Worldwide (Popular Music), United States a touchpad-based synthesizer that allows for dynamic looping and real-time sound manipulation, used in electronic, experimental, and live performance music.
keytar
United States, Worldwide (Popular Music) a portable synthesizer or MIDI controller shaped like a guitar with a piano-like keyboard and a neck with expressive controls, used in Synth-pop, New Wave, Glam Rock, Funk, and modern Electronic Dance Music (EDM).
mandocello
Italy, United States, Ireland a large, deep-bodied plucked string instrument with eight strings tuned in four courses, used in mandolin orchestras, Italian folk music, modern Celtic and contemporary folk ensembles, solo classical music performances, and bluegrass.
mandola
Italy, United States, Ireland a medium-sized plucked string instrument with eight strings tuned in four courses, used in mandolin orchestras and traditional folk music. The "viola of mandolins."
marimba
Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Angola, United States, Japan a pitched percussion instrument with a chromatic arrangement of wooden bars suspended over tuned resonators, used in Guatemalan festivals and holidays, Mexican "Parque de la Marimba" performances, classical concertos, contemporary percussion ensembles, contemporary solo performances, pop/rock music, jazz ensembles, and traditional folk music.
mellotron
United Kingdom, United States, Worldwide (Popular Music) an early electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape-replay keyboard that produces grainy, and "orchestral" sound. The precursor to the digital sampler, used in1960s and 70s progressive rock and psychedelic rock, orchestral, and experimental music.
melodica
Japan, United Kingdom, United States a portable, free-reed wind instrument with a piano-style keyboard and a mouthpiece, used in music education, reggae, dub, and various pop genres.
minimoog
United States United Kingdom, Germany, Japan an analog monophonic synthesizer with three oscillators and a "ladder" filter to produce a powerful, warm sound, used in progressive rock, jazz fusion, funk, and electronic music.
mondo drum
United States a percussion instrument with a durable synthetic head and an internal tuning system that produces multiple varied sounds, used in world music, rock, and orchestral ensembles.
musical saw
United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia a hand-bent metal blade played with a bow, used in folk, experimental, and atmospheric film music.
native american courting flute
United States (Great Plains, Southwest, Woodland, Southeastern tribes), Canada a front-held, two-chambered duct flute made of wood or cane, used to express affection during courtship or for personal spiritual reflection.
ocean drum
United States, Worldwide a circular frame drum containing small metal beads or seeds that create a washing, wave-like sound when tilted or shaken, used in ambient soundscapes, meditation, and therapeutic relaxation.
omnichord
Japan, United States, United Kingdom an electronic accompaniment instrument with a touch-sensitive strumplate and chord buttons that allow users to trigger synthetic arpeggios and rhythmic backing tracks, used in indie pop, lo-fi, and experimental music.
otomatone
Japan, United States, South Korea, Worldwide an eighth note-shaped electronic synthesizer with a touch-sensitive ribbon controller and a squeezeable "mouth" that produces a sliding vocal-like tone, used in novelty performances, comedic internet covers, and experimental J-pop.
pipe organ
Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, Macau a massive, complex keyboard wind instrument that makes sound by driving pressurized air through thousands of individual pipes, controlled by multiple keyboards and foot pedals. It is often called the "King of Instruments", used in sacred music, classical orchestral performances, and solo classical music
pocket synthesizer
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Japan, United States a compact, battery-powered rhythm machine with velocity-sensitive pads and a library of drum patterns, used in portable practice, as a songwriting tool, and backing track generator for instrumentalists.
portative organ
Italy, France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States a small, portable pipe organ with a single keyboard and a hand-operated bellows, used in solo melodic performance, vocal accompaniment, and processional music in medieval and Renaissance settings.
powwow drum
United States (Great Plains, Southwest, Eastern Woodlands tribes), Canada (First Nations, Métis) a large, communal frame drum made of wood and rawhide, used in powwow celebrations, intertribal songs, ceremonial dances, and competitive vocal performances.
pump organ
United States, Germany, France, United Kingdom The pump organ is a piano-style keyboard instrument that uses foot-operated bellows to pump through metal reeds to make sound, used in folk, gospel, and early popular music (Victorian-era parlor music).
ratchet
Germany, France, United Kingdom, United States, Austria, Italy, Worldwide (Western Classical) a percussion instrument with a toothed wheel that strikes one or more flexible wooden tongues as it is rotated, used in orchestral compositions, comedic sound effects, film scores, "town signalling", religious processions, historically connected to British night watchment and football culture, and Alpine folk celebrations.
recorder
Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, Japan a woodwind instrument with a whistle-like mouthpiece (fipple flute) and seven finger holes , used in early music ensembles, Baroque chamber works, and as a foundational tool for primary music education.
Roland Aerophone
Japan, China, United States a digital wind instrument with traditional saxophone fingering and advanced breath-sensitive sensors that allows musicians to play a vast library of acoustic and synthesizer sounds, used in jazz, classical, pop, experimental, and electronic music.
Seaboard
United Kingdom, United States a MIDI controller and piano-keyboard style synthesizer interface with a continuous, pressure-sensitive surface made of silicone, allowing musicians to "shape" sound through touch, used in electronic, pop, and experimental music for expressive performances.
shofar
Israel, Yemen, United States, Europe Diaspora an natural horn instrument made from a ram's horn, used to sound specific calls during Jewish religious ceremonies and holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
sleigh bells
United States, United Kingdom a percussion instrument with multiple small metal pellet bells attached to a handle or leather strap, used in classical music and holiday-themed popular music.
sousaphone
United States, Mexico a conical brass instrument of the tuba family, coiled to fit around the player's body with a large, forward-facing bell, used in marching bands, New Orleans brass bands, and Mexican Banda Sinaloense music
spoons
United States, Ireland, Canada, United Kingdom, Falkland Islands a simple percussion instrument consisting of two ordinary spoons clapped together, used in folk music and jug bands.
stylophone
United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Japan, Australia a miniature analog synthesizer that uses a battery-powered stylus to complete a circuit by touching a metal keyboard to sound specific pitches, used in novelty popular music, pop, and electronic music.
tenor horn
United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada a medium-sized brass instrument, with a conical bore and a forward-facing bell, used in British-style brass bands and wind ensembles.
theramin
Russia, United States an early electronic instrument that uses two antennae to allow the player to control pitch and volume simply by moving their hands in the air without touching the device, used in horror film scores, avant-garde classical compositions, and psychedelic rock.
tsii'edo'a'tl
United States (Apache) (also known as the Apache fiddle) a bowed string instrument made from a hollowed-out century plant stalk or yucca with one or two strings, used in meditative melodies, rhythmic dance music, personal entertainment, and indigenous ceremonies.
Turn table
United States, Worldwide a rotating platform that spins a vinyl record while a stylus tracks the grooves to reproduce sound, when used by a DJ (Turntablist) creates new sounds and rhythmic effects through techniques like scratching and beat juggling for hip-hop and dance music.
turtle shell rattle
United States, Mexico a percussion instrument made from a dried turtle or tortoise shell containing pebbles, corn, or beans, used in accompaniment for dances and ceremonies.
ukelin
United States a string instrument with two sections: a fretted melodic section of 16 strings played with a bow and an unfretted harmonic section of 16 strings played by plucking, used in playing hymns and simple popular tunes.
vest frottoir
United States (also called "washboard") a ribbed, metal percussion instrument worn over the shoulders like a vest, played by scraping across the metal surface with spoons, bottle openers, or other implements, used in Cajun and Zydeco music, old time music, and jug bands.
vibraphone
United States, Worldwide (Western Classical, Jazz, Popular Music) a large, keyboard-like percussion instrument with metal bars (similar to a xylophone) with a pedal to sustain the tone and electrically powered rotating discs (or fans) inside the resonator tubes to create an oscillating vibrato effect, used in jazz, lounge music, and contemporary classical music.
vibraslap
United States a wire handle connecting a wooden ball to a metal box containing loose metal tines, played by striking the ball against the palm, used in concert bands, contemporary art music, Latin jazz and rock music.
vibratone
United States, worldwide a tubular aluminum percussion instrument struck with a mallet and has a sound hole that can be covered and uncovered to produce varied tones, used in sound design, experimental music, and music education.
vocoder
United States, Worldwide an electronic device or software effect that analyzes the spectral content of the human voice and imposes that content onto a synthesizer or organ (called the carrier)to create robotic, singing-synthesizer voice effects, used in electronic dance music, funk, pop, and film soundtracks.
water drum
United States (Iriquois, Seminole, Delaware tribes), Mexico a percussion instrument made of a wooden or clay pot partially filled with water and covered with a stretched, moistened leather membrane, struck with a padded stick, pitch can be altered by changing the water level, used in indigenous ceremonies and spiritual music.
waterphone
United States, Worldwide a modern, acoustic idiophone made of a stainless steel resonator bowl containing water and surrounded by bronze rods, played by bowing or striking the rods while tilting the instrument to use the shifting water to create unsettling, pitch-bending sounds, used in film scores, particularly horror film scores.
wheelharp
United States a modern musical instrument, conceptually based on the Renaissance-era hurdy-gurdy made of a semicircular array of strings arranged above a foot-pedal-powered rotating wheel, where the strings are brought into contact with the wheel with keys, used in ambient music and sound design.