The accordion is a potable acoustical musical instrument that is box shaped, and is derived from the hand held bellows-driven family of free-reed aerophone instruments. The accordion is sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays this particular instrument is known as an accordionist. The accordion is played by compressing or expanding the [...]

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• Brief History of the Sitar The sitar is a plucked string instrument that uses sympathetic strings and a long hollow neck along with a gourd resonating chamber in order to produce a very rich musical sound along with a complex harmonic resonance. The Sitar is predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, but has been used......
• Introduction to the Bodhrán pt 2 A traditional Irish instrument, the Bodhrán is an open frame drum. The head of the drum is traditionally made out of goat skins, but other animal skins as well as some synthetic materials can be used. The head of the Bodhrán is tacked to one end of the frame and......
• Drums Around the World - A Brief History of Percussion Instruments Man has been beating drums and playing percussion instruments for as far back as history records have existed. Many books will tell you that it was back around 6000 BC that percussion instruments really made their mark. Hollowed out logs have been found along with other artifacts throughout the years,......
• Tuning the Hammered Dulcimer pt 2 The tuning lever is available in a couple of different styles, including a T Handle and a Gooseneck Handle, and personal preference should be what governs which you use. The Gooseneck tends to offer more leverage, but it does not let you fine tune the instrument quite as well. The......
• Accordion 101 The accordion is closely related to another instrument, the concertina. Both of these instruments are essentially glorified mouth organs that utilize reeds that are generally made out of tempered steel. These tempered steel reeds are set in vibration using a rectangular shaped bellows. The bellows are operated using the left......

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Here is a guide to some of the more common and more interesting wind instruments. Some of these instruments are common place in the United States and others have a decidedly more worldly origin.
Native American Flutes
Native American flutes are flutes that have been around for quite a very long time. The Native American flute is [...]

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• Violin Questions Answered If you are interested in the violin, its history or the basics on how to play it, the following questions and answers will prove to be useful. These are the most basic questions about the violin and how it functions, its history and also how this beautiful and melodic instrument......
• Guide to the Piano Pianos are referred to as the mother of all instruments by many people, and they are also one of the most widely played musical instruments in the entire world. Every single aspect of the piano is wonderful, including the tone that it produces, the melodious sound that it is known......
• The Willow Flute The willow flute, also known as a sallow flute, was created by the Scandinavians and saw use in their traditional folk music. The unique instrument possesses and equally unique sound, and has seen use for quite a long time. Like many flutes, the willow flute's design is simple. The thing......
• Wind Instruments Guide 101 pt 3 Here is a guide to some of the more common and more interesting wind instruments. Some of these instruments are common place in the United States and others have a decidedly more worldly origin. Fanfare Trumpet The fanfare trumpet is an instrument that is not like your traditional style of......
• Triangle 101 There are a range of different metal percussion instruments that can be found in the modern western orchestra, even though many of them have origins that are not only ancient in nature, but also global as well. The Triangle - The triangle is a two piece instrument that is comprised......

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Wind instruments are actually known more technically as being aero phones. Wind instruments are capable of producing a sound when the column of air within them is set into motion or vibration by way of either a reed or the lips of the player. The tuning of these instruments is controlled by way of the [...]

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• The Harmonica in American History The Harmonica was not originally developed in America, but rather saw the beginning of life in Germany. However, the Harmonica has a rich history in North America, and contributed heavily to the history of music in America as well. Hohner began to manufacture harmonicas in 1857, and shortly after this......
• What is an Ocarina? The Ocarina is a somewhat obscure woodwind instrument, pronounced awk-uh-reen-uh. It is a wind instrument derived from ancient flutes. While there are several different variations of the ocarina concept, the typical ocarina is an oval-shaped instrument with between four and twelve finger holes and a tubular mouth piece that projects......
• Bongos and Congas If you are interested in making beats, then you should know that there are a wide variety of different types of drums out there that can make beautiful music. Two of the most intriguing drums from the family of drums are the bongo drums and the conga drums. The bongo......
• A Brief History of Banjos The banjo was originally developed and used by African Americans enslaved in the South. The slaves used gourd to create makeshift instruments that looked like the ones they used in Africa. In fact, the word "banjo" is believed to have evolved from a Kimbundu term for a similar musical instrument.......
• Brief History of Concertinas A concertina is a free reed acoustic musical instrument, falling in the same family as the accordion and the harmonica. The concertina musical instrument has buttons and bellows much in the same was as an accordion does, however the buttons typically exist on both ends rather than just on a......

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The bagpipes are a specific class of musical instruments. Bagpipes are essentially aerophones that make use of enclosed reeds that are fed from a constant stream of air that comes in the form of a bag. The greatest visibility internationally for these Bagpipes come from the Great Highland variety from Scotland and the Uilleann Pipes [...]

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• Introduction to Woodwind Instruments, pt 2 In the last post in this series we were talking about different types of woodwind instruments. The following is the rest of the list of exposed double reed instruments. - Hichiriki (Japan) - Kèn bầu (Vietnam) - Mizmar (Arabic nations) - Nadaswaram - Oboe - Oboe da caccia - Oboe......
• Book Review: The Encyclopedia of the Violin The Encyclopedia of the Violin was first published in 1925 as a comprehensive reference of the history and evolution of the violin. It is still the number one source for all types of violin information, even after all these years. The book is written by Swiss-born Alberto Bachmann, himself a......
• Traveling Acoustic Guitar Care Although not surprising, the guitar is probably the musical instrument that travels the most around the world. If you are taking an acoustic guitar on the road or on a plane with you, you need to keep in mind that your instrument is not just another piece of luggage or......
• Wind Instruments Guide 101 pt 1 Wind instruments are actually known more technically as being aero phones. Wind instruments are capable of producing a sound when the column of air within them is set into motion or vibration by way of either a reed or the lips of the player. The tuning of these instruments is......
• Let's Look at Harmonicas A harmonica is a free reed wind instrument that is played by blowing air in or drawing air out by placing the lips over the individual holes or reed chambers, or multiple holes or reed chambers at once. The pressure that is caused by blowing into the harmonica or drawing......

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The accordion is closely related to another instrument, the concertina. Both of these instruments are essentially glorified mouth organs that utilize reeds that are generally made out of tempered steel. These tempered steel reeds are set in vibration using a rectangular shaped bellows.
The bellows are operated using the left hand. Just like with all [...]

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• Picking the Right Acoustic Instrument For Your Child Picking the right acoustic instrument from your child is important, because the wrong instrument will not inspire your child to learn how to master the concept of playing music. Research has shown that it is extremely beneficial for children to learn a musical instrument. Choosing an instrument that suits them......
• Guide to the Piano Pianos are referred to as the mother of all instruments by many people, and they are also one of the most widely played musical instruments in the entire world. Every single aspect of the piano is wonderful, including the tone that it produces, the melodious sound that it is known......
• A Little About Dulcimers A dulcimer is a fretted instrument that most commonly includes three or four strings. The fretting is usually diatonic and spreads along a fingerboard attached to the instrument's body. It became popular in old-time American music in the 1800s. It is believed to have been brought over from Scotland or......
• Some Background on the Acoustic Bass Guitar The acoustic bass guitar is an instrument which provides the heavy tones and harmonies associated with good Jazz. Somewhat of a mixed past, the acoustic bass guitar was born in the 50's but was developed in the 60s by Ernie Ball. It came after it's cousin, the electric bass guitar,......
• Wind Instruments Guide 101 pt 1 Wind instruments are actually known more technically as being aero phones. Wind instruments are capable of producing a sound when the column of air within them is set into motion or vibration by way of either a reed or the lips of the player. The tuning of these instruments is......

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