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 he began to ship some [...]

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• Acoustic Hybrids (Can Also Be Played Plugged-in) Acoustic instruments are popular instruments to play, but some acoustic instruments do not produce a whole lot of sound on their own. The acoustic guitar, for example, does not produce a whole lot of sound on its own, which is why electric guitars were invented in the first place. Another......
• 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......
• Acoustic Musical Instruments Defined Acoustic musical instruments are musical instruments that are capable of creating sounds entirely via acoustic means as opposed to by way of electronic means. Before electronic instruments came along, there was no need to define instruments as being acoustic as every instrument was acoustic by nature. Acoustic music, or generally......
• Buyer's Guide for Banjos There are a number of elements to consider when buying a banjo. The main thing to look for is a banjo that is comfortable, easy to play, and does not hurt your hands. Push down on the strings up and down the neck to make sure they have enough give......
• 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......

Continue reading → The Harmonica in American History

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, leading archaeologists and anthropologists to [...]

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• Brief History of Cellos or Celli The cello (short for "violoncello") is a bowed string instrument, similar to a larger violin that is held upright instead of on the chin. It originated from the three-stringed bass violin created by Jambe de Fer in 1556. The first composer to use the bass violin is thought to be......
• A History of Drums and Tribal Music Different styles of drums all have their own unique histories. African tribal music and the drums associated with it are completely unique to the other drum types that have been developed throughout the world. One example of an African tribal drum is the Djembe, a drum that has an extraordinary......
• Brief History of the Accordian 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......
• Acoustic Musical Instruments Glossary Action - This is a term that is used to describe how a musical instrument plays. The use of this term is highly varied within the industry, but the general sense that it refers to is the playability of the instrument or how well it functions on a mechanical level.......
• Brief History of the Mandolin A mandolin is a musical instrument that belongs to the lute family meaning that it can either be plucked or strummed. It is a direct descendant of a instrument called the Mandore, which is a soprano member of the same family. The mandolin instrument has a body that possesses a......

Continue reading → Drums Around the World – A Brief History of Percussion Instruments