Guide to Kazoo

A photo of a metal kazoo

Kazoo is an American tube-formed instrument, with both tube ends uncovered. It can be made of plastic or metal and has a variety of shapes. One end of the tube is flattened, and the other end has a small circular opening. Meanwhile, down on the two-thirds of the instrument, another small hole … Read more

Guide to the Harp

A photo of the har instrument

The harp is one of the stringed instruments that have a couple of individual strings running vertically at an angle to its soundboard. The term harp comes from an Old English word hearpe, which is closer to the Old High German word harpha. Around the world, harps vary in several sizes. Some … Read more

Guide to the Glockenspiel

A photo of the glockenspiel

The glockenspiel is a percussion instrument that is played through hitting or scrapping. It may look like a xylophone, but it is definitely called the glockenspiel. The name glockenspiel is a German word that means bell play, for it refers to the sound of a small bell. Initially, the early glockenspiel has … Read more

Guide to French Horn

A photo of the French Horn

The French horn is a brass instrument that is often associated with professional bands and orchestras. Despite having a geographical name, the French horn is actually German. The name French horn is used way back in the 17th century. During that time, French makers were notable in making hunting horns. With this, … Read more

Guide to the Flexatone

A photo of the instrument flexatone

There are several types of percussion instruments. One classification under percussion is the idiophone, wherein it can be made to vibrate in several ways. Relatively, most of the idiophones were either struck or vibrate. An example of this is the instrument called flexatone. The flexatone, also known as fleximetal, is a percussion … Read more

Guide to the Dizi Chinese Flute

A close-up photo of the Dizi’s special membrane

A dizi is a Chinese bamboo flute instrument that is notable in traditional Chinese music. This Chinese flute is played horizontally, like the western flute. Most commonly, the Dizi is carved out of a single piece of bamboo with a cork-lined blow-hole. The body of this flute features six finger holes in … Read more

Guide to Dabakan

A photo of the single-headed dabakan drum

The dabakan is a percussion instrument that originated in the Philippines. It is a single-headed drum that is usually played along with the other instruments in the kulintang ensemble. Interestingly, the dabakan is the only non-gong instrument among the five main instruments in the ensemble. According to history, the name dabakan originated … Read more

Guide to the Cowbell

A photo of the cowbell hand percussion instrument

Cowbells are hand percussion instruments that originated to freely roaming animals. Initially, the cowbell was used by the herdsmen in order to identify the herd to which the animals belonged. These cowbells were usually placed in the animal’s neck, making the bell ring whenever the animal move. With this, it would also … Read more