Guide to Oboe the Family

The oboe is a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Woodwind instruments got their name because they were traditionally made of wood. Today, they are made of different materials. In order to play these kinds of instruments, the player  blows air through the instrument. The oboe, along with its relatives … Read more

Guide to Txalaparta

Five board txalaparta

The Txalaparta is a Baque music instrument that is made from stone or wood. In some places in Basque Country, it is called the zalaparta, which means racket, while in some regions, it is called the txalaparta, which implies the trot of the horse, because the sound that this instrument produces is … Read more

Guide to the Spoon – A Percussion Instrument

Man playing the spoon

Spoons can be an improvised percussion instrument, or it can also be an idiophone, just like the castanets. The spoons are played by hitting them against each other. In the United States, the spoons are associated with minstrelsy, American folk music, as well as jug and spasm bands. While in British folk … Read more

Guide to the Gong

Guide to the Gong

A gong is a musical instrument with a shape of a circular metal bronze disc. This percussion instrument is struck using mallets. The mallets are tended to be felted mallets that are traditionally made out of wood with a bulbous tip. It can also be struck using the drumsticks, although this produces … Read more

Guide to Vibraphone

Man playing  Musser Vibraphone

A vibraphone is a musical instrument that belonged to the percussion family. This instrument has tuned metal bars, and it is played by holding two to four soft mallets hitting the metal bars. The vibraphone is like a marimbaphone or a steel marimba. The instruments’ significant difference is that the vibraphone’s bars … Read more

Guide to Snare Drum

Drum kit snare drum

A snare drum, also known as a side drum, is a percussion instrument with a sharp staccato sound when struck using a drum stick. Snare drums are often used in concert bands, parades, orchestras, marching bands, drumlines, drum corps, and so much more. In this article, we are going to learn more … Read more

Guide to the Ophicleide

A photo of the family of Ophicleide

The Ophicleide is a wind instrument that somehow shared similarity with the tuba and saxophone. It is invented in the 1800s and belongs to the bugle family. It also shares a similar shape to the sudrophone, another brass instrument that was developed in the same era.  The term Ophicleide comes from the … Read more

Guide to the Dulzaina

A photo of the dulzaina

The dulzaina, also known as dolcaina, is a double-reed instrument that is part of the oboe family. This instrument originated from Spain during the 14th century and is often used to replace the clarinet or oboe. Also, the dulzaina was first introduced in Spain through Arabic people. It is deeply rooted in … Read more