Types of musical instruments: the 5 families explained
Quick answer: Musical instruments are usually grouped into five families: strings, woodwind, brass, percussion and keyboards. They are classified by how they make sound: a vibrating string, a column of air, the player’s lips, or an object being struck.
How instruments are classified
Musicians and museums use two main systems. Orchestras group instruments into families by how they are played. Scholars use the Hornbostel–Sachs system, created in 1914, which sorts instruments by what vibrates to make the sound.
- Chordophones: a string vibrates (violin, oud, guitar)
- Aerophones: air vibrates (flute, ney, trumpet)
- Membranophones: a stretched skin vibrates (darbuka, tabla)
- Idiophones: the body itself vibrates (cymbals, xylophone)
- Electrophones: sound is made electronically (synthesiser)
1. String instruments
Strings are plucked, bowed or struck. Bowed strings such as the violin, viola, cello and double bass form the core of the orchestra. Plucked strings include the guitar, harp, and the oud, the pear-shaped lute at the heart of Arabic music. In India, the sitar has extra “sympathetic” strings that ring on their own.
2. Woodwind instruments
Woodwinds make sound when air is split against an edge or passes over a reed. The flute and the Middle Eastern ney are edge-blown; the clarinet uses a single reed, and the oboe and bassoon use double reeds. Despite the name, many woodwinds today are made of metal or plastic.
3. Brass instruments
Brass players buzz their lips into a cup-shaped mouthpiece. Valves or a slide change the length of the tube and therefore the note. The trumpet is the highest, followed by the French horn and trombone, with the tuba at the bottom.
4. Percussion instruments
Percussion is the oldest family. Tuned percussion, such as the xylophone and timpani, plays notes; untuned percussion, such as the snare drum, cymbals, darbuka and riq, keeps the rhythm. The darbuka, a goblet-shaped hand drum, is central to music across the Middle East and North Africa.
5. Keyboard instruments
Keyboards use a row of keys to control sound. The piano, invented in Italy around 1700, strikes strings with hammers; the organ pushes air through pipes; and the synthesiser creates sound electronically.
Instruments from around the world
Many cultures have signature instruments:
- Oud: Arab world and Türkiye
- Qanun: a plucked zither from the Middle East
- Sitar and tabla: India
- Koto: Japan
- Bagpipes: Scotland
- Djembe: West Africa
- Charango: the Andes
Arabic instruments
Instruments of Arabic music:
| Instrument | Family | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Oud | Strings | Short-necked lute without frets |
| Qanun | Strings | Zither played on the lap |
| Ney | Woodwind | End-blown reed flute |
| Darbuka | Percussion | Goblet-shaped hand drum |
| Riq | Percussion | Frame drum with jingles |
How the oud shaped Western music
The European lute developed from the oud, which reached Europe through al-Andalus. The word lute itself comes from the Arabic al-ud.
How the families make sound
The five families are defined by what vibrates. String instruments make sound when a string is plucked, bowed or struck. Woodwinds make sound when air is split across an edge or a reed. Brass instruments make sound when the player’s lips buzz into a mouthpiece. Percussion makes sound when something is hit, shaken or scraped. Keyboards use keys to trigger strings, pipes or electronics.
| Family | What vibrates | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Strings | A string | Violin, oud, sitar, guitar |
| Woodwind | Air against an edge or reed | Flute, ney, clarinet, oboe |
| Brass | The player’s lips | Trumpet, trombone, horn, tuba |
| Percussion | A skin, metal or wood | Darbuka, djembe, xylophone, cymbals |
| Keyboards | Strings, pipes or electronics | Piano, organ, accordion |
The orchestra
A symphony orchestra usually has between 70 and 100 players, arranged by family. Strings sit at the front and make up about half the orchestra, with woodwinds behind them, brass further back and percussion at the very back.
Frequently asked questions
What are the five families of musical instruments?
Strings, woodwind, brass, percussion and keyboards.
What is the oldest musical instrument?
Percussion and simple flutes are the oldest; bone flutes found in Germany are over 40,000 years old.
Is the piano a string or percussion instrument?
Both: it has strings, but they are struck by hammers, so it is often called a percussion-string instrument.
What instrument is most used in Arabic music?
The oud, together with the qanun, ney and darbuka.
What is an oud?
A short-necked, fretless lute central to Arabic music.
Where does the word lute come from?
From the Arabic al-ud.
How many players are in an orchestra?
Usually between 70 and 100.