Instruments of the World

A gong is an ancient type of tonal percussion instrument, found in various forms throughout Asia. Learn more about this Asian instrument.

Castanets are one of the only musical instruments that is played almost exclusively by dancers. Learn more about Spain's favorite percussion instrument!

The tin whistle is a simple traditional woodwind instrument that is commonly found in Irish music and other genres of Celtic music. The tin whistle is also called a penny whistle and, despite its simplicity, can be played with a great deal of nuance and dynamics by great players.

The triangle is the predominant percussion instrument in traditional Cajun music, and is also found in other genres of folk music. Also called the tee fer or bastringue, the Cajun triangle is a deceptively difficult percussion instrument.

A bodhran is a hand-held drum used in traditional Irish music. Bodhran players are an integral part of an Irish music seisun (jam session).

A sitar is a stringed instrument used in Indian Classical Music. The sitar has also been used by western rock musicians such as the Beatles. Learn more about the sitar!

The accordion is one of the best-known world music instruments, and people tend to love it or hate it. Learn more about the history of accordions, how accordions work and what genres of music feature the accordion.

The bagpipes are a traditional instrument of the Scottish Highlands.

The banjo is considered by some to be the only uniquely american musical instrument. Banjoes are descendants of African instruments, brought to America by slaves.

The didgeridoo is perhaps the oldest musical instrument from the wind family that exists. The didgeridoo is native to the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.

Best-recognized as the most common drum in your average drum circle, the djembe is a traditional West African hand drum that provides the rhythm to a great many important genres of African music.

The fiddle is by far one of the most popular instruments in ethnic music throughout the world. The fiddle's portability and small size, as well as its voice-like sound, has made it travel throughout the world. Fiddle music is, almost always, music for dancing.

Kevin Wimmer and Linzay Young from the Red Stick Ramblers perform "fiddlesticks", a style of fiddle playing where one player bows the fiddle and the other drums on it with thin wooden sticks. Here, they perform the Cajun song "J'Ete Au Bal".

A kora is a 21-stringed harp made from a gourd and popular in West Africa

The mbira is the national instrument of Zimbabwe. The mbira is of the lamellophone family of musical instruments, and consists of a board or block with attached metal strips. These strips are tuned as keys, and plucked or flipped to play melody and rhythm. Mbira music is considered sacred to the Shona people of Zimbabwe.

The oud (or ud) is one of the oldest stringed instruments in existence, and is still regularly played today. It as an ancestor of the lute, and subsequently of the mandolin and guitar.