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Stone walls confine a tinker; cold iron binds a witch; but a musician's music can never be fettered, for it

lives first in her heart and mind.

------------------Charles de Lint

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Types of Musical Instruments

STRING PERCUSSION WIND KEYBOARD

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PianoThe piano is a popular musical instrument that is played using a keyboard.

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It is the acronym for pianoforte and was invented on the technological innovation of the bygone age.

Invention of the modern piano dates back to the Renaissance period, when Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655–1731) of Padua was employed by the famous Medici family of Italy as the Keeper of the musical instruments.

He was expert in making harpsichord – the previous avatar of the piano.

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KeyboardSynthesizers or electronic musical keyboards generate electric signals in waveforms, which finally get converted to sound through loudspeakers or headphones.

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An electronic or a digital keyboard is basically the same instrument referred to by various names.

The first electric piano was manufactured by Wurlitzer Company, which was named as the 100. It was in the year 1955.

Gradually, as technology progressed further, musical synthesizers became into existence in 1964, when Bob Moog introduced his Moog synthesizer. Thus, gigantic keyboards were suddenly replaced by easily portable instruments.

Some of the earliest versions of digital keyboards were Opus 3, ARP Omni and Moog’s Polymoog, etc.

Musical Instrumental Digital Interface (MIDI) was invented as a standard for digital code transmission, which has subscribed handsomely in evolution of the latest keyboard technology.

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ViolinThe word violin comes from the Medieval Latin word vitula, which means "stringed instrument

The other name of this string instrument is Fiddle, which comes with a set of four strings tuned in perfect fifths. Bowed instruments are assumed to have originated in Central Asia, which gradually, spread across a vast region covering both Asia and Europe. As such, violin, viola and cello that are seen these days have bows, which are strung with horsehair. This is the legacy of the Central Asian nomadic horsemen. Interestingly, modern violin emerged in the Italian towns of Venice and Genoa in the early 16th century. Both the cities maintained strong ties with Central Asia through trade across the historic silk route.

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FluteWidely used musical instrument belonging to the woodwind group.

An 18.7 cm long flute having three holes and made from mammoth task has been discovered in Ulm, southern Germany. Carbon dating confirms it is at least 30,000 to 37,000 years old! A decade back, two more flutes made of swan bone was

excavated from the same region. These date back to 36,000

years ago. These are recorded as the oldest flutes that have been unearthed so far. In fact, scientists are of the opinion that flutes are the best tool to study the behavioral and cognitive differences that existed between Neanderthals and the contemporary human race!

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GuitarThe most popular six-stringed musical instrument that goes with a varied genre of music.

Interestingly, the English word ‘guitar’ is identical to the German word ‘Gitarre’

and the French ‘Guitare’ are derived from the Spanish ‘Guitara.’

English guitarFrench guitar Spanish guitar

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The Spanish guitarra in turn comes from the Arabic ‘qitara.’ This is said to have originated from the Latin ‘kithara.’ Invention of the earliest guitar remains confined to the history of medieval

Spain. However, two instruments, the European Lute and the four-stringed Oud

are considered as its influential predecessors. It was the Moors who introduced the Oud to Iberia in the 8th century.

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Saxophone Saxophone is another popular woodwind instrument that was developed by Adolphe Sax, in the year 1841.

The Belgian instrument designer was also a flautist and a clarinetist. Prior to the invention, Sax worked in his father’s instrument shop Brussels. He already had made several improvements to the bass clarinet and invented Ophicleide – which is a large conical bras instrument in bass register with keys identical to woodwind instruments. These inventions helped conceiving the design of saxophone.

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Drum The oldest musical instrument on earth; the basic design has remained unchanged for the last thousands of years.

These are actually percussion instruments.

Drums made of alligator skin have been unearthed in China that date back to Neolithic age, circa 5,500 to 2,350 BC. In traditional cultures, drums play a significant role and used in religious ceremonies. Drums are also used in music therapies – mostly hand drums.

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