BellaOnline Forums Books and Music Classical Music Game- Instruments ABC

No responses in a coupla days... is everyone stuck on J? I'll go twice in a row, if that's cool:

Jaw Harp - also known as a Jaw's Harp, Jew Harp or Jew's Harp, this is a folk instrument that's actually surprisingly common. It's a small metal frame with a little flapper which you hold in your mouth. You flap the flapper and it resonates, using your open mouth as a sound chamber. Changing the shape of your mouth will get you slightly different tones, but the jaw harp is mainly used as a drone.

Picture of a Jaw Harp:

http://larkinthemorning.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_JAW007G_A_Guaranteed+Jaw+Harp%2C+G_E_

Okay, I could seriously play this game by myself for, like, years.....

Kora - An instrument common among the Mandinka people of western Africa. It's a 21-stringed harp made from a Calabash gourd.....

On the right-hand side of this page, you can hear some samples:

http://www.onqueueartists.com/diabate.html

Pretty impressive for a big pumpkin, a broom handle, and 21 pieces of fishing line, all played with only 2 fingers off each hand!!!!

LOL, thanks Megan for keeping this thread going while I was out!

I'll toss in one.

Lute - a plucked string instrument made, traditionally, entirely of wood with the exceptions of the strings. Even the pegs for tuning are made of wood. It's rather oval shaped on the bottom, and unlike a guitar or violin does not have an open chamber, but a thinned out grille over which the strings are, um well strung! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Mandolin - a descendant of the lute, the mandolin has 8 strings, tuned in 4 sets of 2 unison strings in GDAE tuning, typically. Played in classical music as well as Irish music, bluegrass, old-time, and many more.

It's always fun to ask mandolin players "So, how's your Mandolin Handlin'?"

I had to search on the internet for an instrument that starts with "n".

Naals, or Naal Drum
Wooded two-headed drum. Originates in India.

I honestly hate the letter "N" in all games played on this forum, LOL! It is the hardest letter to find things for, and that seems ridiculous!

OK - oboe <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue2.gif" alt="" />, the horrid double reed instrument that everyone hates, but when someone can play it, it is lovely.

Oh I'm so glad I'm not the only who couldn't come up with an N instrument!


PIANO

N isn't that hard... I mean, there are the exceedingly common Northumbrian Smallpipes, the ever-popular Nyckelharpa and the perennial favorite, the Norwegian Tusselfloyte. Okay, I'm kidding, but I really didn't make any of those up.

Okay, Q:

Quanoon - An Egyptian and Arabic dulcimer. (also spelled qanoon)

Picture of a Quanoon:

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R is surprisingly tricky for musical instruments, so I'm gonna do two in a row again because no one seems to be jumping in.

Rumba Box - A thumb piano (mbira) in the low bass register. It basically looks like a large wooden box that has a row of metal flappers on it, which, when struck, sound sort of like an upright bass. You play it by sitting on it and plucking the flappers. It's common in early (pre-reggae) Jamaican folk music, though it's from Africa originally, where thumb pianoes are common. It's also sometimes called the marimbula.

Here's a pic (from my favorite instrument store, Lark in the Morning.... order a free catalog from them, they're sooooo neat!):

http://larkinthemorning.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_MAR173_A_Marimbula_E_

Okay, now "S" should be pretty easy....

Show off! ;-)


Saxophone. Whoo hoo!