Playing Instuments
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds.
In principle, any object that produces sound can be a musical instrument—it is
through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of
musical instruments dates to the beginnings of human culture. Early musical
instruments may have used for ritual: such as a trumpet to signal success on the
hunt, or a drum in a religious ceremony. Cultures eventually developed
composition and performance of melodies for entertainment. Musical instruments
evolved in step with changing applications.
The date and origin of the first device considered a musical instrument is
disputed. The oldest object that some scholars refer to as a musical instrument,
a simple flute, dates back as far as 67,000 years. Some consensus dates early
flutes to about 37,000 years ago. However, most historians believe that
determining a specific time of musical instrument invention is impossible due to
the subjectivity of the definition and the relative instability of materials
used to make them. Many early musical instruments were made from animal skins,
bone, wood, and other non-durable materials.
Musical instruments developed independently in many populated regions of the
world. However, contact among civilizations caused rapid spread and adaptation
of most instruments in places far from their origin. By the Middle Ages,
instruments from Mesopotamia were in Maritime Southeast Asia, and Europeans
played instruments from North Africa. Development in the Americas occurred at a
slower pace, but cultures of North, Central, and South America shared musical
instruments. By 1400, musical instrument development slowed in many areas and
was dominated by the Occident.
Musical instrument classification is a discipline in its own right, and many
systems of classification have been used over the years. Instruments can be
classified by their effective range, their material composition, their size,
etc. However, the most common academic method, Hornbostel-Sachs, uses the means
by which they produce sound. The academic study of musical instruments is called
organology.
In principle, any object that produces sound can be a musical instrument—it is
through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of
musical instruments dates to the beginnings of human culture. Early musical
instruments may have used for ritual: such as a trumpet to signal success on the
hunt, or a drum in a religious ceremony. Cultures eventually developed
composition and performance of melodies for entertainment. Musical instruments
evolved in step with changing applications.
The date and origin of the first device considered a musical instrument is
disputed. The oldest object that some scholars refer to as a musical instrument,
a simple flute, dates back as far as 67,000 years. Some consensus dates early
flutes to about 37,000 years ago. However, most historians believe that
determining a specific time of musical instrument invention is impossible due to
the subjectivity of the definition and the relative instability of materials
used to make them. Many early musical instruments were made from animal skins,
bone, wood, and other non-durable materials.
Musical instruments developed independently in many populated regions of the
world. However, contact among civilizations caused rapid spread and adaptation
of most instruments in places far from their origin. By the Middle Ages,
instruments from Mesopotamia were in Maritime Southeast Asia, and Europeans
played instruments from North Africa. Development in the Americas occurred at a
slower pace, but cultures of North, Central, and South America shared musical
instruments. By 1400, musical instrument development slowed in many areas and
was dominated by the Occident.
Musical instrument classification is a discipline in its own right, and many
systems of classification have been used over the years. Instruments can be
classified by their effective range, their material composition, their size,
etc. However, the most common academic method, Hornbostel-Sachs, uses the means
by which they produce sound. The academic study of musical instruments is called
organology.