Hornbostel–Sachs classification

A system for classifying musical instruments by the physical means that produce their sound. Its main families are idiophones, membranophones, chordophones, aerophones, and electrophones.

Connect

Idiophone: A musical instrument whose solid body vibrates to produce sound. This family includes instruments such as bells, rattles, and xylophones.
Sound production: The physical process by which vibrations create audible sound. The classification starts by identifying what vibrates to make an instrument sound.
Erich von Hornbostel: An Austrian musicologist who helped develop the Hornbostel–Sachs instrument classification. His comparative work supplied one of the system's two scholarly foundations.
Organology: The study of musical instruments, including their history, construction, classification, and use. The classification is a widely used framework within this broader field.
Membranophone: A musical instrument that produces sound through a vibrating stretched membrane. Drums and related instruments are classified by their vibrating membranes.
Mirliton: A membranophone in which the player's voice makes a membrane vibrate sympathetically. It shows that a membrane may color sound without being struck directly.
Curt Sachs: A German musicologist and historian of musical instruments who co-created the classification. His organological scholarship shaped the system's terminology and scope.
Musical instrument museum: A museum devoted to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting musical instruments. A consistent taxonomy helps museums arrange and describe diverse collections.
Chordophone: A musical instrument that produces sound through vibrating strings. The system groups string instruments together despite their different shapes and playing methods.
Musical bow: A string instrument consisting of a flexible stick or stave with a tensioned string. Its string defines it as a chordophone even when the bow itself resonates.