If you’re going to create music, then in most cases you’ll need an instrument. For most new music students in the West, that means starting with a piano, violin, recorder, or guitar. These instruments have been refined over the years – and some of them have been around in one form or another for centuries.
Historical Facts
The piano is thought to be an Italian invention, named after its ability to play both quietly and loudly, based on the force with which the pianist strikes the keys. “Pianoforte” means “quiet-loud”, but over the years, the term was reduced to simply ‘piano’.
The violin family, including the viola and the cello, were also Italian inventions. They came about much earlier, however, in the 16th century. They took their inspiration from bowed instruments, like the Chinese erhu and the Byzantine lyra.
The guitar, naturally, takes its inspiration from the European lute, which has been around in one form or another since at least the 8th century. It wasn’t until relatively recently, however, that the instrument settled into its modern six-stringed form.
Unique Instruments
Of course, while the instruments we’ve already mentioned are ubiquitous in Western music, there are a number of other instruments from other cultures that might be used to create unusual and exotic dimensions.
The sitar, for example, is used in Hindustani classical music, and came to be in the 19th century, thanks to a Mughal inventor named Khusrau Khan. The national instrument of Japan, the koto, has a much longer history, which stretches back to the 8th century, when its ancestor, the guzheng, was brought across from ancient China.
In some cases, it’s wind instruments like the didgeridoo that define a culture. This instrument requires circular breathing techniques that were developed by Aboriginal people more than a thousand years ago.
Instrumental Innovations
The modern versions of many instruments rely on electricity and sampling. For example, a modern composer might connect a piano keyboard to a computer in order to play samples of a real piano being played. If you’re relying on a modern instrument, then investing in public liability insurance might be sensible.
Cultural Significance
In many cases, a particular musical instrument might be able to instantly evoke a particular culture, or part of the world. An instrument might even be inseparable from a certain ritual or religious practice. For example, it’s difficult not to associate the pipe organ with a church service.
Interesting Trivia
The earliest instruments were predominantly woodwind instruments, largely because these were the easiest to create. The earliest flutes were found in the tombs of Egyptian rulers. On the other hand, there is written evidence of stringed instruments being used prior to this, in the form of the lyre in Ancient Greece.
