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Musical words

Musical instruments, or concepts closely related to music. While you can use saucepan lids as a musical instrument, you won't find them in this category.

Showing 41-55 of 55

Sis forSerenade

A serenade is a piece of music, usually performed outdoors for the performer's romantic interest. The classic serenade is performed below the balcony of the lover above.

Sis forSing

You sing when you make music with your voice.
Many people singing together is called a chorus.

Sis forSong

A song is a short piece of musical composition. Most songs have words, and you use your voice to sing them.

Sis forStrum

Strumming is a way of playing a stringed musical instrument, particularly a guitar. You strum a guitar by moving your fingers or a pick across the strings. You usually strum a guitar in a kind of rhythm.
A tambourine is a percussion instrument. It is usually round or a half-circle, with pairs of small metal jingles called zils around the edge. It usually has a drum surface too.
You can play the tambourine by just shaking it to make it jingle, by hitting it against your leg, by tapping it with your hand or many other ways.

Tis forTrombone

The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. It is made from a long tube of brass looped around, and like all brass instruments is played by buzzing your lips into the mouthpiece. Trombones have a slide that you work with one arm. Pulling it out makes the length of brass tubing longer, and changes the note that the trombone plays.

Tis forTrumpet

The trumpet is the smallest brass instrument. It is made from a long tube of brass curled around, and like all brass instruments is played by buzzing your lips into the mouthpiece. Trumpets have three valves that you work with your fingers that changes the length of the brass tube, and with it the note that the trumpet plays.

Tis forTuba

The tuba is the largest brass instrument. It is made from a very long tube of brass curled around, and like all brass instruments is played by buzzing your lips into the mouthpiece. Tubas have four levered valves that you work with your fingers that changes the length of the brass tube, and with it the note that the tuba plays.
A tuning fork is a specially shaped piece of metal that rings with a certain musical note when it is hit. Tuning forks are used to tune musical instruments to.

Uis forUkelele

A ukelele is a small, four-stringed member of the guitar family. Ukuleles come in four sizes: soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone. They can be played by plucking or strumming them.

Vis forViolin

The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings. It is the smallest of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola (a slightly larger violin) and cello. The violin is sometimes called a fiddle, and someone who plays the violin is called a violinist or a fiddler. You usually play a violin by drawing a bow across the strings, like the woman in the picture.

Wis forWhistle

A whistle is an instrument that makes noise from a stream of air. Whistles can be small like in the picture, or are really big steam operated whistles found on ships and trains. Whistles are often used by umpires or referees of sporting matches to get player's attention.
A wind chime is an ornamental item that is hung outside in the wind. Wind chimes have parts that can move in the wind, and when they bump into each other they make a nice noise.
Wind chimes can be made from metal, glass, bells, ceramic or wood.
A xylophone is a kind of musical instrument. You make music by hitting the different-sized keys with small hammers to play a tune.
The keys on xylophones are typically made out of wood, although some modern versions are made from plastic or fibreglass. Very early xylophones had keys made from gourds. Xylophones are very similar to glockenspiels and vibraphones. Glockenspiels are made from metal and have a higher pitch, while a vibraphone is also made of metal but is a more modern instrument and has a sustain pedal. The instrument in the picture is actually a vibraphone.
Most people call all of these similar instruments xylophones. The most popular image of a "xylophone" is the children's six or eight key version with brightly colored metal keys commonly seen in toy stores.

Zis forZither

A zither is a stringed musical instrument that has a lot of strings like a harp but is flat, not vertical. It is found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, some parts of Germany and China.