Musical instruments and classification

Question 1

what are musical instruments?

Answer 1

• does it require deliberate construction?
• does it require human interaction?
• is the voice an instrument?
• an object/device thats purpose is to make musical sounds

Question 2

organology

Answer 2

• study of instruments and how we classify them

- there are systems based on materials’ shape and sound production

Question 3

Western classical system

Answer 3

• split into wind (woodwind and brass), strings, percussion that can be expanded upon (plucked/bowed strings)
• however issues with system, not always consistent or reflect reality (piano - strings struck by hammers - string/percussion?)

Question 4

Chinese classification system

Answer 4

-based on materials - stone, wood, silk, bamboo

Question 5

Indian system

Answer 5

-focus on repertoire

Question 6

Australian systems

Answer 6

-gender

Question 7

Javanese systems

Answer 7

-different shapes within the percussion

Question 8

Hornbostel-Sachs system background

Answer 8

-scientific approach to labelling instruments around the world based on an Indian classification system where instruments were split into whether they made sound by vibrating strings, air, percussion (wood/metal) or drums (percussion with skin head)

Question 9

Hornbostel-Sachs system

Answer 9

• Aerophones - wind instruments where sound is produced by vibrating columns of air (flute, oboe)
• Chordophones - string instruments where sound is produced by vibrating strings (zithers, piano)
• Idiophones - instruments whose bodies vibrate creating sound (xylophones)
• Membranophones - instruments where sound is made by a vibrating membrane (drums)
• Electrophones - instruments that rely on electric power to produce or amplify sound (theremin, electric guitar)

Question 10

the social in organology

Answer 10

• an instrument is more than its physical form and the sound it produces - attempts to include this in classification include ‘Hood’s organogram’ that give more info on instrument (e.g. if there’s a membrane how its attached)
• need for ethnographic study of instruments as physical object out of context doesn’t give full story of why and how instruments matter (importance differs from person to person)

Question 11

Social classification of instruments

Answer 11

who plays what? can be determined by class, gender

• stereotypes around orchestral instruments
• what repertoires are played on instruments (violins - WAM, folk, Carnatic)
• relative statuses of instruments - Stokes e.g. - fiddle/violin important in Irish culture and less so in Turkish

Question 12

how do instruments affect those who play them?

Answer 12

• stories of instruments as individuals (stradivarius violins, named gamelan, dedicated bata drums)
• interactions between physicality of instruments, technique and repertoire
• priorities in an instrumental technique (violin - classical, HIP, folk, Carnatic)
• Gamelan with children with special needs, Good Vibrations Gamelan project with prisoners

Question 13

Techniques differ

Answer 13

Violin - classical, folk, Indian

Question 14

Instruments are complicated

Answer 14

• full story requires a lot of information
• same instrument can have radically different cultural meanings
• physicallity affects the way we interact with them and think about music