What are the different families of musical instruments?

Par LaSalleDeMusique
What are the different families of musical instruments?

There are many families of musical instruments. The most common are the string family, the brass family and the woodwind family. Each of these families has its own sound.

The string family

There string family includes instruments such as violin, viola, cello and double bass. These instruments are played by plucking or rubbing the strings to create a sound. Within this family, we find subcategories, such as bowed string instruments, hit Or pinches.

The brass family

There brass family includes instruments such as trumpet, trombone and French horn. These instruments are played by vibrating the lips in a mouthpiece to create a sound. The brass family also has subcategories, including natural trumpets and trombones, valve trumpets, and rotary trumpets.

The woodland family

There woodland family includes instruments such as flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet and bassoon. These instruments are played by blowing air through a reed or hole in the instrument to create a sound. Wind instruments can also be divided into subcategories, such as flutes (open) and reed instruments (closed).

The percussion family

There family of percussion instruments is made up of instruments that are played by striking them with the hands or sticks. It includes drums, cymbals and the xylophone in particular. It is one of the most popular and arguably oldest categories of instruments. It is also the easiest family to play and learn.

The keyboard family

There keyboard family includes instruments such as piano and organ. These instruments are played by pressing keys to create a sound. This family of musical instruments is very popular because it is easy to play, however, it still requires a minimum of learning for some.

The family of wind instruments

There family of wind instruments is made up of musical instruments that are played by blowing air through them. It includes, for example, instruments such as the flute, the clarinet, the saxophone and the trumpet.

The idiophone family

There family of idiophones is made up of musical instruments that create sounds through vibration. They do not need to be struck or plucked like the percussion family, nor do they need to have air passed through them like the wind instrument family. Triangle, maracas and bell are examples of idiophones

The membranophone family

There membranophone family is made up of musical instruments which are played by striking a membrane. Drums are the most common type of membranophone, but there are others, such as the bongo and conga

The bowstring family

The bowed string instrument family consists of instruments that are played by rubbing a string with a bow. The most popular bowed string instrument is the violin, but there are others such as the viola, cello and double bass. Bowed string instruments have a very distinctive sound that is often used in classical music

Electronic instruments

The family of electronic musical instruments includes all those who create sounds by electrical means. This family has grown a lot in recent years and now includes keyboards, guitars, drums and even some wind instruments.


There are many other families of musical instruments, but these are the most common. Each family has its own sound and there are subcategories within each. You can learn more about each family by doing research or taking lessons from a professional musician. As you can see, there is a lot of diversity between them. Each family has a unique sound that contributes to the overall symphony of music. It’s up to you to see which family is your favorite!

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