Membranophone

A membranophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by way of a vibrating stretched membrane. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, the other three being idiophone, chordophone and aerophone (a fifth class, electrophone, was added in a later revision).

Related Topics:
Musical instrument - Sound - Membrane - Hornbostel-Sachs - Musical instrument classification - Idiophone - Chordophone - Aerophone - Electrophone

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Most membranophones are drums. Hornbostel-Sachs divides drums into three main types: struck drums, where the skin is hit with a stick, the hand, or something else; string drums, where a knotted string attached to the skin is pulled, passing its vibrations onto the skin; and friction drums, where some sort of rubbing motion causes the skin to vibrate (a common type has a stick passing through a hole in the skin which is pulled back and forth).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In addition to drums, there is another kind of membranophone, called the singing membranophone, of which the best known type is the kazoo. These instruments modify a sound produced by something else, commonly the human voice, by having a skin vibrate in sympathy with it.

Related Topics:
Kazoo - In sympathy

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~