One-Man Band Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kazoo

Believed to have originated in Africa, the kazoo was first used for ceremonial purposes. Although some give credit for the first kazoo in America to Alabama Vest in 1840, the first documented manufacturing was in 1883 when Warren Herbert Frost applied for a patent and proposed to call his instrument a kazoo.

Answer: Ukulele

In Hawaii, the term "ukulele" translates into "jumping flea"! There is a legend that one of King Kalākaua's English officers, Edward William Purvis, expertly played the instrument in a "fidgety manner"; it was said to be one of the king's favorite instruments. According to the last Hawaiian monarch, Queen Liliʻuokalani, however, the name translates into "the gift that came here".

Answer: Banjo

Banjos originated in Africa, where they were made with a gourd body, a skin head, and a wooden stick neck. They can be played with the fingers or a pick. The number of strings are used to produce a different type of sound; four-string banjos are used for strumming, as in creating jazz music, while five-stringed banjos are used for the sound found in bluegrass music.

Answer: Accordion

It is believed that the accordion was invented in 1822 by the German Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann; however it also became popular in Tula, Russia, at about the same time. In fact, by the 1840s, it is estimated that factories in Tula were manufacturing 10,000 per year!

Answer: Harmonica

Akin to the Chinese sheng, one of the oldest known instruments, the harmonica was developed in Europe in the early 18th century. Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann is given credit for its invention in 1821; however, there is evidence that similar instruments appeared all over the world at approximately the same time. Initially it was made to use in classical music compositions.

Answer: Cymbals

Many types of cymbals can be played by musicians today. The crash cymbals, used in pairs as in the picture, can either be rubbed together or struck against each other. A suspended cymbal is hung from a rope or leather strap, and is allowed to vibrate freely when struck. Many different sizes of cymbals that produce different tones are also used in orchestras.

Answer: Tambourine

While some tambourines are manufactured with drum heads, others are not. It is believed that they originated in the ancient Middle East, Greece, India, and Rome, and were used in religious music. Tambourines can come in many shapes, but the most common is circular.

Answer: Bass Drum

There are three basic types of bass drum: the gran tamburo, which is the largest drum of the orchestra, the kick drum, which is seen on drum sets, and the pitched bass drum, which is usually used by drum corps and marching bands.

Answer: Pipe

A fipple is the mouthpiece found on fipple flutes. Found in many cultures around the world, the pipe comes in many forms, such as the tin whistle and recorder. Shepherd pipes were used for centuries to calm their sheep and pass the time. Today, many would-be music students learn to play on a recorder with seven finger holes and a thumb hole, before they choose an instrument.

Answer: Guitar

Classified as a chordophone, a musical instrument that makes sound by way of a vibrating string or strings, pictorial representations of a guitar-like instrument date back to the ancient Babylonians and Hittites. The origins of the modern guitar are believed to have developed in Europe in the 12th century.