Elemental Musical Instruments Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bass

"Bass" can refer to a few different instruments. There is the massive double bass seen in orchestras, and bass guitars seen in rock bands (they use the same tuning). You can also have bass singers in choirs. In music circles, the jokes are that bass parts are simple, but basses, whatever their type, provide an important foundation for chords.

Answer: Harp

Harps are lovely stringed instruments that are plucked, with history extending back into ancient times. Unlike most stringed instruments that have fret/fingerboards, harps have one string for every note they play. Usually a string can be adjusted by a minor tone to reduce the number of strings needed.

Answer: Lute

Lutes and harps both have long histories. While harps had one string for each note, lutes had fewer strings and a fret board to change notes. Guitars can trace their history back to lutes.

Answer: Flute

In modern times, a flute is a specific instrument made of metal with a specific set of keys and holes, but flute style instruments are some of the oldest we have discovered. The earliest flutes were made from animal bones.

Answer: Violin

The violin is the most prevalent instrument in the orchestra, with a modern western orchestra having double digit numbers of violinists. The violin makes a beautiful sound, both on its own and as part of an ensemble, and can easily take on any tone (somber, excited, passionate, etc.), so its popularity is well earned.

Answer: Bassoon

The bassoon is a large instrument that uses the relatively rare double reed mouthpiece, which is two reeds sandwiched together with a small gap between them. The bassoon is one of the newer instruments in this quiz, and often looks very complicated to play because of all its keys, but it is laid out methodically and not difficult to play. Lots of keys are used for only one note, and some keys double others, meaning they never need to be used.

The bassoon has been refined by trial and error since its modern inception in the 1600s. The most notable example is the contrabassoon, a larger bassoon, that had some characteristics that made it difficult to play. A new instrument in the same space is the contraforte, which uses modern design principles and technology, though not many of either have been made.

Answer: Ocarina

The ocarina is a type of flute instrument, and unlike the other instruments in this quiz, there is no standard for producing them. Some inventive creators can even make ocarinas out of fruits and vegetables.

Answer: Bagpipes

This famous Scottish instrument used to be made with sheep bladders. The air bladder is filled and then squeezed to make a sound. Because the piper's breathing is decoupled from the sound, the bagpipes can maintain a continuous sound without stopping for the piper to breathe in.

Answer: Harmonica

The harmonica is actually a reed instrument. Most reed instruments, like the clarinet, have just one reed. Harmonicas have a reed for every note they can play, similar to how the harp has a string for every note it can play. The harmonica is also known as the French harp.

Answer: French Horn

The French horn (sometimes just called a "horn") is known for being a beautiful tangle of pipes in a circular shape, held by a hand in the bell. Because it is always partially muted, it has a distinct tone among the brass section.