Folk Instruments Trivia Quiz

Answer: recorder

Generally these instruments are made from wood or plastic, and come in a large variety of sizes. This instrument is mentioned in Shakespeare's "Hamlet".

The popularity of the flute would eventually edge the recorder out of the orchestra line-up.

Answer: jug

Jugs are generally made from glass or stoneware and produce a low pitched sound. Jug bands were popular in the 1920s, and included other easily obtainable objects such as a washboard, spoons, etc.

Answer: banjo

Banjos have developed from instruments created by enslaved West Africans. Today they are generally three-, four- or five-stringed instruments which are either picked or strummed.

The instrumental "Dueling Banjos" from the move "Deliverance" was actually recorded with a guitar and a banjo.

Answer: accordion

The accordionist uses the bellows to create air flow. The keys allow the air to flow over the reeds exposed when the key(s) are pressed. Created in the 19th century, they now come in many different forms and are used in all types of music.

Answer: harmonica

These wee instruments are popular in many music genres, and several sites state that these are the world's best-selling music instrument. They're small and can be easily carried, able to be played at a moment's notice.

Walter Schirra played "Jingle Bells" on the Gemini 5 spaceship on a small 4-hole harmonica.

Answer: didgeridoo

This instrument was created by indigenous Australians, though no one really knows how old it is. The instrument is generally a long cylinder made from trunks hollowed out by termites.

Answer: sitar

The sitar is a classical stringed instrument in India, played by plucking, often with a pic called the mezrab. Ravi Shankar helped popularize both Indian music and the sitar when touring in Europe and the Americas.

Answer: ukulele

The ukulele comes in many shapes, but the most popular seems to be the figure 8 shape--making it appear to be a small guitar. The penultimate monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, King Kalākaua, not only played the instrument but promoted it as well.

Answer: uilleann pipes

The pipes are played by pumping the bellows and playing the chanter. These pipes are most often played while sitting so that the bottom of the chanter is sealed by the player's leg or knee.

Answer: pipa

The pipa has been providing music for the Chinese for over two centuries. The pear-shaped body has four strings and is played by flicking the fingers outward. The other hand is used to modify the sound by pressing or bending the strings.