FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

Unknown Musical Instruments Trivia Quiz

This quiz is dedicated to some of those really weird musical instruments. My magical time machine will take you everywhere you will need to go to take this quiz. Good luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by qmwne. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
qmwne

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
223,323

Updated
Feb 23 23

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
533

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Hop into my magical time machine, and we will go back to 900 A.D. *time machine spins, the door opens*
Here, in front of us, you see (or maybe you don't) an Arabic man. He is telling you he is playing a rabab. You start to argue with him, either because you have never heard of such an instrument or you just feel like arguing. He is holding an instrument somewhat like, say, a violin, with tuning pegs and strings, but it is oddly pear-shaped. It is bowed across the strings. You (might) finally get the picture. What is another name for a "rabab"? Hint

Rebec

Ramallah

Rabal

Rapel

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Now, we shall go farther back in time to the reign of some old dead Roman emperor. Music was regarded as plebian and vulgar by the upper class, but we still sometimes see traveling bands. Here, in front of us, is a mosaic. On the mosaic is a man with two pipes in his mouth. You may be thinking, "Why is that stupid guy trying to play two clarinets at once?". However, these are not clarinets. What is the ancient term for them? Hint

Sistrums

Pan-Pipes

Cornus

Auloi

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. This question is refreshingly simple. This instrument consists of two pieces of metal, often chained together, that when hit against each other make a clanging sound. It still exists and is well known today. Which of these is it? Hint

Drums

Clangers

Sistrums

Cymbals

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Going 1300 years forward in time from our last stop in the Roman Empire, we encounter an instrument which all of the violin family evolved from. It was similar to the viola da gamba. It looks like a cello with tons of strings. What is it? Hint

Viol

Piano

Viola

Violoncello

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Journeying through time back to the Ancient Greeks, we meet up with an instrument that is bigger than a lyre. Some liars (Get it? Lyre? Liar? Ha ha.) said players could make it cry. It had a wooden frame with many strings lined up prettily like a harp, even though it was more related to the guitar. What was it? Hint

Kithara

Auloi

Lute

Chordflute

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Fast forward. A lot. Now, we are in the period right before the Revolutionary War. Oh, watch out for those angry colonists! Watching these tax collectors get tarred and feathered is entertaining! *shakes head wildly*
Ok, back on topic. Benjamin Franklin, an inventor, philosopher, scientist, Founding Father, and who-knows-what-else, invented a musical instrument. This instrument consisted of some glass bowls placed in a wooden case filled with water. They turned inside the casing, powered by a foot pedal, and when touched with either a lot or a little pressure, made a sound described as "angelic". What did Franklin christen his new instrument? Hint

Armonica

Water Music

Harmonica

Angelic Case

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. We'll just stay where we are, because there is no one time period for this instrument. We have here an instrument that is played by placing near the mouth, twanging, and changing the size of the mouth cavity to alter pitch. It was mentioned in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", but has been used for millennia under many names. It has also been used around the world. Which of these is *NOT* a name for this instrument? Hint

Xomuz

Jew's Harp

Twanger

Kubing

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Going back to medieval times, we go to the manor and see a man playing an instrument made of a reed or wood with eight holes carved into it. It looks and sounds like a clarinet, but in construction it isn't one. It is like a recorder with a a reed added (even though it evolved from a double reeded instrument called a shawm). What instrument is it? Hint

Oboe

Chalumeau

Didgeridoo

Bloul

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Blasted time machine! It's broken! Okay, we'll have to make do with what we have, now that we're in 1300 A.D. Hey, this looks rather like Peru. I guess we can continue our quiz. Which of these is a turtle shaped instrument developed by the Incas, Mayans, and Aztecs? Hint

Mijwiz

Ocarina

Rag-Dung

Shofar

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. We have arrived to our conclusion, and as a final question, I shall ask the one question to rule them all! Mwuhahahahaha! *Qmwne quiz productions is not responsible for disappointment because of the above description* If you get it, you win - wait for it - absolutely nothing! Ok, well, here we go. Which of these instruments was introduced by the British to India during the Age of Imperialism and subsequently became *immensely popular* there? Hint

Harmonium

Sitar

Shvi

Bassoon

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Most Recent Scores

Nov 04 2024 : Guest 172: 1/10
Sep 30 2024 : snhha: 10/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Hop into my magical time machine, and we will go back to 900 A.D. *time machine spins, the door opens* Here, in front of us, you see (or maybe you don't) an Arabic man. He is telling you he is playing a rabab. You start to argue with him, either because you have never heard of such an instrument or you just feel like arguing. He is holding an instrument somewhat like, say, a violin, with tuning pegs and strings, but it is oddly pear-shaped. It is bowed across the strings. You (might) finally get the picture. What is another name for a "rabab"?

Answer: Rebec

The spread of the rebec was very slow. Early on it was invented by the Arabs and passed on to Europeans as a result of the Crusades. It grew in popularity as a court instrument, and reached its peak in alto, soprano, tenor, and bass versions around 1500.

By the end of the century, however, it was only played in taverns and the streets and was regarded as an instrument for poor commoners. This is because the viola d'braccio (father of the viola and violin) had just evolved from it and produced a much better sound.

It died out at around 1700. Ramallah is the name for a number of cities in the Middle East. The others I made up.

Answer: Auloi

Auloi, also known as double pipes, were in essence just two flutes played at once. A sistrum was a rattle, a cornu was a curved bugle-like horn, and pan-pipes were a few hollowed reeds of different lengths bound together. All of these instruments were popular among the common people during the time of the Roman Empire.

Answer: Cymbals

Clangers are a figment of my imagination.
The sistrum, as explained earlier, is a type of rattle.

Answer: Viol

The viol is a very interesting instrument. Viola da gamba is another name for it and literally means leg-viola. The viola d'braccio, on the other hand, was the precursor of the modern viola, a much smaller instrument that is slightly bigger and lower than a violin. Violoncello is bascially another, longer, name for cello.

Answer: Kithara

The kithara, an instrument blessed by Apollo, was the true precursor to the guitar.

6. Fast forward. A lot. Now, we are in the period right before the Revolutionary War. Oh, watch out for those angry colonists! Watching these tax collectors get tarred and feathered is entertaining! *shakes head wildly* Ok, back on topic. Benjamin Franklin, an inventor, philosopher, scientist, Founding Father, and who-knows-what-else, invented a musical instrument. This instrument consisted of some glass bowls placed in a wooden case filled with water. They turned inside the casing, powered by a foot pedal, and when touched with either a lot or a little pressure, made a sound described as "angelic". What did Franklin christen his new instrument?

Answer: Armonica

"Water Music" is, in fact, a piece by Georg Frederic Handel, a famous Baroque composer. The harmonica is an instrument played with the mouth, but glass harmonica is an acceptable name for the armonica. Harmonica, without the glass in front of it, is not the proper name for it. The last choice, angelic case, is a figment of my imagination (again).

Answer: Twanger

Jew's harp, juice harp, and jaw harp are the most common names for this instrument. Kubing is its name in parts of the Philippines, and xomuz is its name in Siberia.
NOTE: The name is probably a corruption of "juice harp". If you feel offended in any way by this question, I will change that choice to another name for the same instrument.

Answer: Chalumeau

The chalumeau is the ancestor of the clarinet. The oboe is a modern instrument in the woodwind family, the didgeridoo is an Austalian Aboriginal flute, and the bloul is an Armenian flute, along with the duduk. However

Answer: Ocarina

The ocarina is an instrument usually crafted from ceramic that is shaped like a turtle and has many finger holes that produce different pitches. The mijwiz is a set of cane pipes bound together and blown into, from the Middle East; the rag-dung is a horn from Tibet; and the shofar is a Jewish instrument made of a horn, blown into to call for worship.

Answer: Harmonium

The harmonium is an instrument that looks like a small piano. It has a bellows at the back which can be pumped to produce sound while the keys, played by the right hand, determine the pitch. The sitar is a string instrument with a long neck that is very important in Indian culture.

Have A Good Day : )

Source: Author qmwne

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.