Your Knowledge is Instrumental Quiz

Answer: Cowbell

Cowbells are so named because they're virtually identical to the types of bells fastened around the neck of a cow in order to locate it in a field. While those types of cowbells are shaken by the cow, the musical instrument version is hit with a drumstick or baton as a member of the percussion family. Frequently used in rock music and in certain (yet differing) regional styles (eg. Alpine and Latin). Occasionally they can be seen attached to drum sets. Cowbell rose in notoriety after a famous sketch on "Saturday Night Live" in which Christopher Walken, that episode's host, asked Will Ferrell for "more cowbell".

The sketch aired in 2000.

Answer: Mandolin

The mandolin is a small, stringed instrument played like a ukulele in the sense that both are held in the same position as a guitar and strummed. The mandolin differs, however, since it is tuned like a violin and often contains more strings. The ukulele, meanwhile, is tuned almost like a guitar (though there are several variations).

The ukulele is best-known for being popularized in Hawaii-- not Italy. The mandolin has made its way into different regions of the world, however. While the dulcian and the zither are Italian instruments, neither are similar to the mandolin.

The former is a woodwind and the latter, while a stringed instrument, is built on a horizontal sounding box.

Answer: Contrabassoon

The contrabassoon is also known as a bass or double bassoon and, because it's so large it needs to perch on the floor. This instrument is extremely low for a woodwind and is rarely found in concert/orchestral settings because the deep, resonant noises it creates are often better performed by a tuba or another low brass instrument. Nevertheless, the contrabassoon holds a special slot in the woodwind collection...right at the bottom of the range. This is a double reed instrument.
The other instrument depicted is a regular bassoon.

Answer: Theremin

While this creation sounds a lot like a singing saw in some regards (you know...that eerie singing saw) it's actually much different when it creates sound. Signals move off the antennas so that the player doesn't actually touch the device in order to play it.

The result is an electronic response generated by the feedback you input controlling volume on one side and frequency on the other. The theremin has been used in countless science fiction soundtracks, mostly due to its otherworldliness-- you'd be hard-pressed to find a conventional instrument to make this sound.

It's also known as an etherphone, almost as though the sound comes straight from the ether.

Answer: Cornet

What's the difference between a trumpet and a cornet, one may ask. You don't need to because now you remember that a cornet has more bends in its brass piping than a typical trumpet. In addition, the cornet features a broader cone while the trumpet is longer in its cylinder. Because of their construction, the cornet is a softer instrument than a trumpet. In some cases, the cornet can also have its bends oriented to make it look similar to the rounder French Horn, another well-known brass instrument.
Louis Armstrong played the cornet, perhaps even more than the trumpet.

Answer: Glockenspiel

You remember playing this thing back in grade school-- as an alternative to the xylophone, of course. The glockenspiel has its origins in Europe and differs from the xylophone because its tuned slats are made of metal, not wood. While these instruments can be configured to play with a set of keys, they're mostly seen with padded mallets.
In some countries, larger-scale percussion instruments known as carillons are also types of glockenspiels through they're made with large bells, not metal slats. They function in the same way though-- you hit them; they make noise.

Answer: Melodica

All of the other answers are of the hammer and string/plucking string variety; the melodica is the only one on the list that you'd find in someone's mouth. To play this unique device, you blow into the hole at the top and control the pitch by playing the keys, much like a piano. In fact, some people use air hoses attached to the reed device to play the instrument like they would a piano...only blowing into it.
The instrument is also the only one of the four to be portable. Long gone are the days of lugging your piano from gig to gig.

Answer: Vuvuzela

The vuvuzela is simple in its construction. A horn designed to be loud and made to be heard, it was mass produced in 2010 during and following the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The instrument was originally modeled on the traditional Iepatata Mambu. While most vuvuzela players only make a single note (which is close, but just off from middle C) in a resounding, obnoxious burst of air, some more skilled players can manipulate the device to their liking. Due to its volume it's been banned in many different venues, not only for its distractions but for the noise pollution it creates in greater numbers.

Answer: Ocarina

The ocarina is a simple woodwind creation which can come in many shapes and sizes. Perhaps the most popular is the potato ocarina though they can be created in several versions, each with different amounts of holes in different spots on the body of the instrument.

This device is so old that it's hard to pinpoint which culture it originally came from. The potato/sweet potato version of the ocarina is also known as a 'transverse'. The xun, while similar, is not referred to as a potato in any sense-- it more resembles an egg. The ocarina became popular in a contemporary sense thanks to the "Legend of Zelda" video game series-- if you're a Nintendo fan, you know the impact of a single ocarina.

Answer: Gamelan

While all of the others are percussion instruments from around the world (as timbales are from Cuba, the cabasa is from Latin America, and the shekere is from Africa), only the gamelan is from Indonesia.
The gamelan is unique in that it's actually a set of instruments all created together. While the percussion component, specifically the metallophones, are the most recognizable and unique, the gamelan can also include woodwinds, drums, and singers. Its popularity is mostly restricted to Southeast Asia-- you'd be unlikely to find a gamelan elsewhere (though they do exist)!