Musical Instruments Trivia Questions
Total Questions: 111
What musical instrument evolved from a lutelike instrument called the mandola?
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mandolin
Which ancient Greek string instrument is the source of the term used to describe certain singing voices as 'lyric'?
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lyre
What type of instrument is an end-blown Japanese shakuhachi made of bamboo?
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flute
What instrument is associated with musicians Dave Brubeck, Fats Waller, and Count Basie?
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piano
What Hawaiian instrument was developed from a Portuguese guitar called a machete?
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ukulele
What is the name of the part inside a bell that is also a type of percussion instrument?
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clapper
What musical instrument has versions that utilize valves instead of the traditional slide?
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trombone
What type of musical instrument includes variations such as bass, snare, and kettle?
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drum
Which musical instrument, slightly larger than the violin, serves as the alto or tenor member of its family?
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viola
Which electronic musical instrument did 1968's 'Switched On Bach' help popularize, specifically the Moog type?
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synthesizer
What instrument is associated with musicians Duane Eddy, Andres Segovia, and Chuck Berry?
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guitar
What musical instrument, invented by Adolphe Sax, shares his name and has become more famous than his saxhorn?
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saxophone
In the 1830s, what instrument did Henry Steinway, a veteran of Waterloo, begin manufacturing?
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piano
What musical instruments are traditionally associated with Scotland's war songs and dirges known as pibrochs?
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bagpipes
What type of extremely hard black wood is used to make a violin's fingerboard?
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ebony
Which instrument, also known as a mouth organ, can be traced back to the Chinese sheng from 1100 B.C.?
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harmonica
From which animal's tusk is an oliphant, a type of horn, made?
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elephant
What instrument is played by Yo-Yo Ma?
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cello
What instruments first section player is known as the concertmaster in an orchestra?
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violin
What is the name of the Russian lute that typically has its three strings tuned to E, E, and A above middle C?
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balalaika
What musical instrument is a Fender Stratocaster?
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guitar
What is the name given to the finest violins ever made, which bear the Latinized form of their maker's name?
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stradivarius
What instrument is informally called a sweet potato?
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ocarina
What substance does a violinist apply to the bow to increase friction between the bow and the strings?
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rosin
Which military flute is named after the German word for 'pipe'?
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fife
Which side-blown instrument is an octave higher than the concert flute?
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piccolo
What is the name of the valveless horn commonly used for military calls?
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bugle
What are the large drums called that were traditionally used in pairs by earlier composers and are now often used in groups of three or more by modern composers?
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timpani
What exotic shell requires you to hold your lips the same way as when playing a brass instrument?
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conch
Which instrument in a school band is often one of the largest and most difficult to carry?
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tuba
What is the musical instrument that has a contra type known for being the lowest-pitched member of the woodwind family?
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bassoon
What metal are the strings of some guitars and pianos made of?
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steel
What highly prized violins were first created in Italy in 1666?
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stradivarius
What musical instrument, often associated with the Highlands, features a blowpipe, a chanter, and three drones?
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bagpipes
What valveless instrument, originally used as a hunting horn, is now used for military calls?
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bugle
What small side-blown flute traditionally accompanies drums in patriotic corps?
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fife
Which instrument is famously played by John Bonham, Karen Carpenter, and Gene Krupa?
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drums
What stringed instrument has a 'steel' variant that lacks frets?
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guitar
What instrument, specifically the Highland version, features 2 tenor drones and a bass drone?
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bagpipes
What percussion instruments should a flamenco dancer be accomplished on?
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castanets
What musical instrument includes types that can be end-blown or side-blown (transverse)?
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flute
Which instrument, along with the piano, is featured in Paganini's composition 'Carnival of Venice' that is based on the tune 'O Mama Mia'?
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violin
Wind instruments are traditionally categorized into woodwinds and what other group?
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brass
What percussion instrument, frequently utilized to create a gypsy effect in music, features small jingling disks?
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tambourine
Which woodwind instrument is Kenny G famously associated with?
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saxophone
What is the name of the side-blown flute, often paired with drums, that has been played since the Crusades?
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fife
What lyre-shaped instrument, commonly seen in marching bands and played with hammers, has a 12-letter name?
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glockenspiel
What is the smallest type of flute, typically about 12 inches long?
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piccolo
What is the musical instrument whose name is Italian for 'little' and reaches the highest pitches in the band?
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piccolo
In 1820, violinist Ludwig Spohr probably invented the rest for which part of the body?
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chin
What are the raised bars on the neck of a guitar called?
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fret
From which material, derived from the intestines of sheep or hogs, are certain musical instrument strings made?
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catgut
In music terminology, what is the term for a small component of a violin that is referred to as a ponticello?
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bridge
What type of woodwind instrument is the recorder, which is popular with amateur musicians?
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flute
Which composer invented a half tuba/half horn instrument for use in his 'Ring' cycle?
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richard wagner
Which instrument is famously played by Toots Thielmans, Larry Addler, and Stevie Wonder?
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harmonica
Which instrument uses a sustaining pedal to hold the dampers off the strings and prolong the sound?
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piano
What earlier keyboard instrument was referred to as a spinet before the term was used to describe a small piano?
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harpsichord
What musical instrument is the piccolo a smaller version of, and is pitched an octave higher?
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flute
In 'The Devil's Dictionary', what musical instrument did Bierce refer to as 'a parlor utensil for subduing the impenitent visitor'?
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piano
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