Hornbostel-Sachs

This is a system used to classify all musical instruments. This system was created by
Erich Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs. The Hornbostel-Sachs system is based on how an
instrument vibrates to produce sound. Even though the system has been criticized and revised
over the years, it is the most widely accepted system of musical instrument classification used by
organologists and ethnomusicologists.

The system was first published in 1914 with a revised English translation in 1961. Other
classification systems date back to the 4th century B.C. The Chinese classified instruments by
the material that they were constructed from (stone, wood, silk, etc.). The idea was originally
conceived by the Hindus in the 1st century B.C. They created four main groups, vibrating strings,
vibrating air columns, percussion instruments made of wood or metal and percussion instruments
made with skin heads. Later, the Greeks used a similar system to classify their musical
instruments. Organologists such as Martin Agricola then refined the system even further by
dividing stringed instruments into the plucked and bowed categories. In the late 19th century,
Victor Mahillon, curator of the Brussels Conservatory musical instrument collection, adopted
and refined this system. Although his system was limited to the serious instruments of Western
music, he used the four groups of strings, winds, drums and other percussion. By expanding on
Mahillon's system, Hornbostel-Sachs made it possible to classify any instrument from any
culture.

The original Hornbostel-Sachs system classified instruments into four main categories.
The fifth category is a later revision to include the latest technologies in music performance.
Within each category are many subgroups with a formal structure based on the Dewey Decimal
classification system. The basic categories of the system are listed below, and a more complete
version of the system is found in the appendix (Table of Musical Instrument Classifications).

1 - Idiophones:
Instruments which produce sound by vibrating themselves;
2 - Membranophones:
Instruments which produce sound by a vibrating membrane;
3 - Chordophones:
Instruments which produce sound by vibrating strings;
4 - Aerophones:
Instruments which produce sound by vibrating columns of air;
5 - Electrophones:
Instruments which produce sound electronically.
Comprehensive Table of Musical Instrument Classifications
Based on the Hornbostel-Sachs Instrument Classification System

Musical Instrument Identification Quizzes - Modern Instruments and their

Families

Idiophones Membranophones Electrophones

Aerophones Chordophones (Vibrating (Vibrating (Electronically
(Wind (Stringed Instruments) Membrane Created Sounds)
Instruments - Instruments - Instruments)
Vibrating air) Vibrating strings)

Free Zithers Concussion Predrum Synthesizers

Aerophones Ground Zithers Idiophones Membranophones Moog
Free Aerophones Musical Bows Clappers Ground drums Theremin
(Moving object Aeolian Bows Claves Pot drums Ondes Martenot
vibrates air to Pluriare Slapstick Trautonium
create sound) Stick Zithers Castanets Tubular Drums
Bull-roarer Vin Castanets
Buzzer Frame Drums
Bladder and Cymbals Shallow Drums
Free Reed String
Cymbals Cylinder Drums
Aerophones Raft Zither Hourglass Drums
(Vibrating reeds Trough Zither Conical Drums
without Frame Zither Percussion Goblet Drums
resonators) Tube Zither Idiophones Barrel Drums
Accordion Board Zither Rattle Drums
Harmonica Long Zither Water Drums
Stamped Idiophones
Harmonium Individually Percussion Beams Drum Kit / Drum Set
Mouth Organ Bridged Long Talking Drums
Sheng Zither Drum Chimes
Fretted Long Marimba
Bell Lyre Bass Drum
Zither Bongos
Flutes (Flue Celesta
Box Zither Conga
Voiced) Monochord
Gender
Glockenspiel Snare Drum
(Air column String Drum Tenor Drum
Orchestra Bells
split by lip of Trumpet Marine Saron Timbales
of the Psaltery Vibraphone Tom-tom
instrument) Aeolian Harp
Percussion Disks
Fretted Zither
Open Tube
Bell Harp Gong Kettledrums
End Blown Percussion Sticks Timpani
Autoharp
Single Flutes
Dulcimer Triangles
Kaval Zither Xylophone Friction Drums
End Blown
Crystallophones
Multiple Flutes
Keyboard Lithophones
Panpipes Metallophone
Chordophones Mirliton
Whistle Blown Percussion Tubes
 Keyboard Kazoo
Boatswains Experimental Stamping Tubes
Whistle Keyboard Slit Drums
Flageolet Transposing Tubular Bells &
Recorder Keyboard Chimes
Chekker Angklung
Side Blown Dulce Melos
Clavichord Percussion Vessels
Flute
Cimbal d'amour Percussion Gourds
(transverse)
Harpsichord & Pots
Closed Tube
Clavicytherium The Echeion
Ocarina Gut-strung Steel Drums
Keyboard Harpsichords & Bells
Organ Enharmonic Temple Blocks
Harpsichords Wood Block
Spinet
Reedpipes Virginal
(Vibration of Claviorganum Shaken
reeds) Piano-organ Idiophones
Double Pipes Bowed Keyboard (Rattles)
Triple Pipes Instruments Vessel Rattles
Hornpipes Pianoforte Pellet Bells
Bladder pipe Harpsichord Gourd Rattles
Crumhorn Piano
Maracas
Bagpipes Tangent Piano
Sustaining Piano Basketry Rattles
Musette Hollow Ring
Pedalboard Piano
Shawm Enharmonic Rattles
Oboe Piano Suspension Rattles
English Horn Player Piano
Fortepiano Stick Rattles
Rackett
Piano Sistrum
Sordone Strung Rattles
Sordun
Bassanelli
Bassoon Lyres Frame, Pendant, and
Lyre Sliding Rattles
Curtal
Crwth Sistro
Bassoon
Contrabassoon
Harps Scraped
High-pitched
Bassoon Ground Bows Idiophones
Single-reed Harps Scrapers
Bassoon Harp Giro
Harp Zither Cog Rattles
Harp Lute
Sarrusophone
Single-reed Cog Rattle
Reedpipes Lutes Ratchet
Long-necked Lute Washboard
Clarinet Short-necked Lute
Archlute
Saxophone
Theorbo Split Idiophone
Free-reed Theorbo Lute
Aerophones
 Chitarrone
Angelica Plucked
Lip Vibrated Idiophones
Mandora Jew's Harp
Aerophones- Mandolin
(Vibration of Thumb Piano
Sitar
Lips) Cittern Music Box
Sansa
Horn
Mbira
Fingerhole Horns Archcittern
Cornett Bandora
Serpent Friction
Trumpet Orpharion Idiophones
(Conical Bore) Penorcon Friction Sticks
Alphorn Polyphant Friction-bar Pianos
Bugle Balalaika Friction Vessels
Cornet Charango Musical Glasses
Flugelhorn Colascione Glass Armonica
(Cylindrical Musical Saw
Bore) Guitar
Euphonium Gittern
Sousaphone Vihuela
Trombone Spanish Guitar
Tuba Bass Guitar
Bandurria
Ukulele
Organistrum (hurdy-
gurdy)

Bowed
Chordophones
Bow
Fiddle
Rebec
Kit
Folk Rebec
Polnische Geige
Lira da Braccio
Lira da Gamba
Viola da Gamba
Violone
Baryton
Viola
Violino d'amore
Violin
Viola
Tenor Violin
Violoncello
(cello)
Double Bass