Musical Terms Beginning With H

A note used in music notation. In 4/4 time, it is worth 2 beats or half of a whole note.

A traditional native american drum, made with a rawhide stretched over a circular frame

Also called the mouth organ. A small, rectangular wind instrument with reeds inside. Sound is made by blowing in and out through openings to the reeds, which causes them to vibrate.

A keyboard instrument that looks like a small organ. The sound on a harmonium is made by pushing air through metal reeds; the player uses foot pedals to pump the air.

A string instrument that dates back to pre-historic times. The modern harp has a large triangular frame with strings stretched vertically across the triangle. The strings are graduated in length, from longest/lowest pitches to shortest/highest, and there are foot pedals that can be used to raise the pitch of each string by half steps. The sound is created by pucking the strings with the fingers.

A keyboard instrument that was an ancestor of the piano. When the keys are pressed, the strings are plucked by quills. Because of this, it is nearly impossible to make changes in dynamics playing the harpsichord.

A brass wind instrument with a tube bent into a circle, a funnel-shaped mouthpiece, and a wide bell. Another name for a French Horn.