ARTSEDGE: Musical Instruments

Slideshow

Learn to identify the strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion instruments that make up an orchestra

Audio Series

A 3-part audio series that explores different aspects of Arab music: the musical instruments of the Arab World; what makes Arab music unique; and the styles of music in the Arab World.

Audio Series

Art/Space

How do composers hear space? What does space sound like? Is there music in space? Narrated by Roger Launius of the Space History Division of the National Air and Space Museum, this series looks at the way music and outer space connect.

Audio Series

Blues Journey

Out of the hardships of Black Americans at the turn of the 20th century came the blues, a music that helped ease their suffering.

Audio Series

Gulf Coast Highway

The music of the Gulf Coast provides a microcosm of the cultural diversity and richness of the United States. Hear the music and the experience of the musicians as Artsedge takes you from Houston, Texas to Jacksonville, Florida, on a musical road trip across US-90.

Audio Series

Jazz in DC

Take a tour through jazz history in Washington, DC! Pianist Billy Taylor and saxophonist and flutist Frank Wess lead listeners through their hometown's music scene in this six-part audio series.

Audio Series

Music in the Military

Music and musicians play an important role in military life. From the history of "Taps" to the importance of the USO, this series explores the place of ceremonial, tactical and recreational music in the US military.

Audio Series

Music of Greece: Past is Present

Discover how incomplete fragments of papyrus and stone can provide clues to recreating music that has not been heard in thousands of years, explore the far-reaching influence that ancient Greece has had on modern music, and experience the numerous cultural and historical influences that have contributed to the music of today’s Greece.

Audio Series

Sounds of China

Chinese music dates back thousands of years and sounds different from Western music thanks to important differences in tone, musical scale, pitch, instrumentation and individual instruments. With instruments crafted from a wide variety of materials, including, bamboo, silk, gourd, clay and stone—-and played in a diverse range of styles, from single voices to richly melodic orchestral pieces--Chinese music is as varied as the people who create it.

Video Series

Andes Manta

Andes Manta performs the vibrant music of the Andes on more than 35 traditional instruments

Video Series

Keith Bear, Flute-Maker

Musician, storyteller and flutemaker Keith Bear sheds light on the art and tradition of making flutes in the Native American tradition in this series of video clips.

Video Series

Joseph Bruchac: The Flute and the Drum

The storyteller explains the origin and significance of the flute and drum in Native American culture

Video Series

Ralph Stanley: The Roots of Country Music

Learn about the beginnings of country music and its early innovators through the stories and music of three of country music's most respected musicians: mountain music legend Dr. Ralph Stanley, Jim Lauderdale and James Shelton.

Video Series

Tambuco Percussion

Tambuco performs a repertoire ranging from structuralist percussion music to ethnic drum music and avante garde sound interpretations

Video

Palestinian Jazz

Palestinian and Moroccan musicians perform on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage--see how the musicians go from a sound check to actual performance.

Video

Beijing Traditional Music Ensemble

Virtuoso musicians demonstrate a range of distinctive styles in Chinese music

Video

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra

Join the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra for a lecture and demonstration explaining each of the four sections of the Chinese orchestra as well as some of the individual instruments.

Video