Musical instrument

A musical instrument (or simply instrument), from Latin instrumentem, is a device, such as a violin, piano, or drums, for making musical sound. Since music can be made with the voice, instruments are not necessary, however, to make music--unless the voice itself is considered an instrument, as it often is. If so, then "musical instrument" can be defined simply as "anything that can be used to make music."

The tools we have to make music are remarkably diverse, and fall into some commonly-recognized and sometimes overlapping classes:

• Stringed instruments include both bowed string instruments, such as the violin, and plucked string instruments, such as the guitar
• Wind instruments, sometimes divided into brass such as the trumpet and woodwinds such as the flute
• Keyboard instruments such as piano, although this is sometimes classified as a stringed or a percussion instrument, and organ, which is also considered a wind instrument
• Percussion instruments such as drums
• Electronic instruments such as synthesizers
• (Optionally) Voice such as singing and mouth music