Musical instruments were first invented around 1700 by the Italian composer Bartolomeo Cristofori. A piano is played by striking the strings with the fingers on a keyboard and the term piano is a shortened form of the pianoforte, which means soft and loud in Italian. The violin is another early example of a musical instrument. In both cases, the piano is played by the right hand using the bow to pluck the strings.
The horn is one of the oldest musical instruments. The name comes from the shape of the animal horns, which were used in prehistoric times. Today, the earliest horns have a conical bore and valves. The crooks on the horn allowed the player to change the pitch and notes by holding their hands in various positions within the bell. These instruments are still used in modern times and are often classified according to their use in chamber music.
The history of musical instruments goes back thousands of years. While there is no single earliest source of musical instruments, most are classified into six major categories: bowed strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboard, and guitar family. The tuba is the oldest instrument in the world, and its origins date to the Stone Age. While trumpet-like instruments were used in hunting ceremonies to signal the successful kill, drum-like instruments were also used in religious ceremonies.
The history of musical instruments lives on today and new history is being made every day in the music industry. There are now over 1,500 musical instruments. However, the most popular musical instrument still stands as the guitar, both electric and acoustic.
