World Instruments Quiz

Answer: Switzerland. The Hang (pronounced 'hong') was created in 2000 by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer in Berne. This saucer-shaped instrument produces haunting sounds when played with bare hands.

Answer: Scotland. The Scottish great highland bagpipe is played at military and funeral ceremonies. However, bagpipes exist in many cultures: Brittany, Spain, southern Italy, the Middle East...

Answer: West Africa. The djembe originates from the Mandé empire. It is traditionally carved from a single tree trunk.

Answer: Portuguese guitar. The Portuguese guitar is distinguished by its pear shape and specific tuning, indispensable to Fado.

Answer: A wheel rubbing the strings. The wooden wheel, turned by a crank handle, acts like a continuous bow on the strings.

Answer: Mongolia. Nicknamed the 'horsehead fiddle', the morin khuur has two strings traditionally made of horsehair. It is Mongolia's national instrument, and its traditional music is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.

Answer: Indonesia. Gamelan is Indonesia's traditional orchestra, especially on Java and Bali. Claude Debussy discovered it at the 1889 Paris World's Fair and it influenced his music; it has been on UNESCO's intangible heritage list since 2021.

Answer: India. The sitar is the emblematic instrument of Indian classical music. Ravi Shankar brought it to worldwide fame in the 1960s.

Answer: West Africa. The kora is both a harp and a lute. The griots of Senegal, Gambia, and Mali are its traditional masters, orally transmitting the history of their peoples.

Answer: Russia. The balalaika has a characteristic triangular resonating body. It exists in several sizes and is the symbol of Russian folk music.

Answer: Greece. The bouzouki is a long-necked lute whose characteristic sound defines rebetiko, often called the Greek blues. It has also been very present in Irish popular music since the 1960s.

Answer: Armenia. The Armenian duduk, carved from apricot wood, has existed for over 3,000 years. Its warm and melancholic timbre is recognized as one of the most moving voices in the world.

Answer: Sweden. The nyckelharpa (key harp) has been Sweden's national instrument since 1964. It has 16 strings and 37 keys. It is played with a bow, the keys changing the pitch of the notes.

Answer: Colombia. The Colombian gaita is a vertical indigenous flute made of dried cactus and beeswax. It is at the heart of cumbia music and has been inscribed as part of Colombia's cultural heritage.

Answer: Daya and Bayan. The 'daya' is the high-pitched wooden drum, and the 'bayan' is the low-pitched metal or earthenware drum.

Answer: Arab world and Mediterranean. The darbuka is the essential percussion instrument of Oriental music. Versions exist in earthenware or metal.

Answer: Yangqin. The yangqin is a hammered dulcimer — the strings are struck with two bamboo sticks tipped with rubber.

Answer: Turkey and the Balkans. The zurna is a very powerful and piercing instrument, traditionally used at weddings and outdoor celebrations.

Answer: The mouth. The mouth serves as the resonating chamber. The vibration of the metal tongue is amplified by movements of the jaw and tongue.

Answer: Komusō monks. From the 17th to the 19th century, the komusō monks of the Fuke sect, a branch of Zen Buddhism, wandered Japan playing the shakuhachi with their heads covered by straw baskets. For them, playing was meditation: 'suizen', or 'blowing Zen'.