Musical Instruments That Start With The Letter A

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Would you like to know what instruments begin with the letter A? How many musical instruments start with the letter A?

The accordion, acoustic guitar, and alpha sphere are well-known and widely used musical instruments that begin with A. There is a clear distinction between the sounds produced by these ancient and contemporary musical instruments.

Don’t worry about trying to learn them; there are quite a few. You will only be introduced to the most well-known ones in this guide. Look no further if you’re looking for an instrument with an A as the first note.

Instruments That Start With A


Accordion

Accordion
Accordion

An instrument that uses free reeds and has a keyboard. The regions of Saxony (Germany) and Bohemia (Czech Republic) are credited with their development, however, it is now widely used in many traditions all over the world.

Expert Tip: There are many different kinds, such as chromatic and diatonic tunings, concertinas, bandoneons, pianos, and button keyboards. The accordion, also known as a squeezebox, is another name for the instrument.


Acoustic Bass Guitar 

It is a lower-pitched member of the guitar family and is also referred to as the acoustic bass or ABG.


Acoustic Guitar

Acoustic Guitar
Acoustic Guitar

If you want to play an instrument with global success, look no further than the guitar. Unless one of the strings is damaged, a guitar will have six strings; guitars with 12 lines are rarer.

The strings can be plucked or strummed. Although the modern guitar has its roots in an instrument that dates back more than three thousand years, the lute of the Middle Ages is the instrument’s direct ancestor.

Metal or synthetic nylon can be used for the strings (in a classical guitar, EADGBE is the standard tuning.


Adja

Metal bell used in Recife, Brazil’s Bahian candomblé and xangos.


Adobo

A metal rod with a group of non-resonant bells forged onto each end.


Adowa

Drums with carvings and tuning pegs. Both Fontomfrom and Antumpan have cow skin coverings. The other people have antelope skin on their heads.


Aeolian Harp

Aeolian Harp
Aeolian Harp

Aeolian harps, also known as wind harps or aeolian harps, are wind-powered musical instruments. It bears the name of Aeolus, the wind god of ancient Greece. A wooden box with a sounding board and strings stretched lengthwise across two bridges makes up the traditional Aeolian harp.

It is placed in a window that has been slightly opened so that wind can blow across the strings and create sounds. The lines can be tuned to the same pitch with different materials (or thicknesses), or they can be tuned to various angles with the same material.

Expert Tip: The only stringed instrument that plays only harmonic frequencies is the Aeolian harp, in addition to being the only strung instrument played only by the wind.


Aerophone

The term used in science to describe any device that makes sound by moving air. Trumpets, organs, and all other wind instruments are included.


Afuche

Afuche
Afuche

A shaker made of a dried hollow gourd with a handle and a loosely attached net of metal beads all around the outside. Applied to afoxe music. also referred to as cabasa, Brazil is the country of origin.


Agung

The sounds of a large gong struck with a mallet.


Ajaeng

A seven-string zither that is played with just the hands and resembles a guitar in terms of picking technique.


Alphasphere

Alphasphere
Alphasphere

A type of electronic musical instrument that resembles a ball and is equipped with sensors that can detect when the player is moving their hands.


Alphorn

A type of horn that consists of a single piece of wood throughout its construction.


Alpine Bell

Cowbells, or tuned cowbells as they are more commonly known, are a specific kind of bell that can be played as a musical instrument.


Alto Clarinet

Resembles a bass clarinet but differs in that it has a curved neck and a bell made of metal.


Alto Saxophone

Alto Saxophone
Alto Saxophone

A type of saxophone that is a family member and is more significant than a soprano saxophone but smaller than a tenor saxophone.


Angelique

This musical instrument, which belongs to the same family as the lute, was very popular during the Baroque era.


Anglo Saxon Lyre

A particular lyre that was common during the middle ages.


Antsiva

Madagascar, Conch shell.


Ambio

A pair of resonance-producing wooden sticks struck together. Madagascar.


Appalachian Dulcimer

Appalachian Dulcimer
Appalachian Dulcimer

The left hand is used to pluck the strings while the right-hand strums on a zither, which is a member of the zither family of string instruments. Zithers can have three or four lines.


Arpeggione

This stringed instrument has a shape and tuning comparable to that of a guitar, however, it is played with a bow rather than by plucking the strings, and its bridge is curved, setting it apart from other types of stringed instruments.


Array Mbira

Array Mbira
Array Mbira

This idiophone can also be referred to as a lamellophone because it is plucked. The Shona people of Zimbabwe are responsible for the creation of this age-old musical instrument.


Atumpan

This is a talking drum that is played in Ghana. You can find it there.


Audio Cubes

Audio Cubes
Audio Cubes

An electronic musical instrument that produces sound in accordance with the position of cubes in relation to one another and can detect their proximity to one another.


Autoharp

A type of chorded zither that can only produce a single note by silencing the other strings when they are not being played.


Conclusion

People who play instruments have their styles, just like the instruments themselves. The unique sounds each produces contribute to the overall beauty of the music. These are just some of the many musical instruments whose names begin with the letter A.

Check out some of these incredible instruments if you’re searching for a fresh addition to your collection of musical instruments or even if you’re just curious about the different kinds of tools that are available in the world today. Who knows, you might come across your new go-to option!

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About Jayden Buckley

Hi, my name is Jayden and I am author/editor for PlayTheTunes. I remember the first time I hopped on the drums, I was hooked. Music has played an enormous part of my life, and I'm honored I get to share my experiences with you!