Below is a list of common musical instruments divided by type. How many instruments do you know? Can you pronounce them all correctly?
- How do you pronounce the word “guitar”? AnswerThe word guitar is pronounced /ɡɪˈtɑː/ . The “u” is a silent letter. See below to listen to the pronunciation.
- What kind of instrument is the violin? AnswerIt’s a small stringed instrument made of wood.
- What traditional instruments are there in your country? AnswerHere are some examples of traditional musical instruments around the world: in India, there is the sitar (a stringed instrument), in China there is the gu-zheng ( a 21 stringed instrument), in Vietnam there is a bamboo xylophone ( percussion instrument), in Italy there is the mandolin (similar to a guitar), in Australia there is didgeridoo (a wind instrument made from the branch of a tree), in Egypt there is the sistrum ( a u-shaped framed drum) and in Scotland there are the bag pipes (a wind instrument), in Iraq there is the oud (a stringed instrument similar to a lute). ……Please note that this answer is not an example of how to answer an IELTS question, it’s just some general information for you about instruments in your country – if your country has an instrument which is not in this list, please let me know. Liz
Vocabulary Practice
Can you label the picture below?
Answers
Listen to the answers
- microphone
- record / vinyl
- accordion
- bugle
- drum
- flute
- guitar
- harmonica
- harp
- keyboard
- piano
- saxophone
Types of Musical Instruments
Stringed Instruments
- guitar
- violin
- cello
- viola
- harp
- banjo
- electric guitar
- fiddle
- lute
- sitar
Listen to Audio
Wind Instruments
- flute
- saxophone
- trumpet
- pipes
- recorder
- tuba
- oboe
- bagpipes
- clarinet
- bugle
- harmonica
Listen to Audio
Keyboard Instruments
- piano
- electronic keyboard
- organ
Percussion Instruments
- drums
- triangles
- xylophone / bamboo xylophone
- wood blocks
- accordion (oops this is actually a keyboard instrument)
Listen to Audio
Audio for both key board and percussion instruments