Rare Musical Instruments from Around the World
Discover percussion, string and wind instruments through their construction, sound, history, and place in regional, ancient, and ceremonial traditions.
Explore by Family, Tradition or Historical Setting
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Instrument Family
Browse instruments by their design, construction and acoustic characteristics, from drums and lutes to reeds, horns and pipes.
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Region or Tradition
Discover instruments within their cultural, geographic and historical setting across musical traditions around the world.
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Ritual Instruments
Uncover instruments documented through archaeology, historical art, written sources and ceremonial musical practice.
Explore Ancient ›History, Construction and Cultural Context
Origins and History
Trace the journeys of instruments through historical periods, regions, surviving examples and cultural exchange.
Construction and Sound
Examine materials, craftsmanship, form, tuning and playing techniques that shape each instrument’s sound.
Musical and Cultural Use
Understand how instruments shape music, ritual, storytelling, procession and identity within communities.
Recently Added Instruments
View all instruments ›Tanbur: The Long-Neck Ancestor of Modern String Instruments
A long-necked lute tradition spanning parts of West and Central Asia, explored through construction, sound and historical evidence.
Bulgarian Gayda: Bagpipe Construction, Regional Types & UNESCO Recognition
The Bulgarian gaida combines a hide bag, melody pipe, drone and reeds within several distinctive regional traditions.
Boreendo (Bhorindo): Pakistan’s Endangered Clay Vessel Flute
A compact clay vessel flute from Sindh whose sound and survival depend on an endangered body of craft knowledge.
Mvet Oyeng: The Ekang String Instrument Behind an Epic Oral Tradition
A Central African plucked string instrument inseparable from epic narration, song, movement and community performance.