| Name | Image | Tradition | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuvytsi |  | Ukraine | The Kuvytsi (Ukrainian: Кувиці) or Rebro, is one of the most ancient of folk instruments and is better known in the West as the Pan pipe. Pan pipes have been found in archeological excavations in Ukraine that date back some 5,000 years. The instrument consists of several pipes each of which, when blown endwise, produces one sound. Various versions of the kuvytsi exist in Ukraine, such as the one-sided kuvytsi, which consist of a system of pipes from large to small in one direction or double-sided kuvytsi, which have their largest pipe in the center. |
| Kuzhal |  | India | The kuzhal is a traditional double reed wind instrument used in the South Indian state of Kerala. It is similar in construction to a nagaswaram or a large shehnai and has a very loud and penetrating tone. It is used primarily for outdoor festivals, in conjunction with drums and other percussion instruments. The instrument has a wooden body with a conical bore, at the end of which is affixed a brass bell. The player blows through a double reed and closes small holes with both hands. The image shows players using chenda (drum) and kuzhal during Panchari melam performance. |
| Launeddas |  | Italy | The launeddas, triple clarinet or triplepipe, is a typical Sardinian (the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea) woodwind instrument, consisting of three pipes. It is polyphonic and played using circular breathing. It is an ancient instrument, dating back to at least the 8th century BC. It is still played during religious ceremonies and dances (su ballu). |
| Lesiba |  | South Africa | The lesiba is a stringed-wind instrument, with a quill attached to a long string acting as the main source of vibration. The quill is blown across, creating vibration in the string, usually in short notes on a small, limited scale. The lesiba's construction is unique, in that it is the only instrument in use today that is a stringed wind instrument. The lesiba is the national instrument of the Basotho, a southern African people, now located primarily in South Africa and Lesotho. The image shows a close up of the quill portion of a lesiba. |
| Lusheng |  | China | The lusheng (蘆笙) is a polyphonic instrument with multiple bamboo pipes from China. Each fitted with a free reed, which are fitted into a long blowing tube made of hardwood. It has five or six pipes of different pitches. It comes in sizes ranging from very small to several meters in length. The lusheng is used primarily in the rural regions of southwestern China and in nearby countries such as Laos and Vietnam, where it is played by such ethnic groups as the Dong and Miao. Performers often dance or swing the instrument from side to side while playing. |
| Melodica |  | Jamaica | The melodica is a free-reed instrument similar to the accordion and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole, allowing air to flow through a reed. The keyboard is usually two or three octaves long. |
| Mezzo-soprano Saxophone |  | United States | The mezzo-soprano saxophone, also sometimes called the F alto saxophone, is an instrument in the saxophone family. It is in the key of F, pitched a whole step above the alto saxophone. It can be easily confused with the alto because of its similar size and sound in the low register. In the upper register, however, it is sweeter, more like a soprano. Very few of them exist today, and were only produced by one company (C. G. Conn) during two years (1928 and 1929). It is the only saxophone pitched in F, besides a few prototypes of an F baritone saxophone that was never actually manufactured. The image shows a mezzo-soprano (left) and an alto (right) saxophones. |
| Mijwiz |  | Syria | The mijwiz (Arabic: مجوز) is a traditional musical instrument of ancient Egypt and the Levant. It is a double-pipe, single-reed woodwind instrument. The mijwiz consists of two pipes of equal length, between 6 and 8 centimeters; each pipe has around five or six small holes for fingering. It requires a special technique of playing known as "circular breathing." |
| Mizmar |  | Egypt | In Arabic music, a mizmar (Arabic: مزمار) is any single or double reed wind instrument. In Egypt mizmar usually refers to a surnay. |
| Nabal |  | Korea | The nabal (or nahbal) is a long, straight brass horn used in Korean traditional music. As the instrument has no valves or finger holes it is not a melodic instrument but rather plays a single sustained tone. The precise frequency of the tone produced can be quite different depending on the size of the individual instrument. The nabal has historically been used primarily in the military procession music called daechwita, as well as in nongak (rural farmers' music) to signal the beginning and end of performances. |
| Nadaswaram |  | India | Nadaswaram, also called Nagaswaram or Nadhaswaram, is one of the most popular classical instruments of south India and the world's loudest non-brass acoustic instrument. It is a wind instrument similar to the North Indian shehnai but larger, with a hardwood body and a large flaring bell made of wood or metal. In India the nadaswaram is considered to be very auspicious, and it is the key instrument which is played in almost all Hindu marriages and temples in South India. The instrument is usually played in pairs, and accompanied by a pair of drums called thavil. |
| Nagak |  | Korea | The nagak (also called nagahk, na, sora, or godong) is a large seashell (conch) played as a horn in Korean traditional music. It has been introduced to Korea from the Ming dynasty of China. The nagak has a lower vibrating timbre sound and is similar to that of a boat whistle. It is used primarily in the military procession music called daechwita. |
| Nai |  | Romania | Nai is a Romanian pan pipe. In the 19th century the nai - originally a shepherd's instrument with only 8 to 10 pipes, covering a little more than one octave - had been extended to about 20 pipes, giving far greater possibilities to a solo performer. Gheorghe Zamfir (born 1941) is a Romanian pan flute musician. He expanded the nai of 20 pipes to 22, 25, 28 and 30 pipes to increase its range, obtaining as many as nine tones from each pipe by changing the embouchure. |
| Native American Flute |  | United States | The Native American flute has achieved some measure of fame for its distinctive sound, used in a variety of New Age and world music recordings. The instrument was originally very personal; its music was played without accompaniment in courtship, healing, meditation, and spiritual rituals. Now it is played solo or along with other instruments or vocals both in Native American music and in other styles. There are two different types of Native American flute, the plains flute and the woodlands flute, each with slightly different construction. |
| Natural Horn |  | Germany | The natural horn is is a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the modern-day horn, and is differentiated by its lack of valves. It consists of a mouthpiece, some long coiled tubing, and a large flared bell. Pitch changes are made through a few different techniques. This instrument was used extensively until the emergence of the valved horn in the early 19th century. The image shows a natural horn in the V&A Museum, London. |
| Ney |  | Iran | The ney (also nai, nye, nay) is an ancient end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian and West Asian music. The depictions of ney players appear in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids and actual neys have been found in the excavations at Ur. This indicates that the ney has been played continuously for 4,500–5,000 years, making it one of the oldest musical instruments still in use. It is a forerunner of the modern flute. The ney consists of a piece of hollow cane or reed (ney is an old Persian word for reed--the reed comes from Arundo donax plant--with five or six finger holes and one thumb hole.) The image shows a painting dated 1669 from Hasht-Behesht palace, Isfahan, Iran. |
| Nohkan |  | Japan | The nohkan (kanji: 能管; hiragana: のうかん) is a Japanese bamboo transverse flute with a three octave range. It is also called fue. The nohkan is commonly used in Noh theatre. Noh (能), or Nōgaku (能楽) is a major form of classic Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. |
| Nose Flute |  | Hawaii | The nose flute is a popular musical instrument played in Polynesia and the Pacific Rim countries. Other versions are found in Africa, China and India. Ohe hano ihu in Hawaiian means "bamboo, breath, nose." It is made from a single bamboo node with a hole at the node area for the breath and three holes for the notes on the top side of the tube. It was often used in conjunction with chants and song. The Hawaiians believe that the nose is pure and innocent unlike the mouth which can say many things. So the breath entering and exiting the 'ohe hano ihu is purer than the mouth. |
| Oboe |  | France | The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In comparison to other modern woodwind instruments, the oboe has a clear and penetrating voice. As a result, oboes are readily audible over other instruments in large ensembles. The oboe is pitched in concert C and has a mezzo-soprano to soprano range. Orchestras will usually tune by listening to the oboe play a concert A (usually A440, but sometimes higher if the orchestra tunes to a higher pitch). The pitch of the oboe may be adjusted by permanently altering the scrape, removing cane from the reed, or changing the position of the reed in the instrument (although the latter method should only be used as a last resort, because adjusting the position of the reed may cause some notes to warble). Subtle changes in pitch are also possible by adjusting the embouchure. The baroque oboe first appeared in the French court in the mid-17th century, where it was called hautbois. |
| Oboe Da Caccia |  | Germany | The oboe da caccia (literally "hunting oboe" in Italian) is a double reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family, pitched a fifth below the oboe. Its tube is curved. The oboe da caccia was used only in the late Baroque period, after which it fell out of use until interest in authentic performance in the 20th century caused it to be revived. The oboe da caccia has a leather-covered wooden body terminating in a brass bell similar to a horn bell. There are typically two brass keys, E-flat and C. The E-flat key is typically repeated for the left hand. There are usually two "doubled" fingerholes (G/A=flat and F/F#) similar to the soprano baroque oboe. The construction differs from that of all other woodwinds. |
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