It might surprise you to know that 21 million Americans play the piano! No wonder it is number 1 on our list. The piano is possibly the most versatile of all instruments because it is played in almost every genre and can be accompanied or played solo.
There are five main instrument families: strings, woodwind, brass, keyboards, and percussion.
Lists vary, but piano, guitar and violin are perennial favorites. Musical instruments are often separated into five categories: woodwind, brass, string, keyboard and percussion.
The yak Skull Lute is the least played instrument in the world. It is an extremely rare instrument with only a few known to be in existence.
The Guitar
It is considered to be the smartest and the coolest of all musical instruments. As compared to various other band members, guitar players get the most attention during a performance.
Living up to its present-day nickname, “the world's deadliest instrument,” Franklin's glass armonica allegedly began killing people. The complexity of the armonica overstimulated the brain, which ultimately caused dizziness, nervousness, hallucinations, and cramps amongst performers.
The hydraulophone is one of the rarest musical instruments in the world. This instrument is a sensory device that is primarily designed for low vision musicians. This tonal acoustic instrument is played by direct contact with water or other fluids. In this instrument, sound is generated and affected hydraulically.
The didgeridoo, a wind instrument that's blown into to make a sound, is probably the most famous Australian musical instrument. It developed in cultures that lived along the northern coastline of central Australia and it's been around for thousands of years.
The oldest musical instrument in the world (60,000 years)
The oldest musical instrument in the world, a 60,000-year-old Neanderthal flute is a treasure of global significance. It was discovered in Divje babe cave near Cerkno and has been declared by experts to have been made by Neanderthals.
Whatever the limit the ukulele reigns as the “world's happiest instrument ” laughs Hanner.
If you're looking to calm your nerves, harp music might do the trick. A University of Arizona study explored the healing powers of music and showed that patients are most eased by the harp.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the loudest (and largest) instrument in the world is the Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ. This pipe organ was built by the Midmer-Losh Organ Company, and is housed in the Main Auditorium of the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The theremin: The strangest instrument ever invented? From its chance 1920s invention in Russia, the theremin beguiled Hollywood and sparked a musical revolution, writes Norman Miller. The theremin sometimes seems like an instrument from Earth's future or another world.
The Violin
The violin is considered one of the most beautiful sound producing instruments in the world. It is also one of the oldest which has been around for centuries. Furthermore, the violin has hardly changed during all those years. For various musical genres, the violin is an integral and important part of it.
First, the French horn plays up in the highest partial of all the instruments. The high partial requirement makes it easy to miss a note if you either hit the wrong part or if you don't place your lips with precision. This is the sole reason I believe that it is the hardest instrument to play and learn overall.