History of musical instruments - A brief

More than 400 years ago, the Chinese had an instrument that consisted of 16 flat stones suspended on a frame. These gave a scale of notes when struck with a mallet. The next few centuries saw the evolution of the bell. However music is one of the most exotic and unique forms of art. It appeals to our sense of hearing and intellect.

With the pop and fusion of today one has to wonder about music instruments of long ago..

It is difficult to trace the most primitive musical instrument. However the first instrument was the ancestor of the drum. As the primitive people clapped to the rhythm of song and dance, they began to drum on wood or earth. That was perhaps the beginnings of the drum.

Prehistoric people lived off the land and its forest and animal wealth. They used musical instruments made from the horns of animals. As their musical sense became sharper, reeds were used and the lyre and the harp were invented. In course of time a variety of instruments was invented by combining the old and the new.

However in the Orient, the bell developed into forms that are the pot and the bowl. The bowl became the gong and the pot became a barrel shaped bell. The west saw the bell develop into a cup and later provided with a clapper, it could be struck from inside.

The development of the accordion can be traced over a period of many years. The ancient Chinese first used metal reeds in an instrument called the Cheng. The idea of putting a wooden frame on bellows had originated. The keyboard invention however dates to the 12th century.

The drum had been in use since the earliest times. Hence it is difficult to name its inventor. The drums were made of a whole variety of materials like hollow tree trunks with animal skin stretched over them. There were also bamboo drums made of long sections of hollow reed slit and beaten with sticks. The ancient Egyptians were very adept with their drums. The American Red Indians used drums to send messages and marked time for their dances. They also used drums to predict weather.
When the rains approached, the skins that covered the drums would become taut.

Thus all over the world, people have made music of some sort, especially since music had a religious significance for them. And religious music has never failed to enthrall its devotees.