What Is a Idiophone?

An idiophone is any musical instrument that creates sound primarily by the vibration of the instrument itself, without the use of air flow, strings, membranes or electricity. It is the first of the four main divisions in the original Hornbostel–Sachs system of musical instrument classification.

What is an example of an idiophone?

Idiophone, class of musical instruments in which a resonant solid material—such as wood, metal, or stone—vibrates to produce the initial sound. ... In many cases, as in the gong, the vibrating material itself forms the instrument's body. Other examples include xylophones and rattles.

What is idiophone instrument?

Idiophones are instruments that create sound through vibrating themselves. They differ from chordophones and membranophones because the vibrating is not the result of strings or membranes. Under the Hornbostel-Sachs classifcation system, idiophones are further divided into struck idiophones and plucked idiophones.