From iconic electric guitars and keyboards to melodic flutes and clarinets, there’s no shortage of musical instruments out there to choose from. But which one is the best fit for you?
The answer may be closer than you think. Hit “Start Quiz” to discover which musical instruments you could really strike a chord with.
Questions Overview
- Small
- Medium
- Large
- Huge
- To become a singer-songwriter.
- To get as many solos in the band/orchestra as possible.
- To be part of a musical experience that's bigger than myself.
- To keep my hands busy and develop a new hobby.
- Something loud.
- Something unique.
- Something gentle.
- Something radiant.
- A prestigious symphony orchestra.
- A rock band that tours across the country.
- A pit orchestra for an energetic Broadway musical.
- A drum corps/professional marching band.
- I'm the leader.
- I'm the "mom" friend.
- I'm the comic relief.
- I'm the artsy one.
- I listen to the same 3 songs on repeat.
- I cycle between 2-3 different albums.
- I listen to a really big playlist.
- I let shuffle decide what I listen to.
- Bold
- Brilliant
- Bubbly
- Balanced
- Angel food cake
- Chocolate cookies
- Cheesecake
- Rainbow sherbert
- Water
- Air
- Earth
- Fire
- I'm great at making other people feel good about themselves.
- I’m a reliable person that people can count on.
- I’m not afraid to stand up for myself if I need to.
- I’m not afraid to jump out of my comfort zone.
- A coffee shop that’s bustling with activity.
- A peaceful park filled with chirping birds.
- A city street that’s packed with people.
- An empty library that’s super quiet.
- A warm hug, a freshly baked loaf of bread, a cat sleeping in the sun.
- A cinnamon-scented candle, a spontaneous road trip, the roar of a crowded stadium.
- The breeze through an open window, a shooting star, the ocean at night.
- The climax of a scary movie, the weightless drop on a roller coaster, a sense of childlike wonder.
More Quizzes
All About Musical Instruments
Professional bands and orchestras feature a wide variety of instruments that all serve a unique and important purpose within the ensemble. These instruments are classified into 4 different families: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.
String Instruments
String instruments are known for—you guessed it—their distinct strings. Musicians use either a bow or their fingers to manipulate and vibrate the strings, which helps to create beautiful music. The most well-known string instruments include:
- Violin: The smallest string instrument known for its higher notes.
- Viola: The second-smallest string instrument known for its warm, full sound.
- Cello: The third-largest string instrument known for its versatile sound range.
- Double bass: The second-largest string instrument known for its hefty size and deep notes.
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Harp: The largest string instrument, known for its immense size and angelic notes.
Woodwind Instruments
Woodwind instruments are played directly by the musician using a mouthpiece. Although modern-day woodwinds are actually made with a variety of materials, woodwinds used to be crafted out of wood, which is where the name comes from. Some of the most common woodwind instruments include:
- Flute: A high-pitched woodwind instrument that’s held horizontally. Certain types of flutes can play lower note ranges, like the alto and bass flutes.
- Piccolo: A smaller (and more high-pitched) version of the flute that’s often used in marching band ensembles.
- Clarinet: A medium-to-high-pitched woodwind instrument that’s played with a single reed mouthpiece. The E-flat clarinet plays slightly higher than a standard clarinet, while the alto and bass clarinets play a lower note range.
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Oboe: A medium-to-high-pitched woodwind instrument that’s played with a double-reed mouthpiece.
- The English horn is a lesser-known woodwind instrument that’s very similar to the oboe.
- Bassoon: A lower-pitched woodwind instrument that’s played with a double reed. It’s the largest woodwind instrument of them all (minus the contrabassoon, which is larger and has a deeper range).
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Saxophone: A warm, jazzy woodwind instrument that isn’t part of a traditional orchestra (but is an integral part of jazz bands). Alto saxophones are the most well-known type of saxophone and have a higher range, while tenor saxophones and baritone saxophones are known for their larger size and lower note range.
- Soprano saxophones technically have the highest range of all saxophones, but they aren’t super common in a school band setting.
- Soprano saxophones technically have the highest range of all saxophones, but they aren’t super common in a school band setting.
Brass Instruments
Brass instruments are also played directly by the musician and are often constructed with brass. Unlike many woodwind instruments, which require special types of reeds to produce sound, brass instruments all use a metal mouthpiece that converts your lips’ vibrations into sound. Some well-known brass instruments include:
- Trumpet: A smaller brass instrument known for its warm, bright tone.
- Trombone: A larger brass instrument known for its unique slide and deeper tone.
- Tuba: The largest brass instrument known for its immense size and deep tones.
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French horn: A brass instrument known for its rounded shape and wide tone range.
Percussion Instruments
Percussion instruments all make sound by being hit with a mallet, drumstick, or some other type of tool. By this definition, a piano qualifies as a percussion instrument since it involves hitting keys with your fingertips.
Percussion instruments can be lumped into 2 major categories: tuned and untuned/auxiliary. Tuned instruments can play specific notes, while untuned/auxiliary instruments serve a rhythmic purpose in an ensemble.
- Tuned percussion instruments: Handbells, steel drums, vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, dulcimer
- Untuned percussion instruments: Snare drum, bass drums, symbols, brake drum, suspended cymbal, brake drum
Want to learn more?
Want to learn more about musical instruments and the purpose they serve in a larger ensemble? Check out helpful resources like:
Reader Success Stories
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"I played to see if I would get my instrument, the viola, and I did."
