
electrophone, any of a class of musical instruments in which the initial sound either is produced by electronic means or is conventionally produced (as by a vibrating string) and electronically amplified. Electronically amplified conventional instruments include guitars, pianos, and others.
What are the examples of electrophones?
What are Electrophones instruments?
- Some instruments that use electronic means of generating sound are: the theremin, the ondes martenot, electronic organs, and electronic music synthesizers.
- On the other hand, electronically amplified conventional instruments include guitars, pianos, and others.
- Let's learn something more about this family!
What are the examples of Electrophone?
electrophone. electrophone, any of a class of musical instruments in which the initial sound either is produced by electronic means or is conventionally produced (as by a vibrating string) and electronically amplified. Electronically amplified conventional instruments include guitars, pianos, and others. Among instruments that use electronic means of generating sound are the theremin, the ondes martenot, electronic organs, and electronic music synthesizers.
What was the first electronic instrument?
The thereminvox (or aetherophone) was the first truly successful electronic instrument. Maurice Martenot (1898–1980), is known for his invention and creation of one of the first electronic instruments, one year after the theremin: the Martenot Onde, which was named after him.
What are the names of some musical instruments?
List of Musical Instruments: • Bell • Harmonica • Accordion • Bass drum • Banjo • Double bass • Cello • Violin • Piano • Guitar ...

What is a electrophone in musical instrument?
0:557:31CLASSIFICATION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS : ELECTROPHONESYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd then amplified electrically early electronic musical instruments one theremin two on martino.MoreAnd then amplified electrically early electronic musical instruments one theremin two on martino. Three vibraphone or vibes early electronic musical instruments the theremin is an early electronic
What are the types of Electrophones?
ListANS synthesizer.Chamberlin. Mellotron.Clavioline.Croix Sonore.Electronde.Electronic drum.Electronic keyboard.Hammond organ.More items...
Are electric guitars Electrophones?
stringed instrument most pervasive example is the electric guitar, which, strictly speaking, is a chordophone but is often classified as an electrophone.
Is a bass guitar an electrophone?
CLASSIFICATION: electrophone, electro-Acoustic Instrument, chordophone, HISTORY: The beginnings of the instrument can be found in the mid-1930's in some jazz arenas, however, it wasn't until Leo Fender introduced the “Fender Bass” 1951 that the instrument began to be seriously recognized.
What is example of electrophone?
Electronically amplified conventional instruments include guitars, pianos, and others. Among instruments that use electronic means of generating sound are the theremin, the ondes martenot, electronic organs, and electronic music synthesizers.
What are the 5 classification of instruments?
Instruments are classified using 5 different categories depending on the manner in which the instrument creates the sound: Idiophones, Membranophones, Chordophones, Aerophones, & Electrophones.
What are the 3 types of electric guitars?
Electric guitars come in three basic varieties: solidbody, semi-hollowbody, and hollowbody. Solidbody guitars have… well, solid wood bodies. The hollowbody guitar is built like an acoustic guitar with a completely hollow inside. And a semi-hollowbody guitar adds a solid center block to a hollowbody design.
Who invented Electrophones?
The Science Museum Electrophone table was owned by H.J. Round, a senior electronic and radio engineer and inventor employed by the Marconi Company for most of his career, the same company responsible for the advent of radio broadcasting.
Is a keyboard an electrophone?
Electrophones produce sound through electrical means, not including keyboards that amplify sound through electricity.
What are the 4 main bass instruments?
As a result, these tones are often felt within the body, often described as “feeling the beat.” The most common bass instruments include the string bass and the bass guitar, though there are also bass horns (tuba, sousaphone), bass woodwinds (like the bassoon), and bass keyboards.
What is a bass guitar called?
A contraction of Double bass or Electric bass guitar." According to some authors the proper term is "electric bass". Common names for the instrument are "bass guitar", "electric bass guitar", and "electric bass" and some authors claim that they are historically accurate.
Is a synthesizer an electrophone?
Synthesizers are electronic musical instruments that belong to the “electrophone” category. Synthesizers generate sound using electricity to convert energy into sound and are different than the conventional, organic instruments that translate the energy of plucking, strumming, or blowing into sound.
What are the 4 types of chordophones?
Chordophones are divided into five basic types: zithers, harps, lutes, musical bows, and lyres.
What are the 5 types of chordophones?
chordophone, any of a class of musical instruments in which a stretched, vibrating string produces the initial sound. The five basic types are bows, harps, lutes, lyres, and zithers.
What are the four types of membranophones?
Membranophones are instruments that produce sound by vibrating a membrane. The Hornbostel-Sachs system divides membranophones into five categories: struck membranophones, plucked membranophones, friction membranophones, singing membranophones, and other membranophones.
What is electrophone in Cordillera?
Electrophones • Instruments that use electronic circuits or sound amplification in order for it to work and produce sound.
When did the electrophones start?
As technology continued to advance, people started to create sound through electronic means in the latter part of the 18th century and signalled the birth of the electrophones. As a new musical instrument class, electrophones deviated from the traditional way of producing music and evolved to have its distinct sound. Here are some of the most notable electrophones that played a huge part in the development of the music we hear today.
When was the first electronic instrument invented?
Another early electronic musical instrument is the Trautonium, which was invented by Friedrich Trautwein in Berlin in 1930. It generates tones through an oscillation radio tube, which then creates electronic pulses heard through a speaker. Through resonant filters and subtractive synthesis, the tone is altered through the use of push buttons, allowing varied timbres or colors. With that, the sound produced was unusual and unique compared to other instruments during its era.
What is the difference between a Croix Sonore and a Theremin?
The significant differences of Croix Sonore are its cross-like antenna and its circuitry that is mounted inside a sphere.
What is a radio drum?
The Radiodrum, or the radio-baton, is a capacitive sensing electronic musical instrument developed and patented by the Bell Labs in the 1980s. The instrument features a three-dimension controller acting up like a drum. It identifies the gestures of the two drumsticks to control sound-production, with each movement being transmitted as signals. These signals are then used to alter different music variables such as volume and pitch, or trigger pre-recorded notes of segments of music.
What is a mellotron?
The Mellotron is an electromechanical instrument developed in 1963. Like the Chamberlin, the instrument used a tape-playing mechanism, in which the keys serve as a trigger to play sound recordings. It mass-produced better and was developed for home use, containing varied sounds and accompaniments. Later on, many pop and rock groups saw the Mellotron’s potential and used them in their songs and performances. “The Beatles” is one of the most notable groups who used the Mellotron, as heard on their hit track “Strawberry Fields Forever”.
What is the Hammond organ?
The Hammond organ is one of the most renowned and most important of the electronic organs. It was named after its American inventor Lauren Hammond, who patented the instrument in 1934. Brimming with sophistication, the Hammon organ features two keyboards and a pedal set operated by the feet. It produces sound by generating electric currents from a revolving metal, motor-driven tonewheels. Then, give variety to the sound using its harmonic control. At a certain extent, the sound created resembles other instruments, such as the flute, oboe, and the violin.
When was the dynamophone invented?
The Telharmonium, or the Dynamophone, is one of the earliest electrophones. It was developed by Thaddeus Cahill in 1896, patented in 1897, and was first introduced in 1906. As an electromechanical instrument, it made use of rotary electromagnetic tonewheels to generate electrical impulses, which were then transmitted through telephone network wires and heard through horn speakers. It was soon displaced by more efficient and practical electronic musical instruments.
What are the instruments used in electronic music?
In popular music styles such as electronic dance music, almost all of the instrument sounds used in recordings are electronic instruments (e.g., bass synth, synthesizer, drum machine ). Development of new electronic musical instruments, controllers, and synthesizers continues to be a highly active and interdisciplinary field of research.
Who created the classification system for electrophones?
Francis William Galpin provided such a group in his own classification system, which is closer to Mahillon than Sachs-Hornbostel. For example, in Galpin's 1937 book A Textbook of European Musical Instruments, he lists electrophones with three second-level divisions for sound generation ("by oscillation," "electro-magnetic," and "electro-static"), as well as third-level and fourth-level categories based on the control method.
What is an electronic instrument?
An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is plugged into a power amplifier which drives a loudspeaker, creating the sound heard by the performer and listener.
When was the Ondes Martenot invented?
Maurice Martenot invented the Ondes Martenot in 1928, and soon demonstrated it in Paris.
What is the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression?
Specialized conferences, notably the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, have organized to report cutting-edge work, as well as to provide a showcase for artists who perform or create music with new electronic music instruments, controllers, and synthesizers.
What is the keyboard interface?
A common user interface is the musical keyboard, which functions similarly to the keyboard on an acoustic piano, except that with an electronic keyboard, the keyboard itself does not make any sound . An electronic keyboard sends a signal to a synth module, computer or other electronic or digital sound generator, which then creates a sound.
When was the first electric instrument invented?
Thus, in the broadest sense, the first electrified musical instrument was the Denis d'or keyboard, dating from 1753, followed shortly by the clavecin électrique by the Frenchman Jean-Baptiste de Laborde in 1761. The Denis d'or consisted of a keyboard instrument of over 700 strings, electrified temporarily to enhance sonic qualities. The clavecin électrique was a keyboard instrument with plectra (picks) activated electrically. However, neither instrument used electricity as a sound-source.
Which instruments use electronic means of generating sound?
Some instruments that use electronic means of generating sound are: the theremin, the ondes martenot, electronic organs, and electronic music synthesizers.
What is electronic music?
It is as a type of electronic music produced either directly by a computer or indirectly by a computer-controlled synthesizer. Computers are also being used to sequence and to control the parameters of conventional synthesizer circuits. This is the origin of electronic music, and the very first experiments and innovations with electronic instruments at the turn of the 20th century.
What is a synthesizer?
Music synthesizers, also called electronic sound synthesizers, are any machines that electronically generate and modify sounds, frequently with the use of a digital computer. Synthesizers are used for the composition of electronic music and in live performance.
How many strings does an electric bass guitar have?
The electric bass or bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar and also electrically amplified. It has four strings and it's played by plucking with the fingers or thumb. It has the same pitch and tuning as the double bass.
Is an electric violin the same as an amplified guitar?
Nowadays, there is an electric option of almost any musical instrument. An electric violin, for instance, is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound and its amplification. Amplifying an electric violin is exactly the same as amplifying a guitar: they both produce an audio output which is transferred through an audio cable into an amplifier.
What is an electrophone?from britannica.com
Electrophone, any of a class of musical instruments in which the initial sound either is produced by electronic means or is conventionally produced (as by a vibrating string) and electronically amplified. Electronically amplified conventional instruments include guitars, pianos, and others. Among. Electrophone, any of a class ...
What are the instruments that are amplified?from britannica.com
Electronically amplified conventional instruments include guitars, pianos, and others. Among instruments that use electronic means of generating sound are the theremin, the ondes martenot, electronic organs, and electronic musicsynthesizers.
What is the name of the instrument that produces the sound?from britannica.com
chordophone. Chordophone, any of a class of musical instruments in which a stretched, vibrating string produces the initial sound. The five basic types are bows, harps, lutes, lyres, and zithers. The name chordophone replaces the term stringed instrument when a precise, acoustically based designation is required.
How much did the Postmaster General pay for the Electrophone?from en.wikipedia.org
The Electrophone paid to the Postmaster General an annual fee of £25 plus a royalty of half a crown per subscriber. In 1920, the service received £11,868 from subscribers, with operating expenses of £5,866, including a £496 royalty payment to the Post Office.
Where was the Electrophone Service in 1917?from en.wikipedia.org
Hospitalized British soldiers, joined by their toy elephant mascot (centre), enjoying the Electrophone service in 1917 in The London Hospital (now The Royal London Hospital ). To pick up the programmes, multiple large carbon microphones were placed in the theatre footlights to pick up the sounds of the performers.
What is a vibraphone?from britannica.com
The vibraphone, or vibraharp, a metallophonethat looks somewhat like the orchestral xylophone, makes use of electric fans at the upper ends of the vibrator tubes in order to produce a vibrato sound . Compareaerophone; chordophone; idiophone; membranophone. Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
How many subscribers did the radio have in 1896?from en.wikipedia.org
In 1896 there were just 50 subscribers, although this increased to over 1,000 by 1919, and just over 2,000 at its peak in 1923. However, competition due to the introduction of radio broadcasting resulted in a rapid decline, falling to 1,000 by November 1924.
How do aerophones make sound?
In aerophones, the sound is produced by vibrating air (usually inside the instrument). The instrument, or parts of the instrument, are shaped (often into a tube or set of tubes) so that the vibrations will be a particular length, and so a particular pitch. Aerophones are grouped according to what causes the air to begin vibrating.
How are instruments grouped?
More accurate - Instruments are grouped according to how sounds are produced, not according to which instruments the composer is likely to group them with in the music or which orchestra member is likely to play them.
How does a chordophone sound?
In a chordophone, the sound is made by vibrating strings. The main groups of chordophones are classified according to the relationship between the strings and the resonator. ( Resonators pick up the original vibrations and vibrate sympathetically with them, amplifying the original sounds and altering them so that they sound more musical.) Subcategories depend on how the string is played (plucked or bowed for example), and types of resonators.
What is an instrument that is not amplified?
An instrument that is not amplified electrically is an acoustic instrument. There are instruments (such as the electric-acoustic guitar, vibraphone, and electric saxophone) that keep their acoustic resonators but are also amplified and altered electronically. Actually any instrument sound that has been through a microphone and amplifier, or even been saved as a recording, belongs in this category. These instruments are probably best categorized as they would be before being amplified.
What is a musical bow?
In a musical bow, the string or strings are stretched from one end of a wooden bow to the other. Some have resonators, but many don't. They can be plucked or bowed (with a second, smaller bow).
What are the major categories of instruments?
The major categories are chordophones, aerophones, membranophones, and idiophones. Some musicologists also include a separate category for electrophones. Here is an introduction to the major groups in each of these categories. Familiar instruments in each category are mentioned when possible; some categories, while very popular around the world, will not have any specific instruments that are widely familiar.
What is the sound of a cup mouthpiece?
In cup mouthpiece instruments, the player buzzes the lips against the mouthpiece, causing a sympathetic vibration in the air inside the instrument. (bugle, conch shell).
What are the instruments in a symphony orchestra?
The symphony orchestra is usually divided into strings (played with a bow or plucked, such as violins and cellos), woodwinds (instruments traditionally made from wood where air is blown over a sharp edge, such as oboes and flutes), brass (metal instruments played with vibrating lips, such as trombones and trumpets), and percussion instruments (instruments where something is struck to create sound, such as drums and marimbas). While the model of the symphony orchestra provides a starting point, it cannot be used to fully classify the diversity of different types of instruments that are found throughout the world, or even just within Western countries.
What is the instrument called that is plucked?
Instruments that are plucked ( mbira – the thumb piano instrument of the Shona people of Zimbabwe ), and instruments that are rubbed ( such as rubbing your fingers around the rim of a glass ).
What is the instrument called that plays with air across the top of each pipe?
Andean Panpipes (Siku) – Panpipe instruments consist of pipes of different lengths, and pitches, fixed together. They are played by blowing air across the top of each pipe. The linked example is from the Andes, a mountain range that runs along the western side of South America, where such instruments have been traced by thousands of years.
What is a djembe?
Djembe – An irregular hourglass shaped drum from Western Africa played with the hands.
What is an autoharp?
Autoharp: A zither, an instrument where strings are stretched across a flat body, that is sometimes used in American folk and country music.
What is theremin in music?
Theremin – An electronic instrument where there is not physical contact between the performer and the instrument itself. The performer’s hands instead are placed by two antennas, one dedicated to pitch and the other volume. The instrument is commonly used for movie scores, especially for older science fiction films.

Overview
Classification
In musicology, electronic musical instruments are known as electrophones. Electrophones are the fifth category of musical instrument under the Hornbostel-Sachs system. Musicologists typically only classify music as electrophones if the sound is initially produced by electricity, excluding electronically controlled acoustic instruments such as pipe organs and amplified instruments such as electric guitars.
Early examples
In the 18th-century, musicians and composers adapted a number of acoustic instruments to exploit the novelty of electricity. Thus, in the broadest sense, the first electrified musical instrument was the Denis d'or keyboard, dating from 1753, followed shortly by the clavecin électrique by the Frenchman Jean-Baptiste de Laborde in 1761. The Denis d'or consisted of a keyboard instrument of over 700 strings, electrified temporarily to enhance sonic qualities. The …
Analogue synthesis 1950–1980
The most commonly used electronic instruments are synthesizers, so-called because they artificially generate sound using a variety of techniques. All early circuit-based synthesis involved the use of analogue circuitry, particularly voltage controlled amplifiers, oscillators and filters. An important technological development was the invention of the Clavivox synthesizer in 1956 by Raymond Scott with subassembly by Robert Moog. French composer and engineer Edgard Varèse created …
Tape recording
In 1935, another significant development was made in Germany. Allgemeine Elektricitäts Gesellschaft (AEG) demonstrated the first commercially produced magnetic tape recorder, called the Magnetophon. Audio tape, which had the advantage of being fairly light as well as having good audio fidelity, ultimately replaced the bulkier wire recorders.
The term "electronic music" (which first came into use during the 1930s) came to include the tap…
Sound sequencer
During the 1940s–1960s, Raymond Scott, an American composer of electronic music, invented various kind of music sequencers for his electric compositions. Step sequencers played rigid patterns of notes using a grid of (usually) 16 buttons, or steps, each step being 1/16 of a measure. These patterns of notes were then chained together to form longer compositions. Software sequencers were continuously utilized since the 1950s in the context of computer music, includi…
Digital era 1980–2000
The first digital synthesizers were academic experiments in sound synthesis using digital computers. FM synthesis was developed for this purpose; as a way of generating complex sounds digitally with the smallest number of computational operations per sound sample. In 1983 Yamaha introduced the first stand-alone digital synthesizer, the DX-7. It used frequency modulation synthesis (FM synthesis), first developed by John Chowning at Stanford University during the late …
Modern electronic musical instruments
The increasing power and decreasing cost of sound-generating electronics (and especially of the personal computer), combined with the standardization of the MIDI and Open Sound Control musical performance description languages, has facilitated the separation of musical instruments into music controllers and music synthesizers.
By far the most common musical controller is the musical keyboard. Other controllers include the