Glossary
| Accordion | A reed instrument with hand-operated bellows. Sound is produced by wind passing over the reeds. The accordion is carried by two straps on the player’s chest, whose left hand pumps and plays the bass part while the right hand plays the keyboard or melody keys. |
| Amplitude | The measurement of the height of a sound wave, and determines volume. Larger waves create louder sounds, and smaller waves create softer sounds. |
| Areophones | Instruments whose sound is generated by vibrating air mass. |
| Barrel organ | An organ manually turned handle simultaneously pumps the bellows and turns a barrel whose projections raise levers admit air to the pipes. |
| Barrel | Found either in either a barrel piano or barrel organ and is covered in raised pins. The pins are 'read' by a metal comb when the barrel is in motion. |
| Calliope | A wind keyboard instrument. Sound is produced by air or steam passing through whistles. |
| Chordophones | Instruments whose sound is produced by vibrating stings at fixed points, pluck, struck or bowed. |
| Cimbalom | An instrument with strings stretched over a soundboard; similar to a hammer dulcimer with the addition of a damper pedal. Sound is produced by small mallets which strike the string causing it to vibrate at the corresponding pitch. |
| Clavichord | A string keyboard instrument in a rectangular shape that produces sound by striking strings with small brass blades called tangents. |
| Consumable | Describes items in our Collection that are available for use by students and other visitors. |
| Controlled Demonstration | Describes items in our Collection that can be played under the supervision of an interpretor or other skilled staff member. |
| Decibel | The unit of measure used to measure intensity of sound. Decibels refer to the amount of pressure received at the eardrum from sound vibrations. |
| Display Only | Describes items in our Collection that are for display only and cannot be played. |
| Dulcimer | An instrument with strings stretched over a soundboard. Sound is produced by small mallets which hammer strikes the string causing it to vibrate at the corresponding pitch. |
| Electrophones | Instruments whose sound is generated by semiconductor devices. |
| English piano action | A type of action mechanism where the hammers are connected to the keys by a system of levers which cause the hammer to strike the string in the same direction as the keyboard. The English piano action is similar to what is found in modern pianos. |
| Frequency | The speed at which something vibrates. Faster vibrations (higher frequencies) create higher pitches, and slower vibrations (lower frequencies) create lower pitches. |
| Grand piano | A string keyboard instrument in the shape of a wing. Sound is produced when a key is depressed and a hammer strikes the string causing it to vibrate at the corresponding pitch. |
| Harmonium | A keyboard wind instrument with foot-operated bellows. Sound is produced by freely vibrating metal reeds on a frame under the pressure of wind created by a foot pumping motion. When the performer depresses a key wind passes over the corresponding reed causing it to vibrate. |
| Harpsichord | A stringed keyboard instrument in the shape of a wing. Sound is produced when a key is depressed causing a jack to rise pluck the corresponding string causing it to vibrate. |
| Hertz | The frequency of a sound wave’s cycle. The hertz number tells the number of sound wave cycles to pass by a given point in one second. |
| Hurdy Gurdy | A mechanical stringed instrument with a body shaped like a violin. Instead of a bow, a wheel is used to sound the strings when a handle is turned. The bowing motion creates a drone sound and a melody is played with keys that, when pressed, stop the string at a precise point giving a definite pitch. |
| Hydraulis | The earliest of all keyboard instruments. Sound is produced by wind passing through reed pipes. Water was a pressure regulator and was later replaced by bellows. To operate the instrument, one person had to play the keyboard while another feed air by means of a water pump. |
| Idiophones | Percussion instruments that create sound when they are struck, shaken or rubbed (friction). |
| Intensity | The loudness or softness of a sound. Intensity varies with the amount of energy used to produce a sound. |
| Membranophones | Instruments whose sound is produced by the vibration of a stretched membrane. |
| Monochord | A wooden sound box over which a string is stretched. The sound is produced when the string is plucked and the desired pitch is obtained by moving the bridge. |
| Orphica | A portable string keyboard instrument in the shape of a harp. Sound is produced when a key is depressed and a hammer strikes the string causing it to vibrate at the corresponding pitch. |
| Oscilloscope | A device used for measuring sound waves |
| Phonograph | A sound-reproducing machine that uses pre recorded records or LPs to operate. |
| Pitch | The highness or lowness of a note on a musical scale. Low notes have a lower frequency and the high notes have a higher frequency. |
| Portative organ | A transportable wind keyboard instrument. Sound is produced by wind passing through pipes. The performer depresses a key which then allows air to pass through the corresponding pipe. The instrument is carried or placed on the knees of the performer; it is played with the right hand while the left hand pumps the bellow. |
| Positive organ | A keyboard wind instrument with no pedal board. Sound is produced by wind passing through pipes; the performer depresses a key which then allows air to pass through the corresponding pipe. |
| Regal | A small portable organ having only reed pipes. Sound is produced by wind passing through pipes; the performer depresses a key which then allows air to pass through the corresponding pipe. |
| Resonance | The level of intensity of a sound. |
| Skilled Demonstration | Describes an item in our Collection that can be played by an interpreter or other skilled staff member. |
| Square piano | A string keyboard instrument in the shape of a rectangle, with its strings running parallel to the keyboard. Sound is produced when a key is depressed a hammer strikes the string causing it to vibrate at the corresponding pitch. |
| Symphonion | A sound- reproducing machine that uses metal disks to operate. The disk is covered with raised pins and the pins are 'read' by a metal comb when the barrel is in motion. The lifting motion activates metal tines that resonate. |
| Vertical (upright) piano | A string keyboard instrument in vertical form, with its strings running perpendicular to the keyboard. Sound is produced when a key is depressed and a hammer strikes the string causing it to vibrate at the corresponding pitch. |
| Vibration | Quick back-and-forth movement. All sounds are created from vibrations |
| Viennese piano action | A type of action mechanism where the hammers are connected to the keys by a system of levers which cause the hammer to strike the string in the opposite direction of the keyboard. No longer found in pianos today. |
| Virginal and spinet | Stringed keyboard instruments that come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Similar to the harpsichord but smaller in size and their strings run parallel to the keyboard. Sound is produced when a key is depressed causing a jack to rise and pluck the corresponding string causing it to vibrate. |
| Wax cylinder player: | A sound reproducing machine that uses pre-recorded wax cylinders to operate.
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