Glossary: Idiophone | Sweetwater.com

Expert Center > Glossary > Idiophone

«Back to Glossary Menu

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0-9

Idiophone

Contrary to the popular assumption that an idiophone is a wind instrument played by stupid people, an idiophone is actually a world music classification for instruments that produce sound from the material of the instrument itself without the assistance of reeds, strings, or other externally applied resonator. An idiophone produces sounds by one of the following methods:

Concussion Idiophone: Sound is produced by striking together two objects capable of vibration. Examples are Claves, Cymbals, etc.
Friction Idiophones: Sound is produced by rubbing the vibrating object. Examples are Glass Armonica, Musical Saw, etc.
Percussion Idiophones: Sound is produced by striking the vibrating object with a mallet, hammer, stick or other non-vibrating object. Examples are Wood Block, Bell, Gong, etc.
Plucked Idiophone: Sound is produced by plucking a flexible tongue. Examples are Jew's Harp, Thumb Piano, Music Box, etc.
Rattle Idiophone: Sound is produced by shaking the vibrating object. Examples are Maracas, Pellet Bells, etc.
Scraped Idiophone: Sound is produced by scraping the vibrating object with a stick or other non-vibrating object. Examples are Ratchet, Guiro, Washboard, etc.

The most common Western instruments in this category belong to the percussion family. Examples include cymbals, triangle, gong and maracas.

I/O

IAC

Interaural Cross Correlation (IACC)

IC

IC Chip

Icon

IDC

IDE

Idiophone

IEC

IEC958

IEC958 Part-3

IEC958 Part-4

IEEE

IEM

IEM

IF

II-V Progression

IIR Filter

iLok

iLok (2nd Generation)

Image Copy

Image File

Image frequency

Imaging

Intermodulation Distortion (IMD)

iMIDI

Impedance

Impedance Balancing

Import

Import

Improvisation

Improvise

Improvised

Impulse

Impulse Response

In

In-Line Monitoring

Inductance

Inductive Load

Inductor

Inertia Block

Infantile Failure - (a.k.a. infant failure mode)

Infinite Baffle

Infrasonic

Initialize

Initial Time-Delay Gap

Inlay

In Line Mixer

Input

Input Sensitivity

Insert

Insert Cable

Insert Edit

Insert Point

Install

Installer

Instance

Instantiate

Instrument Level

Insulator

Integrated Circuit

Intellectual Property

Intelligibility

Intensity stereo

Inter-Application MIDI

Interaural Intensity Difference (IID)

Interaural Intensity Difference (IID)

Interaural Phase Differences (IPD)

Interaural Time Difference (ITD)

Interconnect

Interface

Interlace

Interleaved Stereo

Interleaving

Intermodular Distortion

Internal Hard Drive

Internal Hard Drive

Internet

Interpolate

Intersymbol Interference

Interval

Interval

In The Box

In The Box

Intonate

Intonation

In Tune

Inverse Square Law

Inversion

Inverter

iOS

IP (Internet Protocol)

IPS

IR

Interrupt/Interrupt Request (IRQ)

ISA

ISDN

ISO

ISO 9660

Iso Cab

Isochronous

Isolated Power Supply

Isolation Booth

Isolation Box

Isolation Cabinet

Isolation Transformer

ISP

ISRC

ISRC

ITB

ITD

ITU-T

ITU 775 Surround

Ivoroid

Ivory

Our Customers Say...