What is the oldest known instrument?

The discovery pushes back humanity's musical roots. A vulture-bone flute discovered in a European cave is likely the world's oldest recognizable musical instrument and pushes back humanity's musical roots, a new study says.
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What was the first instrument ever invented?

The oldest object that some scholars refer to as a musical instrument, a simple flute, dates back as far as 67,000 years. Some consensus dates early flutes to about 37,000 years ago.
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What are the two oldest instrument?

8 Oldest Musical Instruments in the World
  • Tutankhamun's Trumpets. Age: about 3,340 years old. ...
  • Jiahu Flutes. Age: 7,000 – 9,000 years old. ...
  • Lithophones. Age: between 4,000 and 10,000 years old. ...
  • Bullroarer. Age: about 20,000 years old. ...
  • Isturitz Flutes. ...
  • Hohle Fels Flute. ...
  • Divje Babe Flute. ...
  • Geisenklösterle Flutes.
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What is the oldest instrument still used today?

Griffon Vulture-Bone Flute

This finding was made at Hohle Fels, a Stone Age cave in southern Germany. Until now, the vulture-bone flute is the world's oldest recognizable musical instrument. This finding and the resulting study were published in June and August 2009 in the British journal Nature.
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Was the drum the first instrument?

Drum - The Oldest Musical Instrument

Initially used by our prehistoric ancestors just as a simple object that were hit by the stick, drums came into their modern form some 7 thousand years ago when the Neolithic cultures from China started discovering new uses for alligator skins.
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10 Oldest Musical Discoveries



How old is the trumpet?

The earliest trumpets date back to 1500 BC and earlier. The bronze and silver Tutankhamun's trumpets from his grave in Egypt, bronze lurs from Scandinavia, and metal trumpets from China date back to this period.
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What is the oldest musical?

“Hurrian Hymn No. 6” is considered the world's earliest melody, but the oldest musical composition to have survived in its entirety is a first century A.D. Greek tune known as the “Seikilos Epitaph.” The song was found engraved on an ancient marble column used to mark a woman's gravesite in Turkey.
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How old is flute?

The flute, made from the bone of a griffin vulture, has five finger holes and measures about 8.5 inches (22 cm) long. It is thought to be at least 35,000 years old. Discoveries elsewhere in southwestern Germany yielded other flutes thought to be of similar age.
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What is the newest instrument?

The result is the Evolano — an “evolved piano.” The instrument has keys, action and hammers like a piano, aligned along a central ruler. The strings move with the keys, sliding over a curved fret that determines pitch.
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Is the harp the oldest instrument?

The harp occupies a position unique in the history of music. It is the oldest known instrument, having existed in one form or another, in every land and every age.
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How old is the violin?

The violin, viola and cello were first built in the early 16th century, in Italy. The earliest evidence for their existence is in paintings by Gaudenzio Ferrari from the 1530s, though Ferrari's instruments had only three strings.
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Is the didgeridoo the oldest instrument?

The Didgeridoo is a wooden BRASS instrument thought to have originated in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. 2. Researchers have suggested it may be the world's oldest musical instrument, The oldest cave painting were dated 3000 to 5000 years old. It can be over 40,000 years old.
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What is the rarest instrument?

Hydraulophone. The hydraulophone is one of the rarest musical instruments in the world. This instrument is a sensory device that is primarily designed for low vision musicians.
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What's the most expensive instrument?

Expensive Instruments
  • The Vieuxtemps Guarneri Violin. Sold for $16 million. ...
  • The Paganini Stradivarius Cello. Sold for >$6 million. ...
  • The Heintzman Crystal Piano. Sold for $3.2 million. ...
  • The Reach Out to Asia Fender Stratocaster. Sold for $2.7 million. ...
  • Charlie Parker's Grafton Alto Saxophone. Sold for £93,500.
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What's the most difficult instrument to play?

The 11 Hardest Musical Instruments to Learn
  • Violin. The violin is a wooden stringed instrument that's part of a larger family of similar instruments. ...
  • The French Horn. ...
  • The Organ. ...
  • Bagpipes. ...
  • Accordion. ...
  • Oboe. ...
  • Harp. ...
  • Guitar.
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How old is the clarinet?

The clarinet was invented in the 17th century by Johann Christoph Denner, a German instrument maker from Nuremberg. In 1690, after many years of hard work, he unveiled a new instrument. By adding a barrel and two keys to the chalumeau, he allowed musicians to play on different registers.
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How old is the harp?

The harp is believed to have existed since 15,000 BC, making it one of the oldest instruments in the world. The word “harp” originates from the German, Old Norse and Anglo Saxon words meaning “to pluck.” It might have strings, but it's not a guitar!
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How old is the guitar?

The guitar is an ancient and noble instrument, whose history can be traced back over 4000 years. Many theories have been advanced about the instrument's ancestry. It has often been claimed that the guitar is a development of the lute, or even of the ancient Greek kithara.
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What was the instrument before the piano?

The Piano's Ancestor was a Monochord Instrument

The piano's ancestry can be traced back through various instruments such as the clavichord, harpsichord, and dulcimer. But if it were traced back even further, one would find that the piano is a descendant of the monochord.
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What is the oldest family of instruments?

Flute. The flute is the oldest of all instruments that produce pitched sounds (not just rhythms), and was originally made from wood, stone, clay or hollow reeds like bamboo. Modern flutes are made of silver, gold or platinum; there are generally 2 to 4 flutes in an orchestra.
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Who invented music?

They usually put forward several answers, including crediting a character from the Book of Genesis named Jubal, who was said to have played the flute, or Amphion, a son of Zeus, who was given the lyre. One popular story from the Middle Ages credits the Greek philosopher Pythagoras as the inventor of music.
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How old is the saxophone?

The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in the early 1840s and was patented on 28 June 1846. Sax invented two groups of seven instruments each—one group contained instruments in C and F, and the other group contained instruments in B♭ and E♭.
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Who invented the violin?

Who made the first violin? The oldest existing violin, built by Andrea Amati. Compared to its ancestors, the violin is in a class by itself in terms of completeness. In addition, it was not improved gradually over time, but appeared in its current form suddenly around 1550.
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What is the most unpopular instrument?

14 Most Annoying Musical Instruments You Don't Want To Hear
  • The Kazoo.
  • Didgeridoo.
  • The Vuvuzela.
  • Recorder.
  • The Bagpipes.
  • The Triangle.
  • The Banjo.
  • The Saxophone.
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