Final answer:
The Hornbostel-Sachs system classifies musical instruments into four main categories: Idiophones, Chordophones, Membranophones, and Aerophones, based on how they produce sound.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Hornbostel-Sachs system is a method of classifying musical instruments by the way they produce sound, primarily used in ethnomusicology. This system divides instruments into four main groups:
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- Idiophones - Instruments that vibrate to produce sound when the body of the instrument itself is struck, shaken, or scraped. No additional factors, such as strings or air, are necessary for sound production.
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- Chordophones - Instruments that produce sound via the vibration of strings that are stretched between two points. The sound varies depending on the length, tension, and mass of the strings.
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- Membranophones - Instruments that make sound by vibrating a stretched membrane. This category includes various drums and other instruments where the skin or membrane is played to produce sound.
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- Aerophones - Instruments that produce sound through vibrating air columns. These include wind instruments like flutes and horns, which have specialized methods for controlling the pitch and sound.
For example, a guitar would be classified as a chordophone because it uses vibrating strings to produce sound.