Items · Classification (Sachs-Von Hornbostel revised by MIMO) · Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection

Classification (Sachs-Von Hornbostel revised by MIMO)

A numerical-order listing of the instrument classification numbers and their definitions found on this site follows. Its content adheres, for the most part, to the classificatory system published in 2011 by the Musical Instrument Museums Online (MIMO) organization titled "Revision of the Hornbostel-Sachs Classification of Musical Instruments by the MIMO Consortium" (the original classification system by Erich M. von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs was first published in the "Zeitschrift für Ethnologie" (nos. 4 & 5) in 1914 under the title: "Systematik der Musikinstrumente. Ein Versuch"). We list only the numbers that have been used on this site; therefore, the list that follows is not a reproduction of the entire MIMO system. Each number below serves as a link that, when clicked, produces a sort of all of the instruments in this collection to which it applies. The definitions provided here are NOT always verbatim transcriptions of those found in the MIMO system; in many instances we have found it necessary to edit the original definitions to make them consistent with the vocabulary of terms utilized on this site. More information on musical instrument classification systems, along with the application of one such system to a subset of instruments found on this site, can be found in the WESTERN INSTRUMENTS section.

423.233.1
aerophone--chromatic labrosone valve trumpet with short air column (less than 2m); the tube is predominantly cylindrical
423.233.2
aerophone--chromatic labrosone valve trumpet with long air column (more than 2m); the tube is predominantly cylindrical
513
electrophone--electro-acoustic chordophones: musical instrument that has tensioned strings the vibrations of which are transduced into an analogue fluctuation of an electric current that can be electronically modified before being passed through a loudspeaker to deliver sound
412.132-8
aerophone--set of idiophonic interruptive free reeds: each reed/lamella itself vibrates through a closely-fitting slot when activated by an airstream; with keyboard
314.122-8
chordophone--true board zither (the plane of the strings is parallel with that of the string bearer): with resonator box (box zither); the resonator is made from slats; with keyboard
422.221.2-62
aerophone--set of cylindrical-bore reedpipes with single reeds; each pipe has a [single] reed consisting of a lamella which periodically opens and closes an aperture, controlling the flow of air; at least one pipe has fingerholes; with flexible air reservoir
531.2
electrophone--analogue synthesizers and other electronic instruments with solid state circuitry (transistor and/or integrated circuitry) generating and/or processing electric sound signals
541-8
electrophone--digital synthesizers and other electronic equipment that use quantized sequences of pulses to digitally design and process electronic sound signals; with keyboard
112.41
idiophone--slit-tube rattle: the wall of a tube is turned into several long and narrow parallel tongues by longitudinal cuts along much of its length; the end of the tube with the tongues is struck against a non-sonorous object, causing the tongues to randomly strike against one another
112.42
idiophone--rod rattle; several rods are suspended vertically in a row from a frame; with a brushing motion along the length of the row, the rods randomly strike against one another
112.23
idiophone--scraped vessel: the player causes a scraping movement directly or indirectly; a non-sonorous object moves along the notched surface of a sonorous vessel, to be alternately lifted off the teeth and flicked against them
111.246
idiophone--percussion pot: a sonorous hollow pot-like object, with a soundhole
312.11
chordophone--whole-tube zither (the string carrier is a complete tube): idiochord
531.221-8
electrophone--modular analogue synthesizer with solid state circuity based devises generating and processing electric sound signals using subtractive synthesis; with keyboard