Idiophone

An idiophone is a musical instrument whose sound is produced primarily by the vibration of the instrument itself, rather than by a stretched membrane, a string, or an air column. The term, from Greek idios meaning “self” and phōnē meaning “sound,” covers a wide range of instruments found in many musical traditions.

Idiophones are typically divided by how their body is vibrated. Struck idiophones produce sound when the body is struck with mallets, sticks, or the hands, with common examples including xylophones, vibraphone, glockenspiel, bells, cymbals, triangles, wood blocks, and claves. Plucked idiophones generate sound when their rigid elements are plucked, as in the mbira (thumb piano) and other lamellophones. Lithophones use stone or metal slabs that vibrate when struck and are thus also idiophones. Friction idiophones create tone by rubbing or otherwise exciting the surface, such as singing bowls, certain glass bells, and other friction-based instruments.

Idiophones may be tuned or unpitched and can provide pitched melodies or rhythmic color. They appear in many cultures, from large orchestral percussion sections to traditional ensembles, and are often used for fixed pitches, color tones, or flexible rhythm.

In classification systems for musical instruments, idiophones are a major category alongside membranophones, chordophones, aerophones, and electrophones, reflecting sound production in the body of the instrument itself rather than in a membrane, string, or air column.