hljóðfæri

Hljóðfæri is the Icelandic term for musical instruments, defined as devices that produce audible sound when played. The concept covers a wide range of tools for making music, regardless of culture or era, and is used in everyday language to refer to instruments as a whole.

In musicology, hljóðfæri are usually grouped by their method of sound production. Idiophones produce sound from the material itself, such as a xylophone or bells. Membranophones create sound through vibrating membranes, as in drums. Chordophones generate pitch via vibrating strings, as with violins, guitars, or Icelandic langspil. Aerophones rely on vibrating air, including flutes, trumpets, and harmonicas. Electrophones, or electronic instruments, produce sound electronically or through amplification, such as synthesizers. Many instruments combine features across categories or employ extended techniques.

Culturally, hljóðfæri encompass both traditional and contemporary instruments. In Iceland, traditional instruments include langspil (a plucked zither) and fiðla (fiddle), among others, alongside modern orchestral and electronic instruments used in concert, folk, and popular music. The term also covers historical instruments studied in ethnomusicology and used in both performance and education.

Overall, hljóðfæri represents the broad spectrum of tools by which humans create musical sound, spanning ancient folk traditions to modern electronic music.