Wind instruments produce their sound when the player blows into them through the mouthpiece. The resulting sound will depend on a variety of factors such as the length of the instrument column, its diameter and its shape. The way the instrument is build and its material will also affect its tone. Two big subgroups in the wind instrument family are the brass and woodwind instruments.

Percussion instruments are probably the oldest musical instruments in existence. They produce their sound when struck, either with the hand or a stick. The sound will be determined by the shape of the body, its material, the tension of the skin if any, the force with which the instrument is struck and more. There is something satisfactory, almost primal, to playing a percussion instrument that make them popular with many.

String instruments rely on their strings and hollow bodies to generate sound. There are various ways in which the string can be hit, it can be plucked, strummed, etc. Pitch is determined by string length, its mass and its tension. The resonating cavity volume, shape and material will dictate the overall tone of the sound.

Let us not forgot that man also possesses its own instrument, its voice. The speech apparatus is very similar to a musical instrument in a lot of ways. Vocal cords are set in movement by the air coming from the lungs, like in a guitar for example, tension of the vocal chords determines pitch and the shape of the vocal tract dictates tone. Humans can produce a wide variety of sounds with this simple yet intricate system.

Electronic instruments do not rely on mechanical means to produce sound but on electrical impulses. Electronic instruments cannot be considered as separate instruments as for the most part they mimic mechanical instruments.

Keyboard instruments refer to any instrument that is played with a keyboard. They come in a wide variety of shapes. Sound comes from pressing on a keyboard key, each key producing a different sound or sounds. Sounds can often be manipulated through another mean like pedals for a piano for example.

Musical instruments are a varied bunch and choosing one is a matter of personal taste. They can be rash and bold or soft and mellow. Choose a sound you like and stick with it, rewards are great as music is food for the soul.