100 to 1 which tool is the smallest. What was the first musical instrument? The smallest saxophone

Ancient Greek legend says that the first musical instrument was created by the god Pan, who was walking in the forest near the river, picked a reed and began to blow into it. It turned out that the reed tube was capable of producing enchanting sounds that formed beautiful melodies. Pan cut several branches of reeds and connected them together, creating the first instrument - the prototype of the flute.

Thus, the ancient Greeks believed that the first musical instrument was the flute. Perhaps this is so - at least it is the oldest tool recorded by researchers. Its oldest specimen was found in southern Germany, in the Holy Fels cave, where excavations of a prehistoric human settlement are being carried out. In total, three flutes were found in this place, carved from tusk and having several holes. Archaeologists also discovered fragments that apparently belonged to the same flutes. Radiocarbon dating helped determine the age of these instruments, and the oldest was dated to the 40th millennium BC. So far this is the oldest instrument that has been found on Earth, but it is possible that other specimens simply have not survived to this day.

Similar flutes and pipes were found in Hungary and Moldova, but they were made in the 25-22 thousand years BC.

Candidates for the title of the most ancient musical instruments

Although the flute is still considered the most ancient musical instrument, it is possible that in fact the first to be made was a drum or any other device. For example, Australian aborigines We are confident that their national instrument, called the didgeridoo, is the oldest; its history goes deep into the history of the indigenous population of this continent, which, according to scientists, dates back from 40 to 70 thousand years. Thus, it is quite possible that the didgeridoo really is the oldest instrument. It is an impressive piece of eucalyptus trunk, in some cases reaching three meters in length, with a hollow core eaten away by termites.

Since didgeridoos are always cut from different trunks with different shapes, their sounds are never the same.

The oldest drums found date back to just the fifth millennium BC, but scientists believe it is one of the most likely candidates for the title of the first musical instrument. Its long history is evidenced by both the wide variety of types of modern drums and their almost ubiquitous distribution, as well as the simple and uncomplicated design that would have allowed even the most ancient ancestors of people to play melodies with the help of simple devices. In addition, it has been proven that in many cultures, drum music was a very important part of life: it accompanied all holidays, weddings, funerals, and wars.

People have discovered the enchanting sounds of music since ancient times. IN ancient greek myths Both gods and mortals mastered the art of playing various musical instruments. Not a single feast was complete without pipes, timbrels and flutes, which brightened up the celebrations of kings and simple peasants. But what instrument is the most ancient on Earth?

The first musical instruments

Archaeologists were the first to talk about the existence of musical instruments in ancient times, finding pipes, tweeters and other objects for playing music in almost all excavations. Moreover, similar finds were discovered in those territories where archaeologists managed to excavate sites of primitive people.

Some found musical instruments archaeologists date them back to the Upper Paleolithic era - in other words, these tools appeared 22-25 thousand years BC.

In addition, ancient people knew how to not only make musical instruments, but also music for them, writing down musical notes on clay tablets. The oldest musical notation to date was written in the 18th century BC. Archaeologists found it in the Sumerian city of Nippur they excavated, which was once located in the territory of modern Iraq. University of California scientists who deciphered the music tablet in 1974 said it contained the words and music of an Assyrian love ballad for string lyre.

The most ancient musical instrument

In 2009, archaeologists discovered in one of the caves located in southwestern Germany the remains of a tool that strongly resembles a modern one. Analyzes and studies have shown that the age of the ancient flute is more than 35 thousand years. Five perfectly round holes were made in the body of the flute, which should be closed with the fingers when playing, and at its ends there were two deep V-shaped cuts.

The length of the musical instrument was 21.8 centimeters, and the thickness was only 8 millimeters.

The material from which the flute was made turned out to be not wood, but a bird's wing. This instrument is by far the oldest, but not the first in history. archaeological finds– bone pipes, hollow animal horns, shell pipes, stone and wooden rattles, as well as drums made from animal skins were also repeatedly found at excavations.

There are many legends about the origin of music. The ancient Greeks believed that the great gods of Olympus gave it to them, but modern scientists have conducted a number of ethnographic and archaeological studies. As a result of these studies, it was found that the first music appeared in primitive society and was used as a lullaby to lull to sleep.

No one can say exactly when music began, but it is known that it has accompanied humanity since ancient times. Even at the dawn of civilization, three methods of musical sound production were identified: striking a sounding object, vibrating a stretched string, and blowing air into a hollow tube. This was the beginning of three types of musical instruments - percussion, strings and wind.

The very first wind instruments were hollow bones of various animals. For example, the most ancient one known to scientists - the Neanderthal pipe - is made from the bone of a cave bear. In its development wind instruments accepted different shapes, but various peoples General patterns were observed in this process.

Pan Flute

Having learned to extract sound from a pipe (first bone, then wooden), a person wanted to diversify this sound. He noticed that pipes of different lengths produce sounds of different pitches. The simplest (and therefore most ancient) solution was to tie together several different tubes and move this structure along the mouth.

Thus was born the instrument best known as Greek name syrinx, or the flute of Pan (according to Greek myth, it was created by the god Pan). But you should not think that only the Greeks had such a flute - among other peoples it existed under other names: ekuduchai in Lithuania, nai in Moldova, kugikly in Russia.

A distant descendant of this flute is such a complex and majestic instrument as the organ.

Pipe and flute

To produce sounds of different heights, it is not necessary to take several tubes; you can change the length of one by making holes on it and blocking them with your fingers in certain combinations. This is how an instrument was born, which among the Russians was called the flute, among the Belarusians - the pipe, among the Belarusians - the sopilka, among the Moldovans - the fluer.

All these instruments are held across the face, this is called a “longitudinal flute,” but there was another design: the hole into which air is blown is located in the same plane as the finger holes. This kind of flute - transverse - was developed in academic music, and the modern flute goes back to it. And the “descendant” of the pipe – the recorder – is not part of the symphony orchestra, although it is used in academic music.

Zhaleika

The instruments discussed above are among the whistling ones, but there is also a more complex design: the instrument is equipped with a bell into which a reed is inserted - a thin plate (originally made of birch bark), the vibration of which makes the sound louder and changes its timbre.

This design is typical for the Russian pity, the Chinese sheng. There were similar tools in Western Europe, modern classical oboe and clarinet go back to them.

Horn

Another design option for a wind instrument is an additional part that comes into contact with the musician’s lips, the mouthpiece. This is typical for a horn.

The horn is usually associated with the work of a shepherd. Indeed, the shepherds used horns, because the sound of this instrument is quite strong, it can be heard on long distance. This is facilitated by the conical shape.

This is just a small part of the diversity that wind instruments represent. different nations.

Video on the topic

Sources:

• Vasiliev Yu., Shirokov A. Stories about Russian folk instruments

Tip 4: Which musical instruments are considered folk instruments

Folk instruments are an integral part traditional culture of one country or another, however, in order to understand what instruments can be considered folk, it is necessary to turn to history and folk music.

Roughly speaking, a musical instrument can be called anything that can produce a sound more or less pleasant to the human ear: a spoon, a knife, a saw, sticks, and so on. But still, we are accustomed to more or less standardized devices. The largest is the organ - a huge piano with complex system pipes making sounds high power and the widest range. But which musical instrument is the smallest? Let's figure it out.

Harmonica is a tool that can easily fit in your pocket. This is a plus: you can always have it with you, which harpers – people who play this professionally – use with pleasure. unusual instrument.

Despite its apparent frivolity, the harmonica is often included in blues, jazz and even rock compositions. Many Russian musicians For example, Boris Grebenshchikov, Sergei Chigrakov, Vladimir Shakhrin and many others play it well.

The smallest harmonica “Little Lady” had a length of 5 centimeters and a thickness of 1.5. It was made in Germany in the 90s of the 19th century, but it has survived to this day.

In the minds of most musicians, the harmonica is a frivolous, folk or even amateur instrument. A triangle is a different matter. Despite apparent simplicity, even primitive, it has a strong and bright sound. The triangle part, no matter how funny it may sound, is included in many classical works.

For example, “Anita’s Dance” from Grieg’s drama “Peer Gynt” and the overture to “William Tell” are incomplete without the sound of the triangle. It was used by Beethoven, Mozart, Hayden and many other composers. And Liszt even wrote a work that musicians call the “Concerto for a triangle” - Concerto No. 1 for piano and orchestra. In it, this frivolous instrument plays a very serious role.

The flute itself is miniature, and the piccolo is also called a small flute. This miniature instrument has a high but pleasant sound. She can often be found in symphony orchestras, but the baby is rarely given the leading part; more often she simply complements other instruments. Vivaldi, Shostakovich, Ravel appreciated the delicate beauty of this instrument.

A child's play whistle, in skillful hands, turns into a musical instrument with a bright and rich sound. Traditional folk art is usually made from wood, clay and now plastic. Interestingly, a wide range of sounds can be produced from the same whistle simply by pouring a little water inside. Then the whistle turns into deep trills.

This simple and unpretentious musical instrument cannot be found in symphony orchestras, but folk groups they are happy to insert them, adding an authentic sound.

The tools we listed above are miniature in themselves. Of course, if you wish, you can make the triangle smaller, but they have their own standards and must obey them. But there are instruments that have become so tiny by the will of their creators.

For example, Dustin Carr and Harold Craidhead from the Department of Nanotechnology at Cornell University presented a nanoguitar to the public. It has a total length of about 10 micrometers, the strings are about 10 atoms in diameter. Nevertheless, it plays, however, you can crush it with your finger without even noticing it, so you have to use a laser beam. The guitar makes sounds, but the human ear cannot hear them; amplifiers have to be used.

Nanoharp

To say that this is just a small musical instrument is to say nothing. To make it, they took a silicon crystal, on which they etched the tool. The diameter of the strings is truly nano - 50 nanometers. They produce a sound of 380 million hertz. It is played in the same way as a nanoguitar – with a laser beam.

In addition to miniature and ultra-technological nanotoys, there is a third category - smaller copies of conventional tools. One of them is a piccolo saxophone that will fit on your dinner plate. Its length is 30 centimeters. This is especially noteworthy given that the saxophone is considered one of the most complex instruments. To repeat it in miniature is a real feat.

In 2006, Sega Toys Co presented an unusual musical instrument, a piano weighing 2 kilograms. It, as expected, has 88 keys, each of which is 4 millimeters wide. It is incredibly difficult to play, and the sound is also not very familiar. But you don’t need movers to carry such a piano.

The string-bow group (double bass, viola, cello and violin) greatly depends on the size of the body, because it resonates and reflects sound. Some masters like to experiment with size and shape, achieving an unusual sound. But in 1973, Eric Massner went completely wrong extreme measures: created a tool 41 millimeters long. Surprisingly, this cello replicates a regular cello in everything; it can even play, albeit in a very high range.

The quality of a tool does not necessarily depend on its size, and the ones we found are direct confirmation of this.

1899 Mikhail Alexandrovich Vrubel “Pan”

The truth is that we cannot name the first musical instrument, since all primitive people throughout the world seem to have created some kind of music. It was usually music with some kind of religious meaning, and the audience became participants in it. They danced, drummed, clapped and sang along with her. This wasn't just done for fun. This primitive music was significant part people's lives.

The legend of Pan and the reed suggests how man came up with the idea of ​​​​making so many different musical instruments. He may have imitated the sounds of nature or used the objects around him to create his music.

The first musical instruments were percussion instruments (like a drum).

Later, man invented wind instruments made from animal horns. From these primitive wind instruments, modern brass instruments developed. As man developed his musical feeling, he began to use reeds and thus produced more natural and gentle sounds.

In 2009, an expedition led by archaeologist Nicholas Conard from the University of Tübengen discovered the remains of several musical instruments. During excavations in the Hols Fels cave in Germany, scientists discovered four bone flutes. The most interesting find is a 22-centimeter flute, which is 35 thousand years old.
The flute has 5 holes for producing sounds and a mouthpiece.
These finds show that Neanderthals already knew how to make musical instruments. This circumstance allows us to look at the world differently primitive man, it turns out that music played an important role in his world.

Finally, man invented a simple lyre and harp, from which came bowed instruments. The lyre was the most significant stringed instrument of ancient Greece and Rome, along with the lyre. According to myth, the lyre was invented by Hermes. To make it, Garmes used a tortoise shell; for the antelope horn frame.

In the Middle Ages, the crusaders brought many amazing oriental musical instruments from their campaigns. Combined with folk instruments that already existed in Europe at that time, they developed into many instruments that are now used to play music.

http://www.kalitvarock.ru/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=869&p=7935
http://www.znajko.ru/ru/kategoria4/233-st31k3.html
http://otvet.mail.ru/question/14268898/

We present to your attention a list of the ten most difficult musical instruments to learn. Please note that the musical instruments listed are do not contain order. If you know of other musical instruments that are more difficult to master, be sure to share them in the comments.

The oboe is a woodwind musical instrument that has a melodious, but somewhat nasal, harsh timbre. It first appeared in the mid-17th century, when it was called hautbois. Today, the oboe is widely used in chamber music concerts, orchestras, in some genres of folk music, as a solo instrument, and can also be heard in jazz, rock and pop music.

One of the most complex musical instruments in the world is the “French horn” - a musical instrument from the wind group, descended from a hunting signal horn. Used primarily in symphony and brass bands, and also as a solo instrument.

The violin is a bowed, usually four-stringed musical instrument descended from an ancient Indian stringed instrument called the Ravanahatha, brought to Italy by Arab traders between the 10th and 16th centuries. The name of the violin comes from the Italian word Violino, which literally means “small viola.” It acquired its modern appearance in Italy in the 16th century, and in the 18th century it was slightly modified. Instruments made between the 16th and 18th centuries are highly sought after by collectors, especially Stradivarius and Guarneri violins. It is a solo musical instrument.

An organ is a keyboard musical instrument that produces sound by releasing compressed air through a system of pipes. It is one of the oldest musical instruments, whose history is traced in ancient Greece as early as the third century BC. Organs are widely distributed in Catholic churches and some synagogues, they are often used for musical accompaniment religious service. In the early 20th century, these instruments were often installed in movie theaters to provide musical accompaniment to films during the silent film era. The largest operating pipe organ in the world is the Wanamaker Organ, which is located at Macy's Lord & Taylor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, and consists of 28,482 pipes.

The bagpipe is an ancient folk wind musical instrument that has been part of the culture of Scotland and Ireland for centuries. It was especially popular in the Middle Ages, where it was used in military bands. It is believed that bagpipes came from Asia to Europe in the 9th century due to the fact that they were common in the Eastern Roman Empire. The sound of this instrument is very sharp and strong.

Another most complex musical instrument is considered to be the “Harp” - a stringed musical instrument known since ancient times in Asia, Africa and Europe, starting from 3500 BC. e. For many centuries it was political symbol Ireland.

Piano is a string-keyboard musical instrument that is widely used in classical music. Its inventor is considered to be the Italian harpsichord master Bartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco, who designed the first piano in Florence in 1711. Despite the fact that the instrument is quite large and often expensive, its versatility and ubiquity have made the piano one of the most famous musical instruments in the world.

The accordion is a keyboard-pneumatic musical instrument, which was designed by the Viennese organ master K. Demian in 1829. It is a modern type of manual harmonica. The accordion is not used in classical and symphony orchestras due to its specific sound, but is traditionally associated with folk music. More generally, the instrument is used as a solo instrument. Widely distributed throughout the world. The accordion is the official instrument of the city of San Francisco, California, USA.

Classical guitar- a stringed musical instrument with six strings and a wide variety of timbres. Used as a solo, ensemble and accompanying instrument. In his modern form has existed since the second half of the 17th century.

Drum set - a set of drums, cymbals and others percussion instruments. Today it is perceived as a single musical instrument, although in fact it is whole line various instruments, each of which has its own history and existed long before the advent of drum kit. The instrument originated after the advent of jazz, around the 1890s, when New Orleans drummers began adapting their drums to allow one player to play multiple instruments at once. The number of instruments in the kit varies for each performer and depends on his playing style.

Share on social media networks

If a child shows from childhood musical abilities and dreams of a career professional musician, then there is no need to grab your head and predict a life of complete poverty for him. The modern holiday industry allows not only “star” musicians to make good money. But a lot depends on the musical specialization and the “money” of the instrument.

Who are the richest musicians in the world?

They earn tens, hundreds of millions of dollars a year and lead the life of an average oligarch who buys yachts and islands (for example, the fortune of Sting and Mick Jagger is estimated at approximately $300 million, Madonna - $650 million, Paul McCartney - $800 million. $, Bono - $1 billion, etc.).

The ability to compose beautiful, memorable, hit songs and perform them in a well-recognized voice is the main source of wealth and millions in royalties for world music celebrities. And the best, “monetary” and “rich” musical instrument, coupled with original author’s creativity, is, of course, the human voice.

Unfortunately, classic and jazz musicians earn hundreds, thousands of times less than pop stars (although the fortune of the famous Russian violist Yuri Bashmet is estimated at $3 million, but this is rather the exception than the rule). Almost all the money in this industry is concentrated in pop music.

Therefore, if your child loves to sing since childhood, and adolescence starts writing songs in a pop-rock style, and he has real talent, then this is the surest way to climb musical Olympus, including financially.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, only a few of those who write songs in their youth achieve this. But nothing prevents your teenager from trying himself in this direction if he has a great desire to engage in original music.

You just need to take into account that in Russia, unlike Europe and the USA, where sometimes it is enough to write one hit song in order to then lead a comfortable life at the expense of numerous royalties, it is almost impossible to make money from musical content.

The main bread of musicians in Russia is concerts. Particularly gifted people also earn money by composing music for commercials and movies.

There is no need to force your child to learn notes and enroll in music universities.

If you carefully study the biographies of famous pop-rock musicians, you will find out that most of them never studied music in any way. educational institutions, and did not know notes (for example, the greatest melodists and composers of the 20th century, Paul McCartney and John Lennon, were not familiar with musical notation). But this did not stop them from achieving great success in the musical field. They simply followed their talent, and learned music through practice, not theory.

Therefore, there is no need to require a child who is interested in music and composes songs to enroll in some music universities and study musical notation. The number of self-taught people who have achieved great success in the field of pop-rock music significantly exceeds the number of those who studied the world's greatest art in special institutions.

Which musicians are most valued in Russia?

Unfortunately, in the Russian music industry, what is most valued is not original talent, but money and “publicity.” Therefore, the largest fees in Russia are earned by those musicians who appear most often on television (Grigory Leps, Stas Mikhailov, Philip Kirkorov, Nikolai Baskov, Dima Bilan and others) and those into whom producers pump the most money.

But nothing prevents your child from singing in English in the future so that his talents can be noticed at the international level, since he is not able to do this at home, where completely different things are valued. In any case, if a child has a talent for writing songs, this should be encouraged in every possible way, regardless of the presence or absence of external success and recognition of his creativity.

How do most graduates of music schools and conservatories make money from music in Russia?

But even if your child fails to reach big stage, this does not mean that he cannot make money from music. The modern event industry (the sphere of organizing and holding various festive, business and advertising events) provides great opportunity numerous graduates receive decent money music schools, conservatories and simply talented self-taught musicians.

To do this, you need to perform popular songs and melodies at weddings, corporate events, anniversaries, presentations, in restaurants, cafes, shopping centers etc. You just need to choose the right “money” musical instrument, which is in demand in the event industry, both as a solo instrument and as part of a musical group.

The most “monetary” musical instrument is the voice

The most popular musical instrument at festive events is, of course, the human voice. Those with luxurious tones who can sing well can make decent money at weddings and corporate events, while spending on labor activity minimum time.

The only problem is that there are too many wedding singers and singers, and standing out among them in order to receive many orders for performances is not so easy. To do this, you need to find your niche, your repertoire and your customer. Then it will be possible to receive decent money for performing popular songs.

There is much less competition among wedding and corporate instrumentalists.
What musical instrument should a child choose in order to make decent money in the event industry?

Tenor saxophone - modern musical wedding king

If ever the main thing music king At weddings there was a button accordion, but today the sound guidelines have shifted somewhat (although the button accordion and its close relative the accordion are still in great demand at weddings in rural areas and small towns).

One of the most popular wedding instruments now is the saxophone, and in particular, the most euphonious and romantic tenor saxophone. The sharper-sounding alto saxophone is slightly less in demand in the event industry.

Sometimes we receive orders to perform compositions on soprano saxophone at weddings. The remaining members of the saxophone family (bass saxophone, double bass saxophone and baritone saxophone) do not appear at such events, although there are exceptions.

In any case, if your child thoroughly masters the tenor saxophone and learns to play popular melodies on it with a beautiful, luxurious, rich sound (which is actually not so difficult, since this is not improvisation or composing music), then he will have every chance successfully enter the event business. He will earn good money at weddings and corporate events, spending a minimum of working time on this.

For example, saxophonists I know who play at weddings, corporate events and presentations earn 50-60 thousand rubles, working only 8-10 hours a month! (one hour of their performance costs from 6 thousand rubles). For such a salary, many sales managers and office representatives have to sit through a whole month, working within the standard 40-hour work week.

Can you imagine how much free time you have? It is enough to play for an hour twice a week at a wedding or corporate event to lead a completely comfortable lifestyle. At the same time, you can still earn decent money by giving private saxophone lessons.

Other musicians who play wind instruments (flutists, clarinetists, trombonists, oboists, etc.) are much less fortunate. They are extremely rarely invited to weddings and corporate events, only if they are part of some musical group.

Violin - musical wedding queen

Among string instruments, the most popular in the event industry is, of course, the violin. This is a real musical queen of the wedding and corporate sphere. If the “sachs” are played mainly by men, then among wedding violinists there are many representatives of both sexes.

Other classics stringed instruments(cello, viola), most often, are invited to such events as part of string trios and quartets.

One of the most popular instruments in the world - the synthesizer, oddly enough, is not very in demand in its solo version at events. As a rule, pianists and keyboardists are invited to play as background music in cafes and restaurants, but not at weddings and corporate events.

Much more popular are “singing keyboardists” who know many popular songs and can fill pauses during the holidays with instrumental music.

The main instrument of pop-rock musicians, the guitar (both acoustic and electric), is most often invited to festive events as part of duets and musical groups, or as an accompaniment for a singer.

If your teenager plays in a rock band, then he can make decent money with it at weddings and corporate events, performing cover versions of popular songs. True, since the performance musical groups costs 4-5 times more than a solo musician’s performance, they are invited to weddings and corporate events much less often than solo instrumentalists and vocalists.

Those who play exotic instruments, unfortunately, have to look for other sources of income (for example, they can periodically earn extra money as studio musicians). Music connoisseurs and exotic lovers are, unfortunately, very rare among newlyweds.

Instrumentalists can earn money anywhere in the world

It is best, of course, if your child becomes a multi-instrumentalist, confidently plays several instruments (he will earn money on some, and play others for fun), and knows a huge number of popular melodies. Then he will definitely be able to support himself with music. Moreover, not only in Russia, but also in every corner of the planet, since instrumental music- This universal language, understandable to all inhabitants of the Earth without any words.

Let music be a favorite hobby rather than a boring “obligation”

But even if he cannot make it to the big stage, and does not want to play “money” instruments, but writes complex, experimental music that cannot be sold, there is no need to worry about it. Let it be better for the greatest art in the world to become his favorite hobby and passion than a tedious “obligation” to perform other people’s songs in order to make more money. Only now he will have to earn a living in some other field.

Article provided by:

Alexey Kormushkin,
especially for DETINFORM

Current issues

Hello! My baby is 3 months and 3 weeks old today. From 24.02-28.02 we had a hoarse voice, the throat was not red, there was no fever or snot, the condition was painful. (Treatment: 1 Kipferon suppository, 1 Viferon suppository, inhalation with saline solution). From 20.03 to this day, the voice is again hoarse, not as strong as the first time, there are no signs of illness, the condition is playful, from 04.03 the voice is even more hoarse, the condition is pathogenic, and since yesterday the voice has almost disappeared, the temperature is 37.2. According to the blood that was donated on March 12, when they were healthy and had a normal voice, there was a slight increase in lymphocytes.. What to do?

Question No. 913 |6 year old son takes off his panties at night |20.02.2017 | Nadezhda Alekseevna Petrova asks

Good afternoon My son likes to sleep naked because... Everything constantly bothers him, presses, presses, etc. During the day, he sometimes pulls his T-shirt, sometimes he pulls his panties down, sometimes he pulls his neck up; he is very active and constantly adjusts something from his clothes. Since you can’t undress in the garden during the day, you have to put him down at night, at least in shorts, so he gets used to it, but most often at night he takes everything off. And not so long ago I started lowering my underwear at all, i.e. I don’t take it off completely, I wake him up and his panties are down on his butt. What could this mean? Why does the child do this? What should I do - should I pay attention to this?