A category of musical instrument defined by ethnomusicologists
Erich Hornbostel and Curt Sachs. From the Greek -phone
(sound or voice) and idio- (distinct, separate)
Idiophones include percussion instruments that create sound when
beaten, scraped, or shaken. This includes many instruments such as
claves, cymbals, bells, wood blocks, and metallophones, as well
as the sound made by utilizing parts of the human body, such as
clapping and stomping.
See Also: membranophone, chordophone, aerophone,
electrophone.