A idiophone is a instrument of which the material itself produced the its at the time of an impact, either by an external instrument (like a rod), or by another part of the instrument itself.

The idiophones (or autophones ) are probably older than the Membranophones because of the simplicity of their design. This family gathers the instruments which are neither with corde/s (Cordophones), neither with membrane/s (Membranophones), nor with wind (Aérophones). The vegetable, animal or mineral matters as wood, the bamboo, the horn, or the plastic, glass, metal, and hone it… are used like such. The idiophone term comes from the Greek gr. idios who returns to the concept of “oneself”. Many these instruments have a simple structure and it is the totality of the instrument even (idio-) which vibrates, which produces the sound (phon).
Les idiophones is subdivided according to their mode of “shock”. Mainly seven modes are distinguished:

  • by blow (implies a striking element and an element struck, in general motionless),

  • by scraping,

  • by entrechoc (the two elements strike-striking are twin and mobile, one goes to the meeting of the other),

  • by heave (in general, element struck by several strikers),

  • by jolt,

  • by pinching,

  • by friction (some idiophones with entrechoc can temporarily make use of this category, from their mode of play: it is the case of the cymbals which can be entrechoquées that rubbed as much).

The idiophones train certainly the instrumental family most represented and most played in the world.

Some instruments

See the category idiophone

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