Hello. My name is Jenny and I love playing musical instruments of all kinds
(especially woodwinds). Every year I take 20 musical instruments, grouped by continent,
to the local schools and go down the line discussing and playing them.
I've long thought it would be fun to have a website where I played as many instruments
as possible, and with the Covid shutdown, I have time to create one.
So around caring for my family, this has been my major project
(until it warms up enough that I should go out and repaint the fence...).
With each instrument I play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star",
talk about the instrument briefly, and end with a slide giving a few more details.
I did my best to keep the videos under 2 minutes apiece.
I have them alphabetized, more or less, so click a subsection below,
browse the instruments, and click on any that catch your fancy!
Enjoy!
November 2020: I added a "Drums & More" section for instruments I sing or hum with -
percussion instruments needed a place on the site also!
October 2021: I added marimba and now have ONE HUNDRED melodic instruments!
(Plus 37 "Drums & More".)
January 2022: I added a "Purchasing Recommendations" section in case you'd like to buy an instrument for yourself or as a gift for someone else and aren't sure where to start. They are sorted by price and have links to their pages.
April 2022: I now have 150 instruments total on my website!
-If you aren't sure where to start, I particularly recommend the double ocarina, hulusi, tabor pipe,
17-key thumb piano, or xaphoon.
-If you want a laugh, try the bagpipes, saw, dragon ocarina, melodica, nose flute, pitch pipe, or boom whackers.
-If you want to make someone leave the room, try the piccolo, violin, saw, or oboe.
-For videos where I had fun with the tune or words, try wood block, gong, vibra-slap, triangle, brake drum,
cymbals, bass drum, ratchet, slap stick, or sleigh bells.
-If you want to smile and relax, try the flute, double ocarina (especially the 2nd clip), gemshorn,
lap harp, or 17-key thumb piano.
(especially woodwinds). Every year I take 20 musical instruments, grouped by continent,
to the local schools and go down the line discussing and playing them.
I've long thought it would be fun to have a website where I played as many instruments
as possible, and with the Covid shutdown, I have time to create one.
So around caring for my family, this has been my major project
(until it warms up enough that I should go out and repaint the fence...).
With each instrument I play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star",
talk about the instrument briefly, and end with a slide giving a few more details.
I did my best to keep the videos under 2 minutes apiece.
I have them alphabetized, more or less, so click a subsection below,
browse the instruments, and click on any that catch your fancy!
Enjoy!
November 2020: I added a "Drums & More" section for instruments I sing or hum with -
percussion instruments needed a place on the site also!
October 2021: I added marimba and now have ONE HUNDRED melodic instruments!
(Plus 37 "Drums & More".)
January 2022: I added a "Purchasing Recommendations" section in case you'd like to buy an instrument for yourself or as a gift for someone else and aren't sure where to start. They are sorted by price and have links to their pages.
April 2022: I now have 150 instruments total on my website!
-If you aren't sure where to start, I particularly recommend the double ocarina, hulusi, tabor pipe,
17-key thumb piano, or xaphoon.
-If you want a laugh, try the bagpipes, saw, dragon ocarina, melodica, nose flute, pitch pipe, or boom whackers.
-If you want to make someone leave the room, try the piccolo, violin, saw, or oboe.
-For videos where I had fun with the tune or words, try wood block, gong, vibra-slap, triangle, brake drum,
cymbals, bass drum, ratchet, slap stick, or sleigh bells.
-If you want to smile and relax, try the flute, double ocarina (especially the 2nd clip), gemshorn,
lap harp, or 17-key thumb piano.
4/8/20: initial 58 instruments up and going! (still need to record guitar)
April '20: slowly adding instruments borrowed from the local high school band room (bassoon, piccolo, mellophone, valved trombone, oboe...)
4/19/20: I added the bagpipes - a dubious achievement, but an achievement nonetheless!
5/31/20: I finally added guitar and also put on steel drum (combined birthday present for me and my son!)
6/22/20: I added xylophone and also an "Alien" clip to the double ocarina
11/21/20: I added alto clarinet, Mickey's piano, and a "Drums & More" section with 20 instruments!, and then bari sax and didgeridoo on 11/25/20 and erhu, cajon, and marching baritone on 12/4/20 and spoons on 12/5/20 - I have 98 instruments now!!!!!!
1/9/21 added valiha, handbells, shakers, and spoons-wood - I have 102 instruments now!!!!!
1/23/21 added E-flat clarinet and foot tambourine. 2/11/21 added ivy ocarina and ukulele (only missing instruments starting with "I" and "Y" now!)
2/15/21 added nose flute. 2/27/21 added Otamatone. 4/5/21 added [string] bass. 4/21/21 added chimes, vibraphone, bell tree, gong, and mark tree.
4/24/21 added autoharp. 4/30/21 added snare drum. 5/1/21 added marching tenors and congas. 5/3/21 added timpani, vibra-slap, and bongos.
5/5/21 added pitch pipe and wind chimes. 5/12/21 added Minecraft. 5/26/21 added drum set. 6/2/21 added brake drum.
6/21/21 added baritone and euphonium and bass clarinet the next day. 7/5/21 added tuba and sousaphone. 7/9/21 added mouthpieces.
8/25/21 added a Ugandan bow harp called an A'dungu. 9/22/21 added cymbals. 10/13/21 added whistling.
10/16/21 added marimba (100 melodic instruments now!!!) and bass drum.
1/6/22 added the "Purchasing recommendations" page. 1/14/22 added dan moi and a nose whistle. 2/8/22 added slide whistle and shofar.
2/15/22 added pBone. 3/2/22 added ratchet and slap stick. 3/14/22 added temple blocks, flexatone, and bass guitar.
3/22/22 added noise makers (7 in one recording) to Drums & More. 4/11/22 added balalaika and clarinet - metal. 150 instruments total now!
5/12/22 added a Mahler box (nope, I'd never heard of one either). 6/9/22 added a kudu-horn shofar.
8/31/22 added Saxoflute and a Fisher Price xylophone. 10/25/22 added kazoo, Venova, and violin uke. 10/31/22 added marching euphonium.
2/2/23 added tongue drum - steel and flute - alto. 2-18-23 added trombone - bass. 2-23-23 added cello FINALLY!!!!
5/15/23 added soprano sax. 5/22 added mountain dulcimer (120 melody instruments now!). 7/23 added Tibetan horn.
8/31/23 added shekere. 9/22/23 added flugelhorn. 10/11/23 added banjo (yay!). 4/11/24 added 2 Chinese instruments: suona and xun.
4/29/24 added hammered dulcimer (under dulcimer, hammered to put it next to the mountain dulcimer).
5/16/24 added Irish harp (instead of harp, Irish, so now I have instruments starting with every letter except for Y!)
April '20: slowly adding instruments borrowed from the local high school band room (bassoon, piccolo, mellophone, valved trombone, oboe...)
4/19/20: I added the bagpipes - a dubious achievement, but an achievement nonetheless!
5/31/20: I finally added guitar and also put on steel drum (combined birthday present for me and my son!)
6/22/20: I added xylophone and also an "Alien" clip to the double ocarina
11/21/20: I added alto clarinet, Mickey's piano, and a "Drums & More" section with 20 instruments!, and then bari sax and didgeridoo on 11/25/20 and erhu, cajon, and marching baritone on 12/4/20 and spoons on 12/5/20 - I have 98 instruments now!!!!!!
1/9/21 added valiha, handbells, shakers, and spoons-wood - I have 102 instruments now!!!!!
1/23/21 added E-flat clarinet and foot tambourine. 2/11/21 added ivy ocarina and ukulele (only missing instruments starting with "I" and "Y" now!)
2/15/21 added nose flute. 2/27/21 added Otamatone. 4/5/21 added [string] bass. 4/21/21 added chimes, vibraphone, bell tree, gong, and mark tree.
4/24/21 added autoharp. 4/30/21 added snare drum. 5/1/21 added marching tenors and congas. 5/3/21 added timpani, vibra-slap, and bongos.
5/5/21 added pitch pipe and wind chimes. 5/12/21 added Minecraft. 5/26/21 added drum set. 6/2/21 added brake drum.
6/21/21 added baritone and euphonium and bass clarinet the next day. 7/5/21 added tuba and sousaphone. 7/9/21 added mouthpieces.
8/25/21 added a Ugandan bow harp called an A'dungu. 9/22/21 added cymbals. 10/13/21 added whistling.
10/16/21 added marimba (100 melodic instruments now!!!) and bass drum.
1/6/22 added the "Purchasing recommendations" page. 1/14/22 added dan moi and a nose whistle. 2/8/22 added slide whistle and shofar.
2/15/22 added pBone. 3/2/22 added ratchet and slap stick. 3/14/22 added temple blocks, flexatone, and bass guitar.
3/22/22 added noise makers (7 in one recording) to Drums & More. 4/11/22 added balalaika and clarinet - metal. 150 instruments total now!
5/12/22 added a Mahler box (nope, I'd never heard of one either). 6/9/22 added a kudu-horn shofar.
8/31/22 added Saxoflute and a Fisher Price xylophone. 10/25/22 added kazoo, Venova, and violin uke. 10/31/22 added marching euphonium.
2/2/23 added tongue drum - steel and flute - alto. 2-18-23 added trombone - bass. 2-23-23 added cello FINALLY!!!!
5/15/23 added soprano sax. 5/22 added mountain dulcimer (120 melody instruments now!). 7/23 added Tibetan horn.
8/31/23 added shekere. 9/22/23 added flugelhorn. 10/11/23 added banjo (yay!). 4/11/24 added 2 Chinese instruments: suona and xun.
4/29/24 added hammered dulcimer (under dulcimer, hammered to put it next to the mountain dulcimer).
5/16/24 added Irish harp (instead of harp, Irish, so now I have instruments starting with every letter except for Y!)