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The following is a non-exhaustive list of instruments which can be used to play xenharmonic music. You can find additional information by following the links to each instrument's dedicated page.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of instruments which can be used to play xenharmonic music. You can find additional information by following the links to each instrument's dedicated page.


== String instruments ==
== Winds ==
=== Plucked strings ===
* [[Bassoon]]
* Fretted:
* [[Clarinet]]
** [[Guitar]]
** [[Electric bass]]
** [[Pedal steel guitar]]
** [[Fun With Microtones|Ukulele]]
** Others: banjo, bouzuki, mandolin, balalaika, sitar, [[Wikipedia:Moodswinger|moodswinger]], etc.
* Fretless:
** [[Harp]]
** [[Autoharp]]
** [[Electric bass|Fretless bass]]
** [[Qanun]]
** Others: oud, zither (including kantele), hammer dulcimer, [[Wikipedia:Đàn bầu|đàn bầu]], etc.
* Keyboard plucked strings
** Harpsichord
 
{{todo|inline=1|complete section|text=Add information about harpsichords, including microtonal harpsichords.}}
 
=== Bowed strings ===
* Fretted:
** [[Bowed strings|Viol family and other bowed fretted strings]] (viola da gamba, some types of violone, baryton, arpeggione, GuitarViol, fretted violin, etc.)
* Fretless:
** [[Bowed strings|Violin family]] (violin, viola, cello, bass, some types of violone, etc.)
** Others: [[Wikipedia:Huqin|huqin]], etc.
 
== Wind instruments ==
=== Brass instruments ===
* [[Flugelhorn]]
* [[Flugelhorn]]
* [[Flute]]
* [[Fretless saxophone]]
* [[Harmonica]]
* [[Horn]]
* [[Horn]]
* [[Infinitone]]
* [[Recorder]]
* [[Saxophone]]
* [[Shakuhachi]]
* [[Trombone]]
* [[Trombone]]
* [[Trumpet]]
* [[Trumpet]]
* [[Tuba]]
* [[Tuba]]
* Others: digeridoo, alphorn, etc.
=== Woodwind instruments ===
* Reedless:
** [[Flute]]
** [[Recorder]]
** [[Shakuhachi]]
** [[Whistle]]
** Others: khaen, some very small organs, etc.
* Reed:
** [[Bassoon]]/contrabassoon
** Oboe
** English horn
** Heckelphone/Lupophone
** [[Clarinet]]
** [[Harmonica]]
** [[Saxophone]]
** [[Fretless saxophone]]
** Others: reed organ, regal, accordion, melodica, etc.
* Combination:
** Organ (usually has both flue and reed stops, and may also have percussion stops, especially in the case of theatre organs)
{{todo|inline=1|complete section|text=Add organ information page including microtonal organs.}}
=== Others ===
* [http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/oddmusic/message/17051 Balloon flute]{{dead link}}
* [[Infinitone]]
* [[Udderbot]]
* [[Udderbot]]
* [[Whistle]]


== Percussion instruments ==
== Percussion ==
* Mallet keyboards:
* [[Bells]]
** [[Marimba]]
* [[Conic Bellophone in 96edo|Conic bellophone]]
** Others: vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, crotales, lithophone, etc.
* [[Daxophone]]
* Tuned drums: timpani, rototoms, pat waing, etc.
* [[Kalimba]]
* Bells:
* [[Marimba]]
** [[Conic Bellophone in 96edo|Conic bellophone]]
* [[Tubulong]]
** [http://www.ekmelic-music.org/en/instr/kk.htm Sound tower/sound cube]{{dead link}}
** [[Tubulong]]
** [[Bells]]
* Lamellophones:
** [[Kalimba (mbira)]], marimbula
* Friction idiophones:
** [[Daxophone]]
** Others: musical saw, wine glasses, nail violin, etc.
* Hammered dulcimers (including [[wikipedia:yangqin|yangqin]] and lavachord, the latter of which also belongs to keyboard instruments)
** Finger-hammered dulcimers: [[harpejji]].
* [[Keyboard]]s: piano, tangent piano (including [[fluid piano]]), organ (when equipped with percussion stops), clavichord (including the Clavinet and its derivatives).
 
 
{{todo|inline=1|complete section|text=Add clavichord information page including microtonal derivatives of the Clavinet.}}
 
== Electronic instruments ==
* [[Software]], [[DAWs]], [[List of Microtonal Software Plugins|plugins]]
* Synthesizers:
** [[Lumatone]]
** [[SoMa Terra]]
** Others: see [[Keyboard#List of generalized keyboards]]
* [[Novation Launchpad]]
* [[Wikipedia:Ondes Martenot|Ondes Martenot]]
* [[Wikipedia:Theremin|Theremin]]
* [[Wikipedia:Trautonium|Trautonium]]
* Web browser-based on-screen keyboards:
** [[User:SAKryukov#Microtonal Fabric|“Microtonal Fabric” family]]
** ReTuner: [https://www.facebook.com/retuner on facebook], [https://encyclotronic.com/apps/microtonal/retuner-r24 on Encyclotronic]{{dead link}}


== Tuning-agnostic instruments ==
== Keyboards ==
These instruments can play in any microtonal scale out-of-the-box, because 12edo is not a part of their manufacture:
* [[Fluid piano]]


*[[Daxophone]]
== Strings ==
* Fretless string instruments
* [[Autoharp]]
** Fretless bass
* [[Bowed strings]]
** Fretless guitar
* [[Electric bass]]
** Oud
* [[Guitar]]
** Violin, viola, cello, double bass (the string quartet is a whole tuning-agnostic ensemble)
* [[Harp]]
* Musical saw
* [[Harpejji]]
* String instruments with one pitch per string
* [[Pedal steel guitar]]
** Hammered dulcimer (when provided with on-the-fly adjustable tuning mechanism, such as fluid dulcimer or the more modern versions of [[Wikipedia:Yangqin|Yangqin]])
* [[Qanun]]
* [[Wikipedia:Ondes Martenot|Ondes Martenot]]
* [[Ukulele]]
* [[Wikipedia:Theremin|Theremin]]
* [[Wikipedia:Trautonium|Trautonium]]
* Wind instruments with a slide or other continuous pitch control
** Trombone
** [[Fretless saxophone]]
** [[Infinitone]]
** [[Udderbot]]


== See also ==
== See also ==
* [[List of xenharmonic fixed pitch instruments]]
* [[List of xenharmonic fixed pitch instruments]]
* [[Keyboard]]


== Further reading ==
== Further reading ==
* Hugh Davies/Alexander Bonus, [https://archive.org/details/grovedictionaryo0003unse_w4m2/page/459/ Microtonal instruments], The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, Second Edition, 2014
* Hugh Davies/Alexander Bonus, [https://archive.org/details/grovedictionaryo0003unse_w4m2/page/459/ Microtonal instruments]. The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, Second Edition, 2014
* [https://archive.org/details/emi_archive/ Experimental Musical Instruments] journal
* [https://archive.org/details/emi_archive/ Experimental Musical Instruments] journal
* Fletcher and Rossing, [https://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~pbarfuss/The_Physics_of_Musical_Instruments.pdf The Physics of Musical Instruments], Springer-Verlag, 1991
* Fletcher and Rossing, [https://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~pbarfuss/The_Physics_of_Musical_Instruments.pdf The Physics of Musical Instruments]. Springer-Verlag, 1991


[[Category:Instruments| ]] <!-- main article -->
[[Category:Instruments| ]]

Latest revision as of 17:50, 31 August 2026

See also: Category:Instruments

Many kinds of musical instruments can be used to play microtonal music, ranging from non-microtonal instruments (i.e. designed to be played in 12edo) to custom-designed xenharmonic instruments.

Fixed pitch instruments make it easier for musicians to play notes accurately and reliably, although they give access to a limited set of pitches. Many non-microtonal instruments can be played microtonally without any modification to the instrument by using extended techniques, such as microtonal fingerings on woodwinds. Non-microtonal instruments can also be modified, either temporarily or permanently; this includes notably nonstandard (open) tunings on string instruments and guitar refretting. Finally, new instruments can be created from scratch; many such custom-designed instruments can be found in the list of xenharmonic fixed pitch instruments.

Continuous pitch instruments give access to a wider range of pitches, but often require more skill to be played accurately and reliably. The human voice falls in this category, along with other standard instruments such as bowed strings and trombones. Some extended techniques allow for continuous pitch adjustments, even on fixed pitch instruments, such as string bending on guitars and lip bending on wind instruments like trumpets and saxophones. Several custom instruments also fall in this category, including the udderbot and the Infinitone.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of instruments which can be used to play xenharmonic music. You can find additional information by following the links to each instrument's dedicated page.

Winds

Percussion

Keyboards

Strings

See also

Further reading

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