This list includes 47 Musical instruments that start with B, ranging from “Baglama” to “Byzantine lyra”. They cover strings, winds, percussion, and keyboard types used in folk, classical, and popular music.
Musical instruments that start with B are named instruments used to make music across many cultures. For example, the baglama is central to Turkish folk song traditions and storytelling.
Below you’ll find the table with family, origin, and materials.
Family: Short Hornbostel‑Sachs or common family label that helps you quickly identify the instrument type.
Origin: Country or region and era information so you can place the instrument in cultural or historical context.
Materials: Primary construction materials listed so you understand sound sources and practical maintenance needs.
Musical instruments that start with B
| Name | Family | Origin (region, era) | Primary materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baglama | Plucked long-necked lute | Turkey, traditional | Wood, gut or steel strings |
| Bagpipe | Aerophone with reed and bag | Ancient, widespread in Europe/Middle East | Wood, animal skin, cane |
| Balafon | Gourd-resonated idiophone (xylophone) | West Africa, 12th c. or earlier | Wood, gourds, leather |
| Balalaika | Plucked long-necked lute | Russia, 17th-18th c. | Wood, gut or steel strings |
| Bandola | Plucked lute | Spain, widespread in Latin America | Wood, steel or nylon strings |
| Bandoneon | Free-reed aerophone (concertina) | Germany, mid-19th c. | Wood, leather, metal reeds |
| Bandura | Plucked zither-lute hybrid | Ukraine, 15th-16th c. | Wood, steel strings |
| Banhu | Bowed spike fiddle | China, traditional | Coconut, wood, snakeskin, horsehair |
| Banjo | Plucked lute with membrane | USA (African-American origin), 18th c. | Wood, metal, animal or synthetic skin |
| Banjolele | Plucked lute hybrid | USA, early 20th c. | Wood, metal, skin or plastic, nylon |
| Barbat | Plucked short-necked lute | Persia, ancient (Sasanian era) | Wood, gut strings |
| Baritone horn | Valved brass aerophone | Germany, 1830s | Brass, silver or lacquer coating |
| Baritone saxophone | Single-reed woodwind aerophone | Belgium, 1840s | Brass, cane reed, plastic |
| Barrel organ | Mechanical pipe organ aerophone | Europe, 18th c. | Wood, metal pipes, pinned cylinder |
| Baryton | Bowed and plucked chordophone | Europe, 17th c. | Wood, gut and metal strings |
| Basset horn | Single-reed woodwind aerophone | Germany, c. 1760 | Wood, metal keys, cane reed |
| Bass clarinet | Single-reed woodwind aerophone | Germany, late 18th c. | Grenadilla wood or plastic, metal keys |
| Bass drum | Membranophone (percussion) | Ancient, Turkey (modern form) | Wood, animal or synthetic skin, metal |
| Bass guitar | Plucked electric chordophone | USA, 1930s (popularized 1950s) | Wood, metal, electronics |
| Bassoon | Double-reed woodwind aerophone | Europe, 17th c. | Maple wood, metal keys, cane reeds |
| Bata drum | Double-headed membranophone | Nigeria (Yoruba), traditional | Wood, animal skin |
| Bawu | Free-reed aerophone | China (Yunnan province), traditional | Bamboo, copper reed |
| Bayan | Chromatic button accordion | Russia, early 20th c. | Wood, metal, plastic, leather |
| Bell tree | Percussion idiophone | 20th c. | Metal bells, wood or metal stand |
| Berimbau | Musical bow (chordophone) | Brazil (African origins), traditional | Wood, wire, gourd, cane |
| Bianqing | Tuned percussion idiophone | China, ancient | Stone, wood |
| Bianzhong | Tuned percussion idiophone | China, ancient (Shang/Zhou dynasties) | Bronze, wood |
| Biniou | Bagpipe aerophone | France (Brittany), 18th c. | Wood, animal skin, cane |
| Biwa | Plucked short-necked lute | Japan (from Chinese pipa), 8th c. | Wood, silk or gut strings |
| Bock | Bagpipe aerophone | Bohemia (Czech Republic), traditional | Wood, goatskin, horn |
| Bodega | Bagpipe aerophone | Spain (Catalonia), traditional | Goatskin, wood, cane |
| Bodhran | Frame drum membranophone | Ireland, traditional (modern form 19th c.) | Wood, goatskin or synthetic skin |
| Bombard | Conical-bore double-reed aerophone | France (Brittany), traditional | Wood, cane reed |
| Bombarde | Double-reed woodwind aerophone | Europe, Medieval-Renaissance | Wood, cane reed |
| Bombo legüero | Bass drum membranophone | Argentina, traditional | Hollowed log, animal skin, wood |
| Bongos | Paired hand drums (membranophone) | Cuba (Afro-Cuban), late 19th c. | Wood or fiberglass, animal skin |
| Bonsho | Struck idiophone (bell) | Japan, 6th c. or earlier | Bronze |
| Bougarabou | Goblet drum membranophone | West Africa (Senegal/Gambia), traditional | Wood, cowhide |
| Bouzouki | Plucked long-necked lute | Greece, early 20th c. | Wood, metal frets, steel strings |
| Buccina | Natural brass aerophone | Roman Empire, ancient | Bronze, horn |
| Bucium | Natural horn (alphorn) | Romania, traditional | Wood, bark |
| Bugle | Natural brass aerophone | Ancient, widespread (modern form 18th c.) | Brass, copper |
| Buk | Barrel drum membranophone | Korea, traditional | Wood, cowhide |
| Bulbul tarang | Plucked and keyed zither | India, early 20th c. | Wood, metal, plastic keys |
| Bullroarer | Whirled aerophone | Paleolithic era, global | Wood, cord |
| Button accordion | Free-reed aerophone | Austria, 1829 | Wood, metal, plastic, leather |
| Byzantine lyra | Bowed lyre | Byzantine Empire, 9th c. | Wood, gut strings, horsehair |
Descriptions
Baglama
A Turkish folk instrument with a deep, pear-shaped body and movable frets. It is central to Anatolian music and is also known as the saz.
Bagpipe
An instrument with reed pipes fed by a constant reservoir of air from a bag. Known for its loud, continuous drone (e.g., Great Highland Bagpipe).
Balafon
A West African xylophone with wooden keys tied over gourd resonators. The gourds have holes covered with membranes to create a buzzing sound.
Balalaika
A Russian stringed instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden body. It comes in various sizes and is a symbol of Russian folk music.
Bandola
A pear-shaped string instrument from the lute family, popular in Colombia and Venezuela. It’s used in various folk music styles like joropo.
Bandoneon
A large type of concertina, famous for its essential role in Argentinian tango music. It has a melancholic and expressive sound.
Bandura
Ukraine’s national instrument, a hybrid between a lute and a zither. It has a large, asymmetric body and numerous unfretted strings.
Banhu
A Chinese two-stringed fiddle with a coconut resonator covered in a thin wooden soundboard. It has a bright tone used in regional opera.
Banjo
A stringed instrument with a membrane stretched over a frame as a resonator. It is a cornerstone of American old-time and bluegrass music.
Banjolele
A hybrid instrument combining a small, banjo-like body with four strings tuned and played like a ukulele. Also known as a banjo-ukulele.
Barbat
An ancient Persian lute, considered an ancestor of the European lute and the Middle Eastern Oud. It has a deep, resonant tone.
Baritone horn
A brass instrument in the saxhorn family, pitched in B-flat. It has a conical bore and a mellow tone, common in brass and marching bands.
Baritone saxophone
One of the largest members of the saxophone family, known for its deep, rich tone. It plays a key role in jazz, funk, and classical music.
Barrel organ
A mechanical instrument that produces sound by air passing through pipes, controlled by a pinned barrel or cylinder turned by a crank.
Baryton
A bowed instrument of the viol family with an extra set of sympathetic and plucked strings running behind the neck. Famously used by Joseph Haydn.
Basset horn
A member of the clarinet family, larger than a standard clarinet and with a distinctive upward-curving bell. Famously used by Mozart.
Bass clarinet
A larger member of the clarinet family, pitched an octave below the standard B-flat clarinet. It has a deep, woody, and powerful tone.
Bass drum
A large drum that produces a note of low, indefinite pitch. It is a fundamental percussion instrument in orchestras, bands, and drum kits.
Bass guitar
A guitar-like instrument, typically with four or five strings, pitched an octave lower than a standard guitar. It forms the rhythmic foundation in popular music.
Bassoon
A large, double-reed woodwind known for its wide range and varied tonal character, from comical to solemn. It plays bass and tenor roles in the orchestra.
Bata drum
A set of three hourglass-shaped drums with two heads of different sizes. They are central to Santería religious music in Cuba and Yoruba traditions.
Bawu
A Chinese wind instrument held transversely like a flute. It has a pure, clarinet-like timbre produced by a single metal free reed.
Bayan
A type of chromatic button accordion developed in Russia. It is known for its powerful sound and is used in both folk and classical music.
Bell tree
A percussion instrument consisting of a series of inverted metal bells arranged vertically by pitch. Played by sliding a mallet along the bells for a glissando effect.
Berimbau
A single-string percussion instrument, a musical bow, from Brazil. It is the defining instrument of the martial art Capoeira.
Bianqing
An ancient Chinese percussion instrument consisting of a set of L-shaped, tuned stone chimes hung in a wooden frame and struck with a mallet.
Bianzhong
An ancient Chinese musical instrument consisting of a set of bronze bells, played melodically. Each bell can produce two distinct pitches.
Biniou
A traditional Breton bagpipe from France, characterized by its high-pitched chanter. It is often played in a duo with a bombard (Bombarde).
Biwa
A Japanese short-necked fretted lute, often used in narrative storytelling (biwa hōshi). It is characterized by its buzzing sawari sound.
Bock
A traditional Bohemian bagpipe known for its goat-head shaped stock (hence ‘Bock,’ meaning ‘male goat’). It has a deep, buzzing sound.
Bodega
A large bagpipe from the Catalonia region of Spain, made from a whole goatskin. It has a single chanter and drone. Also called ‘sac de gemecs’.
Bodhran
An Irish frame drum played with a beater called a tipper or cipín. The player’s hand on the inside of the skin alters the pitch and timbre.
Bombard
A traditional Breton woodwind instrument with a double reed, similar to a shawm. It has a powerful, trumpet-like sound and is played with the biniou.
Bombarde
A loud, conical-bore, double-reed instrument of the shawm family, used from the medieval period through the Baroque. An ancestor of the oboe.
Bombo legüero
A large Argentine drum made from a hollowed tree trunk and animal hide. Its name implies its deep sound can be heard a league (legua) away.
Bongos
A pair of small, open-bottomed hand drums of different sizes, joined together. They produce a high-pitched sound and are central to Latin music.
Bonsho
Large, bell-shaped gongs found at Buddhist temples in Japan. They are struck from the outside with a suspended beam, producing a deep, resonant tone.
Bougarabou
A set of West African goblet-shaped drums, similar in sound to a conga. Traditionally played as a set of three or four by a single drummer.
Bouzouki
A Greek long-necked lute with a pear-shaped body and metal strings. It is the central instrument in modern Greek popular and folk music (rebetiko).
Buccina
An ancient Roman brass instrument, about 3 meters long and shaped like a letter ‘C’, with a crossbar for a handle. Used for military signals.
Bucium
A type of alphorn used by Romanian and Moldovan shepherds in the mountains. It is a long, straight or slightly curved tube with no finger holes.
Bugle
A simple brass instrument with no valves or other pitch-altering devices. Pitches are controlled by the player’s embouchure. Used for military signals.
Buk
A traditional Korean barrel-shaped drum with two leather heads tacked to the body. It is used in folk music, court music, and drumming ensembles.
Bulbul tarang
An Indian string instrument where melody strings are fretted by pressing typewriter-like keys. Has a bright, metallic sound. (Also known as Indian banjo).
Bullroarer
An ancient ritual instrument used globally. It consists of a weighted aerofoil (a piece of wood) attached to a string, which makes a roaring sound when whirled.
Button accordion
An accordion where the melody-side keyboard consists of buttons rather than piano-style keys. Can be diatonic or chromatic (like the Bayan).
Byzantine lyra
A pear-shaped, three-to-five string bowed instrument from the medieval Byzantine Empire. It is an ancestor to many European bowed instruments.