This list includes 47 Musical instruments that start with G, from “Gadulka” to “Gęśle”. These instruments range from bowed folk strings to modern electronic gear and wind and percussion types. They serve in folk traditions, orchestral or ensemble settings, solo performance, and educational contexts.
Musical instruments that start with G are named instruments whose common English names begin with the letter G. Many are rooted in regional folk traditions, including the Bulgarian gadulka and the Polish gęśle.
Below you’ll find the table with family, origin, and materials.
Family: Identifies the instrument’s broad family (strings, winds, percussion, keyboard, electronic) so you quickly see its role in ensembles.
Origin: Shows the country or region and approximate era, helping you understand cultural background and historical use.
Materials: Lists primary construction materials so you can infer timbre, durability, and care needs for study or collection.
Musical instruments that start with G
| Name | Family | Origin | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gadulka | Chordophone | Bulgaria, Balkan region | Wood, steel strings, horsehair bow |
| Gaita | Aerophone | Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal) | Wood, animal hide bag, cane reeds |
| Gambus | Chordophone | Middle East, Southeast Asia | Wood, nylon or gut strings, skin soundboard |
| Gan-gan | Membranophone | Nigeria (Yoruba people) | Wood, animal skin, leather cords |
| Gankogui | Idiophone | Ghana, Togo (Ewe people) | Wrought iron |
| Ganza | Idiophone | Brazil | Metal, wood, or gourd; with internal beads or seeds |
| Gaohu | Chordophone | China, c. 1920s | Wood, snakeskin, steel strings |
| Garklein Recorder | Aerophone | Europe (modern revival) | Wood or plastic |
| Gayageum | Chordophone | Korea, 6th century | Paulownia wood, silk strings |
| Gandingan | Idiophone | Philippines (Maguindanao people) | Brass or bronze |
| Gęśle | Chordophone | Poland, Slavic regions, medieval era | Wood, gut strings |
| Gender | Idiophone | Indonesia (Java, Bali) | Bronze keys, bamboo or wood resonators |
| Geomungo | Chordophone | Korea, 4th-7th centuries | Wood (paulownia, chestnut), silk strings |
| Ghatam | Idiophone | South India | Specially formulated baked clay |
| Ghaychak | Chordophone | Iran, Central Asia | Wood, gourd, or metal; skin head, metal strings |
| Ghungroo | Idiophone | India, ancient origins | Small metallic bells on a cord or leather strap |
| Gilak | Membranophone | Senegal (Serer people) | Wood, goatskin |
| Glass Harmonica | Idiophone | Europe, 1761 (perfected by B. Franklin) | Glass bowls, wood frame, water |
| Glockenspiel | Idiophone | Germany, 18th century | Steel bars, wood or metal frame |
| Goje | Chordophone | West Africa (Sahel region) | Gourd, animal skin, horsehair |
| Gong | Idiophone | East and Southeast Asia, Bronze Age | Bronze, brass, or other metal alloys |
| Gong Ageng | Idiophone | Indonesia (Java, Bali) | Bronze or brass |
| Gong bass drum | Membranophone | Europe, early 20th century | Wood or metal shell, single synthetic or skin head |
| Gonguê | Idiophone | Brazil | Metal |
| Gora | Chordophone/Aerophone | South Africa (Khoikhoi people) | Quill, sinew string, wood stick, gourd resonator |
| Gottuvadhyam | Chordophone | South India | Wood, gourds, steel strings |
| Gourd Banjo | Chordophone | North America (African-American origins, 17th-18th c.) | Gourd body, wood neck, animal skin head, gut strings |
| Gralla | Aerophone | Spain (Catalonia) | Wood, cane double reed |
| Gran Cassa | Membranophone | Europe (Turkish military origins) | Wood shell, animal or synthetic heads |
| Grand Piano | Chordophone | Italy, c. 1700 | Wood, cast iron frame, steel strings, felt hammers |
| Grelots | Idiophone | Widespread, ancient origins | Small, hollow metal spheres with an internal pellet |
| Grinder Organ | Aerophone | Europe, 18th century | Wood case, metal pipes, pinned barrel or paper roll |
| Guan | Aerophone | China, pre-Tang dynasty | Hardwood or bamboo, large cane double reed |
| Guasa | Idiophone | Colombia | Bamboo or metal tube, seeds or beads |
| Gudok | Chordophone | Medieval Kievan Rus’ (Russia, Ukraine) | Wood, gut strings |
| Gudugudu | Membranophone | Nigeria (Yoruba people) | Wood, leather |
| Gue | Chordophone | Shetland Islands, UK (Viking origins) | Wood, gut or horsehair strings |
| Guembri | Chordophone | North Africa (Gnawa music) | Wood, camel skin, gut strings |
| Güiro | Idiophone | Caribbean (Taíno origins) | Gourd, wood, or fiberglass |
| Guitar | Chordophone | Spain, 16th century | Wood, nylon or steel strings |
| Guitalele | Chordophone | Modern, late 20th century | Wood, nylon strings |
| Guitarra de Golpe | Chordophone | Mexico | Wood, nylon or gut strings |
| Guitarrón | Chordophone | Mexico, 19th century | Wood, nylon and metal-wound strings |
| Gusli | Chordophone | Medieval Kievan Rus’ (Russia, Ukraine) | Wood, metal strings |
| Gusle | Chordophone | Balkans (Southeastern Europe) | Maple wood, animal skin, horsehair string |
| Guzheng | Chordophone | China, c. 500 BCE | Paulownia wood, steel-wrapped strings, movable bridges |
| Gyil | Idiophone | West Africa (Ghana, Burkina Faso) | Rosewood keys, gourd resonators |
Descriptions
Gadulka
A pear-shaped Bulgarian folk fiddle played upright. Its sympathetic strings resonate “by themselves,” creating a rich, echoing sound.
Gaita
The traditional bagpipe of Spain and Portugal, known for its powerful, piercing sound, often played at festivals and celebrations.
Gambus
A fretless pear-shaped lute, central to Islamic-influenced music in Malaysia and Indonesia, often accompanying song and dance.
Gan-gan
A “talking drum” from West Africa. The player squeezes cords to change the drum’s pitch, mimicking the tones of human speech.
Gankogui
An iron double bell that serves as the rhythmic backbone in Ewe music. It provides the core timeline that other instruments follow.
Ganza
A cylindrical shaker or rattle used to provide rhythmic texture in samba and other Brazilian music styles. Simple but essential.
Gaohu
A high-pitched Chinese fiddle, a relative of the erhu. Its name means “high-pitched huqin,” and it’s a popular solo and ensemble instrument.
Garklein Recorder
The tiniest member of the recorder family, barely longer than a pencil. It plays at a very high, bird-like pitch.
Gayageum
A graceful Korean zither with 12 to 25 strings, each with a movable bridge for tuning. It produces a delicate, harp-like sound.
Gandingan
A set of four large “talking gongs” in Filipino Kulintang music. They are used to communicate and play melodic patterns.
Gęśle
An ancient Slavic fiddle or bowed lyre, considered an ancestor of modern bowed instruments in the region, like the violin.
Gender
A metallophone in the Gamelan ensemble with bronze bars over tube resonators, creating a shimmering, sustained tone when played.
Geomungo
A large Korean fretted zither, often called the “black crane zither.” It’s played with a bamboo stick, creating a percussive sound.
Ghatam
A clay pot percussion instrument. The player uses fingers, palms, and the heel of the hand to strike its surface for a variety of tones.
Ghaychak
A spherical bowed fiddle with a distinctive resonant sound, used in a variety of traditional music across Iran and Central Asia.
Ghungroo
Ankle bells worn by dancers in India. They are not just ornaments but a musical instrument, accentuating rhythmic footwork.
Gilak
A tall, narrow drum from the Serer people of Senegal. It is played with the hands and is used in traditional ceremonies.
Glass Harmonica
An ethereal instrument of rotating glass bowls played with wet fingers. Mozart and Beethoven wrote music for this otherworldly instrument.
Glockenspiel
A percussion instrument of tuned steel bars, creating a bright, bell-like sound. It’s a staple in orchestras, marching bands, and schools.
Goje
A one or two-stringed “horsehair fiddle” from West Africa, made with a gourd resonator. It has a raw, expressive vocal quality.
Gong
A large, resonant metal disc struck with a mallet. Used in ceremonies, orchestras, and even to announce the start of a movie!
Gong Ageng
The largest and deepest-pitched hanging gong in the Indonesian Gamelan ensemble, marking the most important structural points in the music.
Gong bass drum
A large, single-headed bass drum often used in orchestras. It has a deep, resonant tone with a long sustain, much like a gong.
Gonguê
A large, clapperless iron bell, struck with a metal stick. It provides a foundational rhythm in Afro-Brazilian music styles like Maracatu.
Gora
A unique “bow-gourd” instrument played by blowing across a string attached to a quill, causing the string to vibrate and produce sound.
Gottuvadhyam
A fretless 21-stringed instrument from the veena family, played horizontally with a cylindrical slide, creating smooth, gliding notes.
Gourd Banjo
An early, fretless banjo with a body made from a gourd. It is a direct ancestor of the modern banjo, rooted in African traditions.
Gralla
A loud, piercing double-reed instrument from Catalonia, similar to a shawm. It is a key instrument for street festivals and human tower events.
Gran Cassa
The Italian name for the orchestral bass drum. A large, two-headed drum that provides a deep, powerful boom in classical music.
Grand Piano
The largest and most resonant type of piano. Its horizontal strings and frame allow for a rich, powerful tone and dynamic range.
Grelots
The French term for jingle bells or sleigh bells. These small, festive bells are shaken to produce their characteristic cheerful sound.
Grinder Organ
A type of mechanical street organ played by turning a crank. Once a common sight, it’s famous for its cheerful, automated music.
Guan
A short, cylindrical double-reed pipe from China. It has a mellow, oboe-like tone and is used in both folk and classical music.
Guasa
A tubular shaker from Colombia, traditionally made from bamboo and filled with dried seeds. It provides a constant rhythmic pulse.
Gudok
An ancient, pear-shaped 3-stringed fiddle of the Eastern Slavs, often played upright on the knee. It’s an ancestor of many regional folk fiddles.
Gudugudu
A small, bowl-shaped “talking drum” played with two leather thongs. It has a sharp, staccato sound and is part of the dùndún drum family.
Gue
A simple, two-stringed bowed lyre from Shetland, believed to be of Norse origin. Once extinct, it is now being revived by musicians.
Guembri
A three-stringed bass lute central to Gnawa music. Its deep, buzzing sound provides both the bassline and percussive rhythm.
Güiro
A hollow gourd with notches cut into one side, played by scraping a stick along the ridges to produce a distinctive ratchet sound.
Guitar
One of the world’s most popular instruments, the guitar has a fretted neck and is played by plucking or strumming its six strings.
Guitalele
A hybrid instrument that combines the small size of a ukulele with the six strings of a guitar, creating a bright, high-pitched guitar sound.
Guitarra de Golpe
A 5-stringed rhythm guitar used in traditional Son and Mariachi music of Mexico. It is played with vigorous, percussive strumming.
Guitarrón
The giant acoustic bass of the Mariachi ensemble. Its huge, deep body produces a rich, powerful bass tone without needing amplification.
Gusli
The oldest known Russian string instrument, a type of zither or psaltery laid on the player’s lap. It has a magical, bell-like tone.
Gusle
A single-stringed fiddle used by epic bards in the Balkans to accompany storytelling and heroic poems. The instrument is often ornately carved.
Guzheng
A large Chinese plucked zither with a beautiful, resonant sound. Its movable bridges allow for pitch bends and a wide expressive range.
Gyil
A traditional xylophone of the Dagara people. Below each wooden key is a gourd resonator with a buzzing membrane, giving it a unique sound.