This list includes 29 Musical instruments that start with H, from “Haegeum” to “Hyeongeum”. The entries span traditional folk instruments, classical staples, and modern electronic devices across strings, winds, percussion, and keyboards. You can use this list for study, teaching, instrument selection, or quick reference.
Musical instruments that start with H are named items from across the world whose common names begin with the letter H; they include both historic and contemporary types. For example, the Korean “haegeum” is a notable bowed fiddle with a long history in court and folk music.
Below you’ll find the table with Family, Origin, and Materials.
Family: The instrument family shows how the instrument produces sound, helping you compare timbre and ensemble role at a glance.
Origin: Lists country or region and approximate era so you understand cultural background and historical context for each instrument.
Materials: Primary construction materials help you assess tone, durability, and care needs when considering study, purchase, or display.
Musical instruments that start with H
| Name | Family | Origin | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harp | String — plucked | Ancient, widespread | Wood, nylon/gut/metal strings |
| Harmonica | Aerophone — free reed | Germany, 19th c. | Metal, plastic, wood |
| Harpsichord | String — plucked keyboard | Europe, 15th c. | Wood, metal strings, quills |
| Hurdy-gurdy | String — bowed by wheel | Europe, Middle Ages | Wood, metal strings |
| Hammered Dulcimer | String — struck | Middle East, ancient | Wood, metal strings |
| Handbells | Idiophone — struck percussion | England, 17th c. | Bronze, leather/plastic handles |
| Hi-hat | Idiophone — struck percussion | USA, c. 1920s | Brass/bronze alloy cymbals, metal stand |
| Hardanger Fiddle | String — bowed | Norway, 17th c. | Wood, gut/metal strings |
| Haegeum | String — bowed | Korea, Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) | Wood, silk strings, bamboo |
| Hulusi | Aerophone — free reed | China, traditional | Gourd, bamboo pipes |
| Harmonium | Aerophone — free-reed keyboard | France, 19th c. | Wood, metal reeds, bellows |
| Handpan | Idiophone — struck percussion | Switzerland, early 21st c. | Nitrided steel |
| Hang | Idiophone — struck percussion | Switzerland, 2000 | Nitrided steel |
| Helicon | Aerophone — brass | Russia, 19th c. | Brass |
| Hammond Organ | Electrophone — electromechanical | USA, 1935 | Wood, metal, vacuum tubes, tonewheels |
| Hichiriki | Aerophone — double reed | Japan, 8th c. | Bamboo, cherry bark |
| Hosho | Idiophone — shaken percussion | Zimbabwe, traditional | Maranka gourds, canna lily seeds |
| Harp Guitar | String — plucked | Europe, 18th c. | Wood, metal/nylon strings |
| Horn (animal) | Aerophone — lip-vibrated | Prehistoric, widespread | Animal horn, wood, metal |
| Horagai | Aerophone — lip-vibrated | Japan, traditional | Conch shell, wood/metal mouthpiece |
| Hsaing waing | Membranophone — struck drum-circle | Burma (Myanmar), traditional | Wood, lacquer, leather drumheads |
| Hummel | String — plucked zither | Germany/Sweden, Middle Ages | Wood, metal strings |
| Hyang-piri | Aerophone — double reed | Korea, pre-5th c. | Bamboo |
| Hyeongeum | String — plucked zither | Korea, 4th c. | Paulownia wood, silk strings |
| Hawaiian Steel Guitar | String — plucked | Hawaii, late 19th c. | Wood, steel, metal strings |
| Hegelong | String — plucked lute | Philippines (T’boli people), traditional | Wood, metal/wire strings |
| Hollow Body Guitar | String — plucked (electro-acoustic) | USA, 1930s | Wood, metal strings, magnetic pickups |
| Harp-lute | String — plucked | England, early 19th c. | Wood, gut/metal strings |
| Hasapi | String — plucked lute | Indonesia (Batak people), traditional | Wood, metal strings |
Descriptions
Harp
A large, multi-stringed instrument played by plucking. Found in orchestras and many folk traditions worldwide, it comes in many sizes, from small lap harps to large concert harps.
Harmonica
A small wind instrument played by blowing and drawing air through reeds. Also called a mouth organ or blues harp, it’s popular in blues, folk, and country music.
Harpsichord
A keyboard instrument where strings are plucked by a mechanism instead of being struck like a piano. It produces a bright, crisp tone and was a key instrument in Baroque music.
Hurdy-gurdy
A unique string instrument played by turning a crank, which rotates a wheel that bows the strings. Melodies are played on a small keyboard, often with drone strings.
Hammered Dulcimer
A large, trapezoidal zither where the player strikes the strings with small mallets or “hammers.” It is a precursor to the piano and is found in many folk traditions.
Handbells
A set of tuned bells, each played by hand. Bell choirs perform complex music by assigning different notes to different ringers, creating a single, flowing melody.
Hi-hat
A pair of cymbals on a stand, played with sticks or a foot pedal. It’s a fundamental part of the modern drum kit, used for keeping time and rhythmic patterns.
Hardanger Fiddle
Norway’s national instrument, a violin-like fiddle with 8 or 9 strings. Four strings are played while the others resonate sympathetically, creating a haunting, ethereal sound.
Haegeum
A traditional Korean two-stringed fiddle, often called a “Korean violin.” It has a unique, expressive, and slightly nasal tone, used in both court and folk music.
Hulusi
A Chinese wind instrument with a distinctive gourd wind-chest. It has a main melody pipe and one or two drone pipes, producing a clear, clarinet-like sound.
Harmonium
A portable, pump-powered reed organ. The player pumps bellows with one hand or feet while playing the keyboard. It is widely used in South Asian devotional music.
Handpan
A convex steel percussion instrument played with the hands. It has a central note and tuned tone fields around the edge, known for its meditative, resonant sound.
Hang
The original, influential steel percussion instrument that inspired the handpan. Created by PANArt, it is played with the hands and has a distinct, warm, and resonant sound.
Helicon
A brass instrument in the tuba family that coils to circle the player’s body, resting on the shoulder. It was designed for marching bands and is a precursor to the sousaphone.
Hammond Organ
An iconic electric organ that generates sound using rotating tonewheels. Famous for its distinctive “growl” and often paired with a Leslie speaker for a shimmering vibrato effect.
Hichiriki
A small Japanese double-reed wind instrument used in Gagaku court music. It has a loud, piercing, and expressive tone that is considered to represent the sound of the people.
Hosho
A pair of gourd shakers from Zimbabwe, filled with seeds. They provide a foundational rhythm in Shona music, especially accompanying the mbira, and are played by shaking.
Harp Guitar
A guitar with additional, un-fretted bass strings on a separate arm or frame. This extends the instrument’s range, allowing for complex bass lines alongside standard guitar playing.
Horn (animal)
One of the oldest wind instruments, made from an animal’s horn. It is played by buzzing the lips into the narrow end and is used for signaling, rituals, and music.
Horagai
A Japanese shell trumpet, made from a large conch shell. Historically used by samurai for signaling and by Buddhist monks in religious rituals. Also known as a jinkai.
Hsaing waing
The lead instrument in a traditional Burmese orchestra, this is a set of 18-21 tuned drums arranged in a circular wooden frame. The player sits inside and strikes them.
Hummel
A traditional folk zither with frets under a few melody strings and several open drone strings. It is related to the Appalachian dulcimer and was popular in Northern Europe.
Hyang-piri
A Korean double-reed oboe, the longest and most common of the three piri types. It has a loud, piercing tone and is used across Korean folk and court music genres.
Hyeongeum
A traditional Korean six-stringed fretted zither, also known as a geomungo. It’s played with a short bamboo stick and is known for its percussive, masculine sound.
Hawaiian Steel Guitar
A guitar played horizontally on the lap. The player slides a metal bar (the “steel”) along the strings to change pitch, creating its characteristic gliding, vocal-like sound.
Hegelong
A two-stringed, fretted boat-lute from the T’boli people. One string plays the melody while the other acts as a drone. It is used for courtship and entertainment.
Hollow Body Guitar
An electric guitar with a fully hollow body, similar to an acoustic archtop. It produces a warm, resonant tone with more acoustic volume than a solid-body, popular in jazz.
Harp-lute
An instrument combining features of a harp and a lute or guitar. It had a fretted neck for melody and open strings on a harp-like pillar for bass accompaniment.
Hasapi
A two-stringed boat-lute from the Batak people of Sumatra, Indonesia. Often intricately carved, it is used in traditional ceremonies and for personal entertainment.