This list includes 49 Musical instruments that start with M, from “MIDI controller” to “Musical saw”. They include acoustic, wind, string, percussion, and electronic instruments used in orchestras, folk traditions, studios, and classrooms.
Musical instruments that start with M are named instruments whose common English names begin with the letter M. Many have deep cultural roots, from the Mediterranean mandolin to the modern MIDI controller that reshaped electronic performance.
Below you’ll find the table with family, origin, and materials.
Family: Shows the instrument’s broad class (strings, woodwind, percussion, electronic) so you can compare similar instruments.
Origin: Lists the country or region and era, so you see cultural roots and historical context for each instrument.
Materials: Identifies primary construction materials, so you understand tone sources and practical considerations like care and repair.
Musical instruments that start with M
| Name | Family | Origin | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandolin | Chordophone | Italy, 17th c. | Wood, metal strings |
| Mandola | Chordophone | Italy, 17th c. | Wood, metal strings |
| Mandocello | Chordophone | Italy/Europe, 19th c. | Wood, metal strings |
| Mandobass | Chordophone | US/19th c. | Wood, metal strings |
| Mandolin-banjo | Hybrid (chordophone/percussion) | US, late 19th c. | Wood, metal, skin head |
| Mandole | Chordophone | Algeria/North Africa, 20th c. | Wood, metal strings |
| Marimba | Idiophone | Central America/Africa, 19th c. | Wood bars, resonators, metal pipes |
| Marimbula | Lamellophone/chordophone | Caribbean, 19th c. | Wood box, metal tongues |
| Marimbol | Lamellophone | Mexico, 19th–20th c. | Wood box, metal keys |
| Maracas | Idiophone | Indigenous Americas, pre-Columbian | Gourd or wood, seeds/pellets |
| Marxophone | Chordophone/zither | US, early 20th c. | Wood box, metal strings, metal hammers |
| Marovany | Chordophone | Madagascar, 19th c. | Wood box, metal strings |
| Mbira | Lamellophone | Zimbabwe, centuries-old | Wood soundboard, metal tines, gourd resonator |
| Mbira dzavadzimu | Lamellophone | Zimbabwe, pre-colonial | Wood, metal tines, bottle caps |
| Mbira nyunga nyunga | Lamellophone | Zimbabwe, 20th c. | Wood, metal tines |
| Mellotron | Electrophone | UK, 1960s | Tape heads, electronics, wood case |
| Mellophone | Aerophone (brass) | US/Europe, 19th–20th c. | Brass, valves, mouthpiece |
| Melodica | Aerophone (free-reed) | Germany/Japan, 1950s | Plastic body, reeds |
| Melodeon | Aerophone (free-reed) | Europe, 19th c. | Wood, reeds, bellows |
| Metallophone | Idiophone | Southeast Asia/Europe, historic | Metal bars, frame, resonators |
| Mridangam | Membranophone | South India, centuries-old | Wood shell, leather heads, rope/craft lacing |
| Madal | Membranophone | Nepal, centuries | Wood shell, skin heads, rope tension |
| Morsing | Lamellophone | India, ancient | Metal frame, metal tongue |
| Morchang | Lamellophone | Rajasthan, India, traditional | Metal |
| Mukkuri | Lamellophone | Ainu/Japan, traditional | Bamboo or metal reed, string |
| Mouth harp | Lamellophone | Worldwide, ancient | Metal or bamboo tongue |
| Mountain dulcimer | Chordophone | Appalachia, 19th c. | Wood body, metal strings |
| Music box | Mechanical/electrophone | Europe, 18th–19th c. | Metal comb, cylinder/disc, wood case |
| Musical saw | Idiophone | Europe/19th c. | Steel saw blade, wood handle |
| Monochord | Chordophone | Ancient Greece/medieval | Wood frame, single string, movable bridge |
| Mouth bow | Chordophone | Africa/Americas, traditional | Wood, single string, mouth as resonator |
| Morin khuur | Chordophone | Mongolia, 17th c. | Wood, horsehair strings, skin |
| Mohan veena | Chordophone | India, 20th c. | Wood body, metal strings, gourd |
| Monkey stick | Percussion (membranophone/jingle) | UK, 19th c. | Wood pole, metal jingles, drum skin |
| Mazhar | Membranophone | Middle East, medieval | Wood frame, skin head, metal jingles |
| Mezoued | Aerophone (reed) | Tunisia/North Africa, centuries | Wood pipes, goatskin bag, reeds |
| Mizmar | Aerophone (double-reed) | Middle East, centuries | Wood, cane reeds |
| Mijwiz | Aerophone (double-pipe) | Levant, centuries | Paired reed pipes, reed, wood |
| Musette (bagpipe) | Aerophone | France, 17th–18th c. | Bag, reeds, wood chanter |
| Musical glasses | Idiophone | Europe, 18th c. | Tuned glass bowls or goblets, water |
| Mirliton | Idiophone/aerophone | Europe, 17th–19th c. | Membrane, wood or metal frame |
| Masenqo | Chordophone | Ethiopia/Eritrea, centuries | Wood soundbox, string, bow |
| Marranzano | Lamellophone | Sicily, centuries | Metal (iron) |
| Manjira | Idiophone | India/Nepal, ancient | Metal, small cymbals |
| Mouth organ | Aerophone (free-reed) | Europe/US, 19th c. | Metal reeds, metal/plastic comb |
| Modular synthesizer | Electrophone | Global, 1960s onward | Electronic modules, circuits, patch cables |
| Monosynth | Electrophone | 1960s onward | Electronic circuits, keyboard |
| MIDI controller | Electrophone | Global, 1980s onward | Electronics, keys/pads, encoders |
| Moraharpa | Chordophone | Sweden, 18th c. | Wood body, strings, keys |
Descriptions
Mandolin
Small lute-like plucked instrument with bright, ringing tone; central to folk, bluegrass, and classical ensembles, often played with tremolo and fast picking.
Mandola
Larger relative of the mandolin tuned lower; used for richer midrange harmony in mandolin orchestras and folk music.
Mandocello
Cello-ranged member of the mandolin family, plucked for bass and harmony parts in mandolin ensembles and folk groups.
Mandobass
Large bass mandolin-family instrument used historically in mandolin orchestras to supply low-end; rare but notable in vintage ensembles.
Mandolin-banjo
Hybrid combining a mandolin neck with a banjo body to produce a louder, twangy tone used in early jazz and vaudeville.
Mandole
North African fretted lute larger than a mandolin, central to Chaabi and Andalusian repertoires with a warm, resonant tone.
Marimba
Keyboard-like wooden-bar instrument struck with mallets; known for warm, mellow tones in solo, orchestral, and ensemble music.
Marimbula
Plucked box bass with metal tongues producing low rhythmic bass lines in Afro-Caribbean son and conjunto music.
Marimbol
Mexican plucked box bass used in son jarocho and folk bands; similar role to marimbula with distinct regional construction.
Maracas
Handheld shakers filled with seeds used in pairs for rhythmic accompaniment across Latin and indigenous music.
Marxophone
Frettless zither with metal keys that strike strings, producing rapid tremolo-like patterns for novelty and parlor music.
Marovany
Box zither plucked with both hands; features rhythmic and melodic playing in Malagasy musical traditions.
Mbira
Thumb piano with metal keys plucked by thumbs; central to Shona music, spiritual ceremonies, and melodic polyphony.
Mbira dzavadzimu
Traditional ceremonial mbira variant with buzzing elements and complex interlocking patterns used in ancestral rituals.
Mbira nyunga nyunga
Smaller mbira variant with simpler tuning and repertoire; popular in education and community music.
Mellotron
Early tape-based keyboard that plays prerecorded tape loops per key; famed for orchestral and choral textures in rock.
Mellophone
Alto brass instrument used in marching bands as a practical French-horn substitute; mellow midrange, valve-operated.
Melodica
Portable keyboard you blow into to sound reeds; favored in education, reggae, and pop for its expressive, reedy tone.
Melodeon
Diatonic button accordion common in European and North American folk music; bellow-driven with distinctive push-pull phrasing.
Metallophone
Metal-bar keyboard instrument (gamelan and pedagogical use) producing bright, sustaining bell-like tones when struck with mallets.
Mridangam
Double-headed hand drum central to Carnatic music; complex finger and palm techniques create tala (rhythm) patterns.
Madal
Barrel-shaped hand drum used in Nepali folk music; played horizontally with both hands for driving rhythms.
Morsing
Indian jaw harp plucked at the mouth to create twangy, rhythmic drones; used in Carnatic and folk ensembles.
Morchang
Rajasthani jaw harp variant used in folk songs and dance contexts; offers percussive, resonant twangs.
Mukkuri
Ainu mouth-resonated jaw harp producing haunting twangy melodies; plucked while shaping the mouth cavity.
Mouth harp
Generic name for jaw harp family; small lamella plucked at the mouth to shape pitch and timbre via oral cavity.
Mountain dulcimer
Fretted zither played on the lap with melodic and drone strings; staple of American mountain folk music for simple, droning tunes.
Music box
Mechanical instrument where pinned cylinder or disc plucks tuned teeth to play set melodies in compact cases.
Musical saw
Bowed saw producing eerie, theremin-like glissandi; shaped and bowed to vary pitch and timbre for solo or ensemble effects.
Monochord
Single-string instrument used historically to study intervals and tuning; plucked or bowed for demonstration and meditative tones.
Mouth bow
Simple bow instrument played by plucking while the mouth shapes resonances; ancestor to several string instruments worldwide.
Morin khuur
Mongolian horsehead fiddle; two-stringed bowed instrument with rich, vocal-like tones used in narrative and ritual music.
Mohan veena
Modified slide guitar adapted to Hindustani music with sympathetic strings and resonator; played with slide and fingers for raga.
Monkey stick
Folk rhythm instrument with attached bells and a striking surface; thumped on the floor to supply pulse and accents.
Mazhar
Large frame drum with a deep tone and jingles; used in Arabic and Levantine music for rhythm and dance accompaniment.
Mezoued
Tunisian reed and bagpipe-like instrument (also mizwad), melodic and nasal, central to folk dance music.
Mizmar
Conical double-reed pipe with a penetrating, bright sound used outdoors for processions and festive music.
Mijwiz
Double-pipe reed instrument played with circular breathing; two pipes sound in unison or in drone/melody patterns for dance music.
Musette (bagpipe)
Small French bagpipe used in courtly dance and pastoral pieces; has distinct chanter and drone timbres.
Musical glasses
Rows of tuned glasses played by rubbing rims or striking, producing ethereal, sustained tones; used in parlor and experimental music.
Mirliton
Early kazoo-like instrument that modifies the voice via a vibrating membrane; used for humorous and novelty sounds.
Masenqo
Single-stringed bowed lute used by East African singers as rhythmic and melodic accompaniment in oral traditions.
Marranzano
Sicilian jaw harp (also scacciapensieri); small, handheld lamella plucked to produce twanging melodic rhythms in folk music.
Manjira
Small hand cymbals used for rhythmic punctuation in devotional and folk music; played in pairs with finger strikes.
Mouth organ
Alternative name for harmonica; handheld free-reed instrument played by blowing and drawing air to create melody and chords.
Modular synthesizer
Customizable electronic instrument built from modules (oscillators, filters, envelopes); patching shapes sound for experimental and studio use.
Monosynth
Monophonic synthesizer that plays one note at a time; prized for fat leads and bass lines in electronic and pop music.
MIDI controller
Controller sending MIDI data to sound modules or software; central to modern studio setups and live electronic performance.
Moraharpa
Early keyed fiddle from Sweden considered an ancestor of the nyckelharpa; bowed with simple drone and melody strings.