This list includes 25 Musical instruments that start with W, from “Wagner tuba” to “Wooden fish”. It covers brass, strings, percussion, keyboards, and traditional folk instruments used in orchestras, ensembles, ceremonies, and solo playing.
Musical instruments that start with W are named items across instrument families, ranging from Western orchestral types to regional folk instruments. The Wagner tuba, created for Richard Wagner’s operas, is a notable hybrid between horn and tuba.
Below you’ll find the table with family, origin, and materials.
Family: Shows the instrument’s broad family (brass, string, percussion, keyboard), so you can quickly group similar instruments.
Origin: Lists the country, region, or cultural context and approximate era, so you can trace geographic or historical roots.
Materials: Notes the primary construction materials such as wood, brass, or skin, so you can compare expected tone and durability.
Musical instruments that start with W
| Name | Family | Origin | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wagner tuba | Brass | Germany, 1870s | Brass |
| Waldzither | Strings | Germany, early 20th century | Wood, metal strings |
| Waldhorn | Brass | Central Europe, 18th century term | Brass |
| Warr guitar | Strings | USA, late 20th century | Wood, steel strings, pickups |
| Washboard | Percussion | USA, 19th century folk | Wood, ribbed metal |
| Washtub bass | Strings | USA, 19th century folk | Metal tub, wood pole, rope |
| Water drum | Percussion | Africa & Americas, traditional | Wood, skin, water |
| Water organ | Keyboard (pipes) | Ancient Greece/Rome, Hellenistic | Wood, metal pipes, water |
| Waterphone | Percussion/idiophone | USA, mid-20th century | Stainless steel, rods, water |
| Wheelharp | Keyboard/strings | USA, 21st century | Wood, strings, wheel mechanism |
| Whamola | Strings/electric | USA, late 20th century | Wood, single string, pickups, lever |
| Whirly tube | Aerophone/idiophone | Modern toy, late 20th c. | Plastic |
| Whip (slapstick) | Percussion | Europe, Baroque to modern | Wood |
| Whistle | Aerophone | Worldwide, ancient to modern | Metal, wood, plastic |
| Wind harp (Aeolian harp) | Strings | Ancient to modern, global | Wood, strings |
| Wind machine | Percussion/effect | Orchestral, 19th century | Wood cylinder, fabric |
| Wind chimes | Percussion | Global, ancient to modern | Metal, wood, bamboo |
| Wind gong | Percussion | East Asia (China), traditional | Bronze |
| Woodblock | Percussion | East Asia & global, historic | Hard wood |
| Wooden fish | Percussion | East Asia, Buddhist tradition | Wood |
| Welsh harp | Strings | Wales, medieval onward | Wood, gut/nylon strings |
| Welsh pipes | Aerophone (bagpipe) | Wales, medieval & modern | Wood, leather |
| Wheel fiddle | Strings (bowed) | Medieval Europe | Wood, strings, crank wheel |
| Wire-strung harp | Strings | Celtic regions, medieval | Wood, brass/iron wire strings |
| Wobble board | Percussion/idiophone | Australia (popularized mid-20th c.) | Hardboard |
Descriptions
Wagner tuba
Valve brass hybrid used by Wagner; played like a horn with a darker, tuba-like timbre in orchestral scores.
Waldzither
Small fretted zither/cittern from Germany; plucked for folk songs, bright twangy sound.
Waldhorn
German name for the orchestral French horn; conical brass instrument with valves, staple of classical ensembles.
Warr guitar
Extended-range touch guitar played by tapping with both hands; covers bass and melody with complex polyphony.
Washboard
Household washboard repurposed as rhythm instrument in jug bands and skiffle, played with thimbles, brushes, or spoons.
Washtub bass
Single-string folk bass made from a washtub; pitch altered by pole tension, common in jug-band music.
Water drum
Drum with water affecting pitch and timbre; used in ceremonies and folk ensembles across cultures.
Water organ
Hydraulis—an early pipe organ using water pressure; keyboard-driven wind instrument for public spectacles.
Waterphone
Eerie metal bowl with tuned rods and water; bowed or struck for atonal, cinematic sounds.
Wheelharp
Keyboard instrument where a rotating wheel bows strings, blending harp and bowed-string textures under keyboard control.
Whamola
Electric single-string bass with lever for pitch-bending; funk/experimental instrument inspired by washtub bass.
Whirly tube
Corrugated plastic tube that produces musical pitches when swung; used in demos and experimental music.
Whip (slapstick)
Two wooden boards slapped to create a sharp crack; called slapstick or “whip” in orchestral effects.
Whistle
Fipple flute family (includes tin/penny whistle); simple blown instrument used in folk, marching, and teaching.
Wind harp (Aeolian harp)
Open-frame harp set in wind; produces drifting harmonic tones whenever breezes vibrate its strings.
Wind machine
Rotating textured cylinder rubbed by fabric to simulate wind; theatrical and cinematic sound effect.
Wind chimes
Suspended tubes or rods that ring when struck by wind or mallet; decorative and musical for ambience.
Wind gong
Flat or slightly convex gong producing shimmering, complex sustained tones; used in ritual and orchestral music.
Woodblock
Carved block struck with stick for sharp, cutting clicks; common in orchestral and ensemble percussion.
Wooden fish
Hollow carved block (moktak) struck to mark rhythm in Buddhist chanting and ritual music.
Welsh harp
Large triple-strung harp central to Welsh music traditions; rich, resonant folk harp tone.
Welsh pipes
Traditional Welsh bagpipes with chanter and drones, used historically for dance and ceremonial music.
Wheel fiddle
Early bowed instrument where a wheel bowed the strings (precursor to hurdy-gurdy); crank-operated continuous sound.
Wire-strung harp
Harps strung with metal wire (clàirseach) producing bright, bell-like resonance central to Gaelic music.
Wobble board
Flexible hardboard held and flexed to make a whooshing, swishing sound used in popular and experimental music.