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Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT listed as a percussion idiophone in the material?

Sound production by the instrument itself defines its group here. A percussion idiophone is any percussion instrument that produces its sound primarily through the vibration of its own material when struck, shaken, or scraped. Marimba and xylophone fit this because their wooden bars vibrate and create the pitch when struck. Cymbals fit too because the metal plates vibrate to produce sound when struck. The harp, on the other hand, belongs to a different family. Its characteristic sound comes from vibrating strings stretched across its frame, typically produced by plucking or striking the strings. That makes it a chordophone, not an idiophone. So the instrument that isn’t a percussion idiophone is the harp.

Sound production by the instrument itself defines its group here. A percussion idiophone is any percussion instrument that produces its sound primarily through the vibration of its own material when struck, shaken, or scraped. Marimba and xylophone fit this because their wooden bars vibrate and create the pitch when struck. Cymbals fit too because the metal plates vibrate to produce sound when struck.

The harp, on the other hand, belongs to a different family. Its characteristic sound comes from vibrating strings stretched across its frame, typically produced by plucking or striking the strings. That makes it a chordophone, not an idiophone. So the instrument that isn’t a percussion idiophone is the harp.