what kind of instrument is a glass harmonica?

Question

string , brass wind , or percussion which one

Answer 1

None of the above. And that's armonica, without the "h". Ever run your finger over the rim of a wine glass and heard it hum. The glass armonica takes that principle and makes it a musical instrument. It's also the only instrument invented in the US.

Answer 2

The word "glass harmonica" refers to any instrument played by rubbing glass or crystal goblets or bowls. When Benjamin Franklin invented his mechanical version of the instrument, he called it the "armonica," based on the Italian word "armonia," which means "harmony." The German name for Franklin's instrument is Glasharmonika. The free reed wind instrument called harmonica was not invented until 1821, sixty years later. The instrument consisting of a set of wine glasses (usually tuned with water) is generally known in English as "glass harp."

Answer 3

It would be a friction ideophone in the more modern classifications of instruments. An ideophone is an instrument that creates music by vibrating without the use of a membrane or string.

Most ethnomusicologists (people who study the music of various cultures) use the terminology of ideophone, membranophone (membranes), chordophone (stringed), aerophone (vibrating air), or electrophone (uses electricity) because it allows them to include instruments that don't have a clear classification (such as the piano) or aren't in a typical orchestra (such as the glass harmonica).

Answer 4

wow all those answers and no nice link. Check the link for some pictures. Benjamin Franklin loved the instrument, and Mozart wrote pieces for it.