Microsoft Musical Instruments
Back in the day, Microsoft made a CD-ROM showcasing the musical instruments of the world.
Instruments
Not all of the world's instruments were featured, among those the cajón, bağlama, guzheng, handpan, Stylophone, Mellotron, and TR-808. Not only did the game order instruments alphabetically, but it also sorted them based on classification, as well as geographic location.
Brass
Horns
- French horn
- Natural horn
- Kangling
- Side-blown kudu horn
- Shofar
- Wagner tuba
Trumpets
Trombones
Cornets
Tubas
String
Harps
Lutes
Electric guitars
Bass guitars
- Bass guitar
- Fretless bass guitar
- Steinberger bass guitar
Acoustic guitars
- Two classical guitars (including an example possibly made by Antonio de Torres Jurado)
- Twelve-string guitar
- Steel-string acoustic guitar
- Resonator guitar
Zithers
- Concert zither
- Kantele
- Koto
- Veena, specifically rudra veena
- Cimbalom
- Valiha
- Guqin
- Appalachian dulcimer
- Hammered dulcimer
Cellos
- Cello
- Double bass
- Bass viol
Violins
Woodwind
Saxophones
Recorders
Bassoons
Clarinets
Flutes
Oboes
Accordions
Harmonicas
Bagpipes
Keyboards
Harpsichords
Pianos
Organs
Synthesizers
Percussion
Kettledrums
Rattles
- Maracas
- Shekere
- Sleigh bells
- Turkish crescent
- Senasel, an Ethiopian sistrum used in Orthodox liturgical music
- Angklung
Frame drums
- Tambourine
- Indigenous North American rattle
- Indigenous Siberian frame drum
Gongs
Xylophones
Clappers
Drums
- Steelpan
- Ō-daiko, a type of taiko
- Mridangam
- Kotsuzumi
- Congas
- Ghatam
- Timbales
- Bongos
- Talking drum
- Atumpan
- Djembe
- Darbuka
- Cuíca
- Kendang
Jaw harps
Woodblocks
- Woodblock
- Two-tone woodblock
- Wooden fish or muyu, descendants of temple blocks
- Kulkul, a Balinese slit drum
Cymbals
Scrapers
Chimes
- Tubular bells
- Orugoru, Japanese standing bells
- Triangle
- Kùgē, metal bells of the Hausa
- Handbell
Drum sets
Ensembles
The game even mentions different ensembles.
Orchestras
Baroque orchestra
This was during Antonio Vivaldi's time. The game even played the first movement from his Spring concerto. Note the harpsichord at the centre of the orchestra.
Classical orchestra
This was during Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's time. Brass instruments, as well as flutes and clarinets, began to appear.
19th-century orchestra
This was during Ludwig van Beethoven's time, and boy, was it fun. More brass instruments and harps began to appear.
20th-century orchestra
This is the point where orchestras are at their biggest. Even more instruments were added, and sometimes, unusual instruments appeared in specific compositions.
Wind bands
Marching band
Concert band
Essentially an orchestra without strings.
Jazz bands
Small jazz band
Your typical four-piece jazz band, consisting of drums, double bass, piano or archtop guitar, and tenor saxophone or flugelhorn. Sometimes there's more or less than four members. Sometimes, all six aforementioned instruments play together.
Dixieland band
Dixieland is the earliest form of jazz and the heart and soul of New Orleans. A typical Dixieland jazz band includes a trumpet/cornet playing the melody, a trombone and a clarinet providing harmonies that weave around it, and the rhythm section, consisting of banjo, piano, double bass, and drums.
Jazz fusion band
When jazz fuses with rock, you get jazz fusion. A typical jazz fusion band consists of a soprano saxophone and lead guitar playing the melody, a Rhodes piano, a fretless bass guitar, and drums.
Big band
Oh yeah! Now we're talking. As they always sing, it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing! A typical big band consists of four trumpets, four trombones, two alto saxophones, two tenor saxophones, a baritone saxophone, and the rhythm section (piano, guitar, double bass, and drums).
Steel band
Steel bands include steelpans and accompanying percussion instruments like drums, congas, and auxilliary percussion.
Gamelan orchestra
Gamelan is the traditional orchestral music of Java and Bali.
Chamber groups
Baroque trio sonata
In the 1700s, sonatas were among the more popular forms of classical music. A typical Baroque trio sonata features two recorders, a cello, and a harpsichord.
Piano trio
In a piano trio, the soothing voices of the violin and cello collide with the piano's percussive timbre.
Wind octet
A typical wind octet features four pairs of four different instruments: oboe, French horn, bassoon, and clarinet.
String quartet
By far one of the more popular chamber groups, the string quartet is made of two violins, a viola, and a cello.
Rock bands
Rock and roll band
Rock had its beginning with rock and roll. Characterized by a fast, four bar beat and, in most cases, twelve-bar blues, a typical band consists of drums, double bass, piano, electric guitar, and saxophone.
Heavy metal band
Think Iron Maiden and DragonForce. You got your electric guitars, bass guitars, and drums, alongside screaming vocals.
Soft rock band
Think the Beatles. An electric guitar provides the melody, accompanied by the rhythmic strumming of an acoustic guitar, the harmony of a tenor saxophone, and the chords of a piano, while the bass guitar and drums lay out a smooth rhythm.
Pop band
This is the modern music scene in a nutshell. A typical 90s pop band includes synthesizers, drum machines/electronic drum kits, samplers, and electric and bass guitars. In the game, a Steinberger bass guitar was shown.