Music · Unit 5

Instruments to Meet

First instruments and how they make sound

Every instrument solves the same problem - make something vibrate and amplify it - and grouping them by how they do it makes an intimidating variety manageable.

The unit covers percussion, strings, wind and keyboard instruments, and the physical mechanism each uses to produce sound.

This unit breaks down into 23 short steps and 120 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 5. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.

Steps: 23
Questions: 120
Difficulty: 1-5

What this unit covers

Percussion Instruments
String Instruments
Wind Instruments
Keyboard Instruments
How Instruments Make Sound

Where this fits

Early. Instrument Families is the orchestral version.

Where people slip

The piano is both a string and a percussion instrument: hammers strike strings. Classification systems disagree about where to put it, and that is a real disagreement rather than a trick.

How the unit is structured

Instruments to Meet runs as 23 short steps that unlock in order. 17 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 5 as you progress.

Step 1 · easierStep 23 · harder

Challenge rounds

Example questions

30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 120 in the unit altogether.

How Instruments Make Sound

Fill the blankLevel 2
1. When you pluck a guitar string, the string ____ quickly to make sound.
- vibratescorrect
- freezes
- melts
- disappears
A plucked string vibrates quickly, and that vibration is what we hear.
Match the pairsLevel 2
2. Match each instrument to how it is made to sound.
Answer: Drum = Hit it; Guitar = Pluck a string; Flute = Blow air; Piano = Press a key
Different instrument families make sound in different ways: hitting, plucking, blowing, or pressing keys.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
3. What has to happen for any instrument to make a sound?
- Something vibratescorrect
- It glows
- It gets cold
- It gets heavier
Sound is made when something vibrates, which sends waves to our ears.
Put in orderLevel 2
4. Order these string instruments from the lowest sound to the highest sound.
Answer: Double bass -> Cello -> Viola -> Violin
The bigger the string instrument, the lower its sound, so the double bass is lowest and the violin is highest.
Sort into groupsLevel 2
5. Sort each instrument into its family.
Answer: Drum = Percussion; Tambourine = Percussion; Guitar = String; Violin = String; Flute = Wind; Trumpet = Wind
Drums are percussion, guitars and violins are strings, and flutes and trumpets are wind.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
6. Which of these can change how high or low a note sounds? Select all that apply.
- How long a string iscorrect
- How tight a drumhead iscorrect
- The size of the instrumentcorrect
- The color of the paint
String length, how tight a drumhead is, and instrument size all change the pitch of a note.

Keyboard Instruments

Multiple choiceLevel 1
7. Which instrument has black and white keys that you press?
- Pianocorrect
- Drum
- Flute
- Harp
A piano has rows of black and white keys that you press to make notes.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
8. Which of these are keyboard instruments? Select all that apply.
- Pianocorrect
- Organcorrect
- Guitar
- Violin
The piano and the organ are both keyboard instruments you play by pressing keys.
Fill the blankLevel 2
9. A piano is a ____ instrument because you press keys to play it.
- keyboardcorrect
- string
- wind
- percussion
Instruments you play by pressing keys are called keyboard instruments.
Odd one outLevel 2
10. Which one is NOT played with a keyboard?
- Guitarcorrect
- Piano
- Organ
- Electric keyboard
The guitar is a string instrument, while the others are played with keys.
Guess the numberLevel 3
11. How many keys are on a full-size piano?
Answer: 88 keys
A full-size piano has 88 keys, made up of 52 white keys and 36 black keys.
Match the pairsLevel 3
12. Match each keyboard instrument to how it makes its sound.
Answer: Piano = Hammers hit strings; Pipe organ = Air moves through pipes; Harpsichord = Strings are plucked; Electric keyboard = Uses electronic sounds
Keyboard instruments can make sound in different ways: struck strings, plucked strings, air, or electronics.

Percussion Instruments

Multiple choiceLevel 1
13. Which of these is a percussion instrument?
- Drumcorrect
- Violin
- Flute
- Piano
A drum is a percussion instrument because you make its sound by hitting it.
True or falseLevel 1
14. You play a drum by hitting it.
Answer: True
Yes, a drum is a percussion instrument that you hit with your hands or with sticks.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
15. Which of these are percussion instruments? Select all that apply.
- Drumcorrect
- Tambourinecorrect
- Trianglecorrect
- Guitar
- Flute
Drums, tambourines, and triangles are all percussion because you hit or shake them.
Fill the blankLevel 2
16. You shake ____, which have little beads inside, to make a rattling sound.
- maracascorrect
- a flute
- a violin
- a piano
Maracas are shakers with beads inside, so shaking them makes a rattling sound.
Match the pairsLevel 2
17. Match each percussion instrument to how you play it.
Answer: Drum = Hit with sticks; Maracas = Shake; Triangle = Tap with a beater; Cymbals = Crash together
Percussion instruments make sound when you hit, shake, or crash them.
Odd one outLevel 2
18. Which one is NOT a percussion instrument?
- Violincorrect
- Drum
- Tambourine
- Triangle
The violin is a string instrument, while the others are percussion you hit or shake.

String Instruments

Multiple choiceLevel 1
19. Which instrument has strings you can pluck?
- Guitarcorrect
- Drum
- Flute
- Triangle
A guitar is a string instrument, and you can pluck its strings with your fingers.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
20. Which of these are string instruments? Select all that apply.
- Guitarcorrect
- Violincorrect
- Harpcorrect
- Trumpet
- Drum
Guitars, violins, and harps all make sound from vibrating strings.
Guess the numberLevel 2
21. How many strings does a violin have?
Answer: 4 strings
A violin has 4 strings, which the player bows or plucks.
Odd one outLevel 2
22. Which one is NOT a string instrument?
- Trumpetcorrect
- Guitar
- Violin
- Harp
The trumpet is a wind instrument you blow into, while the others use strings.
Fill the blankLevel 3
23. A guitar player makes a higher note by pressing a string against a ____ to make it shorter.
- fretcorrect
- pedal
- drum skin
- reed
Pressing a string onto a fret shortens the part that vibrates, so the note rises in pitch.
Match the pairsLevel 3
24. Match each string instrument to how a player usually holds it.
Answer: Violin = Held under the chin; Cello = Held between the knees; Guitar = Held across the body; Harp = Leaned on the shoulder
Each string instrument has its own playing position, from under the chin to leaning on the shoulder.

Wind Instruments

Multiple choiceLevel 1
25. Which instrument makes sound when you blow into it?
- Flutecorrect
- Drum
- Guitar
- Piano
A flute is a wind instrument, so you blow air to make its sound.
True or falseLevel 1
26. You make sound on a trumpet by blowing into it.
Answer: True
Yes, a trumpet is a wind instrument, so blowing into it creates the sound.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
27. Which of these instruments do you blow into? Select all that apply.
- Flutecorrect
- Trumpetcorrect
- Recordercorrect
- Piano
- Drum
Flutes, trumpets, and recorders are wind instruments you blow into.
Fill the blankLevel 2
28. A recorder is a small ____ instrument that you blow into.
- windcorrect
- string
- percussion
- keyboard
A recorder belongs to the wind family because you blow air to play it.
Odd one outLevel 2
29. Which one does NOT belong with instruments you blow into?
- Harpcorrect
- Flute
- Trumpet
- Clarinet
The harp is a string instrument you pluck, while the others are blown into.
Match the pairsLevel 4
30. Match each wind instrument to how it starts its sound.
Answer: Flute = Blowing across an edge; Clarinet = A single reed; Oboe = A double reed; Trumpet = Buzzing lips
Wind instruments start their sound in different ways: an edge, one reed, two reeds, or buzzing lips.

Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.

How you practise

This unit mixes 10 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.

Choose all that apply
Fill the blank
Guess the number
Match the pairs
Multiple choice
Odd one out
Put in order
Sort into groups
True or false
Type the answer

Practise Instruments to Meet

120 questions across 23 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

Read about Instruments to Meet

Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.

More units in Music

See all 18 units in Music →