An idiophone is any musical instrument that creates the sound primarily by the instrument as a whole. Vibrating without the use of strings or membranes. The early classification of Victor-Charles Mahillon called this group of instruments autophones.

Most percussion instruments that are not drums are idiophones. Hornbostel-Sachs classifies idiophones into four main sub-categories. The first division is the struck idiophones [sometimes called concussion idiophones].

This includes most of the non-drum percussion instruments familiar in the West. They include all idiophones made to vibrate by being struck, either directly with a stick or hand like the wood block, singing bowl, steel tongue drum, triangle or marimba or indirectly, by way of a scraping or shaking motion like maracas or the flexatone. Various types of bells fall into both categories.

111. Directly
111.1. Concussion
111.2. Percussion
112. Indirectly
112.1. Shaken / rattle
112.2. Scraped / rasp

12. Plucked [Mbira]
121. Frame
121.1. Clack
121.2. Jaw harps

122.1 Comb
122.2. Cut out

13. Friction
131. Stick Nail violin
132. Plaque Musical saw Daxophone
133. Vessel Glass harmonica
14. Blown
141. Stick
142. Plaque

122.1 Comb
122.2. Cut out


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