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You may be familiar with musical instruments such as the drums, guitar and piano.

These are very well-known instruments, used in lots of music we listen to.

There are also lots of musical instruments you might have heard, that originate from different parts of the world.

So, let's pack our bags as we travel around the globe to learn about musical instruments of the world.

A sitar is a string instrument that comes from Northern India.

It's quite a large instrument and the musician usually has to sit down to play it.

It looks a bit like a guitar, but where a guitar has six strings, a sitar can have up to 21.

In order to play the sitar, the musician's right hand is used to pluck the strings, whilst their left hand is used to change the pitch.

The sitar is used in North Indian classical music performing a style of music called a raag.

One of the most famous sitar players was Ravi Shankar. The sitar has also been used in popular music by bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Listen to Zi Lan play and talk about her guzheng, a traditional Chinese instrument.

The didgeridoo is a wind instrument from Australia.

It's a long wooden tube, traditionally made from a tree branch.

To make a sound, the musician places their mouth at one end of the didgeridoo and then vibrates their lips, whilst also blowing down the instrument.

Didgeridoos have been around for over 1000 years and were traditionally used to accompany singing and dancing.
Nowadays, they are used in modern styles of music, such as beatboxing, dance music and for meditation.

The shakuhachi is a wind instrument from Japan.

A traditional shakuhachi is made from bamboo and played by blowing down one end, like a recorder.

A musician uses their fingers to cover holes on the shakuhachi and this changes the pitch of the sound.

The shakuhachi is used in Japanese folk music and is still used today by Zen Buddhist monks for meditation.

Mbira is a musical instrument traditionally from Zimbabwe in Africa.

It's sometimes called a thumb piano.

Mbira is made from a wooden block, about the size of an adult hand. On top of the wood are thin metal strips that are played by plucking with the thumbs.

Mbira is often used in special ceremonies such as weddings, funerals and to honour important people.

In the 1950s, it was used in popular music by musicians in other countries, especially those from Europe and the United States.

The metal strips are different lengths.

This change in length alters the pitch.

The shorter the strip, the higher pitch the sound.

The longer the strip, the lower pitch the sound will be.

Steel pans originally came from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, during the 20th Century.

They are a type of tuned percussion instrument. This means a steel pan can play different pitches.

Steel pans are made from industrial drums used for carrying oil.

On a steel drum, you will see a series of dents hammered into the shiny metal surface. Each dent creates a different note. To make a sound, the musician hits the dents with a wooden beater.

The most well-known style of music played by steel pans is calypso music.