Across the globe, all sorts of different materials are used to create musical instruments, which come in all shapes and sizes. How many can you think of?

For example, Spanish and Portuguese castanets are concave shells which are traditionally made of hardwood and are held in the hand to create a clicking or rattling sound. They are particularly important for Spanish flamenco dancing. In Latin America, Asia and central Europe, pan pipes are made of hollow bamboo tubes bound together. The tubes are different lengths, so they create notes of different pitches when you blow through them.

You can explore some more types of instruments from around the world here!