It was heralded as the world’s oldest musical instrument; a bone with two holes in it seemingly made by Neanderthals to serenade their companions. But now a study says it’s not an instrument at all - ...

When did flutes start being held sideways, and are there any that you play vertically instead? We dive into the history of classical music’s transverse instrument. In 2008, at Hohle Fels, a cave in ...

Musical instruments have been found in every corner of the world for thousands of years. And like other historic artefacts, many are now showcased and maintained in dedicated museums, as well as ...

GERMAN RESEARCHERS have discovered what is believed to be the world’s oldest musical instrument – a 35,000-year-old primitive flute fashioned from a vulture’s wing-bone. Some 20cm long with five ...

Cave bear femur with spaced holes that was found in the Divje Babe archeological park in northwestern Slovenia. Some believe it was an early musical instrument dalbera/creative commons Neanderthal ...

Wendy Hargreaves does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond ...

One of Tanzania’s most endangered possessions isn’t its wildlife; it’s its music. Dozens of musical instruments – and the skill set to play them – are facing extinction in Tanzania, which is why ...

Scientists in Germany have published details of flutes dating back to the time that modern humans began colonising Europe, 35,000 years ago. The flutes are the oldest musical instruments found to date ...

Digital electronics has profoundly changed musical instrument design. From toy keyboards to performance-grade pianos, synthesizers, and drum sets, to name a few, instruments that once would have been ...