Remember the recorder? It's that small plastic instrument — looks kind of like a flute or clarinet — that's often the first instrument children learn to play in school. Or, at least, they used ...

Russian physicist and engineer Lev Sergeyevich Termen—who later came to be widely known as Léon Theremin—invented his namesake instrument around 1920. Here, he's pictured in 1928. Library of ...

Ukulele This is a fairly cheap instrument with soft strings that when played well can accompany almost any vocalist. Most ukuleles’ are small, lightweight and easy to transport as well as being ...