Idiophone

The most common are struck idiophones, or concussion idiophones, which are made to vibrate by being struck, either directly with a stick or hand (like the wood block, singing bowl, steel tongue drum, handpan, triangle or marimba) or indirectly, with scraping or shaking motions (like maracas or flexatone).

According to Sachs,[1] idiophones are instruments made of naturally sonorous materials not needing any additional tension as do strings and drumskins.

In this class it is the player's action that has shaped the instruments, because they have originated from extensions of striking or clapping hands or stamping feet.

Accordingly, the basic question is how they are set into vibration.The word is from Ancient Greek, a combination of idio- ("own, personal" or "distinct")[2] and -phone ("voice, sound").

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 flexatone).