A musical instrument makes sound.

A musical instrument makes sounds. Once humans moved from making sounds with their bodies—for example, by clapping—to using objects to create music from sounds, musical instruments were born.^[1] Primitive instruments were probably designed to emulate natural sounds, and their purpose was ritual rather than entertainment.^[2] The concept of melody and the artistic pursuit of musical composition were unknown to early players of musical instruments. A player sounding a flute to signal the start of a hunt does so without thought of the modern notion of "making music".^[2]

Musical instruments are constructed in a broad array of styles and shapes, using many different materials. Early musical instruments were made from "found objects" such a shells and plant parts.^[2] As instruments evolved, so did the selection and quality of materials. Virtually every material in nature has been used by at least one culture to make musical instruments.^[2] One plays a musical instrument by interacting with it in some way—for example, by plucking the strings on a string instrument.^[2]