Musical Instruments | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/musical-instruments/RSS feed for Musical InstrumentsenWed, 18 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000This Iconic Pink Floyd Instrument Just Became the Most Expensive Guitar Ever Sold at Auctionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-iconic-pink-floyd-instrument-just-became-the-most-expensive-guitar-ever-sold-at-auction-180988364/David Gilmour's 1969 Fender Stratocaster, used on "The Dark Side of the Moon" and other famous albums, sold for a record $14.55 millionWed, 18 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-iconic-pink-floyd-instrument-just-became-the-most-expensive-guitar-ever-sold-at-auction-180988364/These Bach Compositions Were Lost to History. They Were Just Performed for the First Time in 300 Years—and You Can Listen to Themhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-bach-compositions-were-lost-to-history-they-were-just-performed-for-the-first-time-in-300-years-and-you-can-listen-to-them-180987727/After discovering the two pieces in the 1990s, researchers have finally concluded that they were created by the famous German composer. An organist performed them for audiences on November 17Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:05:55 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-bach-compositions-were-lost-to-history-they-were-just-performed-for-the-first-time-in-300-years-and-you-can-listen-to-them-180987727/Hundreds of Australian Bagpipers Attempt to Set World Record While Playing AC/DChttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-of-australian-bagpipers-attempt-to-set-world-record-while-playing-acdc-180987714/The performance of "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll)" took place a few days before the band played its first show in Australia in a decadeThu, 20 Nov 2025 15:29:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-of-australian-bagpipers-attempt-to-set-world-record-while-playing-acdc-180987714/How Old-Time Fiddle Music Took Root in Indigenous Alaskahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-old-time-fiddle-music-took-root-in-indigenous-alaska-180987664/In Fairbanks, fiddling thrives—bridging cultures, sustaining traditions and filling the dance floor with lifeFri, 07 Nov 2025 20:03:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-old-time-fiddle-music-took-root-in-indigenous-alaska-180987664/In an Experimental Composition, 50 Pianos Tuned to Slightly Different Frequencies Play Togetherhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-an-experimental-composition-50-pianos-tuned-to-slightly-different-frequencies-play-together-180987442/Audience members are surrounded by a ring of dozens of pianos in "11,000 Strings"Fri, 03 Oct 2025 20:45:59 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-an-experimental-composition-50-pianos-tuned-to-slightly-different-frequencies-play-together-180987442/Former Rolling Stones Musician Mick Taylor Claims His Stolen Guitar Is at the Methttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/former-rolling-stones-musician-mick-taylor-claims-his-stolen-guitar-is-at-the-met-180987096/The guitarist’s team says he last saw the famous instrument when it vanished 54 years ago. The Met, which received the guitar as part of a recent donation, disputes these claimsMon, 04 Aug 2025 20:54:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/former-rolling-stones-musician-mick-taylor-claims-his-stolen-guitar-is-at-the-met-180987096/Have Eagle-Eyed Experts Found This 316-Year-Old Stradivarius Violin That Was Looted During World War II?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/have-eagle-eyed-experts-found-this-316-year-old-stradivarius-violin-that-was-looted-during-world-war-ii-180986962/Eight decades after the 1709 violin known as the "Small Mendelssohn" disappeared, experts think they've located it in JapanMon, 14 Jul 2025 20:14:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/have-eagle-eyed-experts-found-this-316-year-old-stradivarius-violin-that-was-looted-during-world-war-ii-180986962/Hear the Wind Play These Stunning Stringed Sculptures in the Met's New Rooftop Art Installationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hear-the-wind-play-these-stunning-stringed-sculptures-in-the-mets-new-rooftop-art-installation-180986489/Created by artist Jennie C. Jones, the new exhibition features a trio of towering musical instruments made from concrete and aluminumThu, 01 May 2025 17:43:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hear-the-wind-play-these-stunning-stringed-sculptures-in-the-mets-new-rooftop-art-installation-180986489/You Can Buy a Reel-to-Reel Tape of a Young Bob Dylan Performing Six Songs at the Gaslight Cafehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-buy-a-reel-to-reel-tape-of-a-young-bob-dylan-performing-six-songs-at-the-gaslight-cafe-180986159/Billed as "Bob Dylan’s first demo tape," the recordings from September 1961 played an outsize role in launching the 20-year-old aspiring songwriter's careerWed, 05 Mar 2025 21:21:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-buy-a-reel-to-reel-tape-of-a-young-bob-dylan-performing-six-songs-at-the-gaslight-cafe-180986159/Eight Places to Experience a Movie Like It's 1925https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/eight-places-to-experience-a-movie-like-its-1925-180986144/Theaters from Washington to Florida and Massachusetts to Arizona show silent films accompanied by live music played on elaborate theater organsFri, 28 Feb 2025 20:50:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/eight-places-to-experience-a-movie-like-its-1925-180986144/