String instruments,
stringed instruments, or
chordophones are
musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings. In most string instruments, the vibrations are transmitted to the body of the instrument, which also vibrates, along with the air inside it. In the
Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of
musical instrument classification, used in
organology, they are called
chordophones. Common instruments in the string family include the
violin,
guitar,
sitar,
electric bass,
viola,
cello,
harp,
double bass,
rebab,
banjo,
mandolin,
ukulele, and
bouzouki.