Because any herdsman had all the materials needed which are a reed pipe and sheep or goat skin, bagpipes might have been from a rustic instrument in various cultures. Many historians think that it started in Sumaria and it was also cited in the Holy Bible. A roman historian even recorded that Emperor Nero played the bagpipe. Later on, it was revised by Mollenhauer and this gave the piccolo a popular instrument throughout the 20th century. It is now played as an integral element of the orchestra. Metal vs. wood piccolos Metal piccolos are commonly used in and are suitable for parades or in open spaced areas. It is very durable and can survive extreme environments and novice s misuse. Voice of the oboe Compared to other contemporary woodwind musical instrument, this instrument has a lucid and piercing voice. It is described as stately and majestical by an instruction book entitle The Sprightly Companion. The timbre comes from the conical bore which is in contrast to the cylindrical bore of clarinets and flutes. Five-string banjo An American minstrel player from Virginia named Joel Walker Sweeney made the five-string banjo popular in the 1830 s. He was the first American who played the banjo in front of an audience. The five-string banjo s fifth and first strings have the same gauge but the fifth is five frets shorter. The bass guitar could be fretless or fretted but fretted basses are more commonly used. It could either be acoustic bass or electric bass. History The first electric string bass that is also similar to the modern bass was invented by Paul Tutmarc of Washington around 1930. It was a fretted instrument which was constructed to be played horizontally. A skilled castanet player has very swift movements with castanets which produce great rhythm counterpoint for dancing like the Flamenco dance or for accompanying other instruments. Structure A set of castanets looks similar to two small chestnut shells or clamshells. Actually, the term castanet is derived from the Spanish word castanuelas which means little chestnuts.