Zaabia – A small gourd rattle of the Dagomba people. Ghana.
żafżava – Maltese friction drum.
Zambomba – Ancient friction drum made out of clay or wood, used in Christmas songs. Also known as pandorga. Spain.
Zampogna – Neapolitan bagpipe with 2 drones and 2 conical chanters. Italy.
Zampoña – Andean pan flute. Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador.
Zanfona – Spanish hurdy gurdy. It is also known as zanfonía, zanfoña, armonía, cinfonía, chifonia, chinfonia, gaita de rabil, gaita zamorana, lira alemana, lira rústica, organistrum, rota, rota britannica, viela, viola, viola de amor, viola de ciego (or lira mendicorum), viola de rueda, and zarrabete. Spain.
Zapateado – Tapping or foot stomping used in Spanish Flamenco and Mexican dancing.
żaqq – Maltese bagpipe.
Zarb – Goblet drum made out of wood, used in Persian classical music. Also known as tonbak and dumbek.
Zhaleika – A wind instrument with a single reed made out of cow horn or wood. Russia.
Zheng – The zheng is a Chinese zither with 21 strings. It is one of the most popular instruments in China. Its tuning is basically pentatonic. Bending notes by pressing the open end of strings is one of the main sound features of this great instrument. The zheng originated as a simple 5 string folk instrument made from bamboo. Over the past three thousand years it has grown in size to become an important instrument in Asia. Now boasting from 21 to 23 strings, it is the parent instrument of the Asian long zither family including the Korean kayageum, Japanese koto, and Vietnamese dan tranh
Zheng Musicians include Guzheng Ensemble of Montreal Canada), Hong Ting (China), Liu Yu (China), Mei Han (China/Canada), Orchid Ensemble (Canada), Randy Raine-Reusch (Canada), San Chuan (China), Sang Ka (China). and Wang Yao (China). Also known as gu zheng.
Sources: Kuku Music, Mei Han, World Music Central
Zhonghu – A 2-string bowed lute. China.
Zília – Iron or wood finger cymbals. Greece.
Zirbaghali – A goblet-shaped drum with a single head. Afghanistan.
Zither – The family name of all plucked or strummed instruments that have strings stretched across a wooden sounding board box. Zithers include the medieval European psaltery and the dulcimer.
Zongore – A guitar played vertically. Romania.
Zumari – a horn instrument from Zanzibar carved out of wood. Tanzania.
Zumbadora – A buzzer. A small thin piece of wood tied to a rope, which is shaken in the air. Used in Spanish carnival celebrations. Also known as zumbadera.
żummara – Maltese single reed pipe.
Zummarah – A double reed pipe. Egypt.
Zurna – A shawm from the Balkans, Turkey and Central Asia. Also known as sorna.
