Physics is everywhere around us, and yet we still neglect it. We see, hear, or feel something happening, but we never ask why. Physics will tell us why. Music plays a role in everyone's life. So much so that it is often overlooked and its technical details are not appreciated. Sure, there are times when we listen carefully to the music behind the songs we hear, we may focus on the rhythm or the harmonies, but we never think about what it took to produce the sounds we let's hear. In this article I will explain the physics of musical instruments. I will describe and define sound in mediumistic terms, then describe how different instruments create their unique sounds. There are many different types of music, and with the variety of instruments, the combinations of sounds we can create are limitless. Before we look at musical instruments, we need to look at the music itself. We need to know what it is made of and learn some basic terms. In physics, music is essentially a form of energy and is transferred by a wave. There are two basic types of waves. The first is a transverse wave in which the medium vibrates at right angles up and down, causing the wave to move to the right. A compression wave (or longitudinal wave) moves to the right and left because the medium vibrates in the same direction. Sound waves take the form of compression waves and are caused by vibrations. Sound waves are distinguished by their speed, pitch, loudness and quality (timbre) (Lapp, 2003). There are a few parts of sound waves that we should know to better understand the physics of music. The crest is the highest point of a wave, while the trough is the lowest point. The wavelength of a wave is the distance between two ...... middle of paper ...... adjacent physics, which makes it even more impressive. References Fletcher, N. Martin, D. and Smith, J (2008) Musical Instruments, in AccessScience, ©McGraw-Hill Companies, retrieved November 25, 2011 from http://www.accessscience.com.ezproxy.hacc.eduHenderson , T. (2011). Musical instruments - Resonance. Physics class. Retrieved November 25, 2011 from www.physicsclassroom.com/class/sound/U11L5a.cfmHollis, B. (2011) How Brass Works. The method behind the music. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from http://method-behind-the-music.com/mechanics/brassLapp, D. (2003). The physics of music and musical instruments. Physical. Retrieved November 25, 2011 from http://staff.tamhigh.org/lapp/book.pdf Tillery, B. (2012). Wave movements and sounds. Physical Science (9th ed., pp. 115-134). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.