Where does this come from, and can I check it?

A metal tongue vibrates through a close fitting slot rather than beating a tube. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a music fact?

Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Harmonicas and accordions share a free reed

A metal tongue vibrates through a close fitting slot rather than beating a tube Reeds are tuned by adjusting the tongue's weight and shape at manufacture. The harmonica's blow and draw can give different notes, which is why bending is possible. The accordion adds a button keyboard and a bellows for air. It sits in Mondo's music collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Britannica

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Music trivia

More facts like this

In a brass instrument the lips make the soundThe tube only amplifies and filters what the player's lips buzz The saxophone was patented in 1846Adolphe Sax wanted a brass instrument to blend with woodwind Instruments are classified by how they vibrateThe Hornbostel Sachs system groups them as strings, winds, percussion and electronic A recorder is a whistle with finger holesThe player blows into a mouthpiece channel rather than over an edge Voltage control made synthesisers playableRobert Moog's modular system of 1964 let a keyboard shape a generated tone Māori have their own family of traditional instrumentsTaonga pūoro include flutes, trumpets and bone whistles

Tags: free-reed, instruments, physics

Harmonicas and accordions share a free reed: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: A metal tongue vibrates through a close fitting slot rather than beating a tube. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a music fact?: Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.