There are approximately 250 musical instruments in the collection.
Keyboard:
Including upright pianos, square pianos, grand pianos, harmoniums, Dulcitone, Weber Duo-art reproducing piano
Tuned Percussion:
Including staff bells, metal marimba, wooden marimbas, xylophones, tuned glasses , mallets
Strings:
Including harp, harp guitar, guitars, ukuleles, viol, violin
Woodwind/brass:
Including clarinets, oboes, flute, fife, slide whistles, sarrusophones, saxophone, trombones
Non-Western Instruments:
Including didjeridoo, clapping sticks, auto-zither, ban hu, gong, yueh ch'in (moon guitar), san hsien, yang chin, rabâb, drums, kerar, sansa, maracas
Other:
Accordion, concertina, Theremin
Hirschfeld-Mack Collection:
Experimental wooden wind and string instruments made and designed by Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack, Weimar Bauhaus trained artist and teacher
Percy Grainger's Experimental Free Music Machines ('Tone-Tools'):
Including Butterfly Piano (prepared child's piano), Reed-Box Tone-Tool, “Kangaroo-Pouch” Tone-Tool, prepared piano roll for Grainger's composition Sketches for Sea Song, Sliding Pipe “Free Music" invention.