Hand-held Instruments?

How about a harmonica? Small, easy to carry with you anywhere, and hand held. Plus they're pretty darn cool when they're played well! :)

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Nano '09 - The Aureole

I hadn't even considered harmonicas. Thanks!

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Concertina, ocarina, ukelele, xylophone (I'm sure you could make it portable), trumpet, the triangle, bells...

Or one of these: http://worldwideperformers.com/Images/Bill%20OneManBand.jpg

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A harp in gaelic terms (ie a lever harp as opposed to a pedal harp) is often called a clarsach - this applies to any size of lever harp. A really small one may be called a lap harp. Some harps don't have levers, I think they would still be called clarsach, this may be more appropriate depending on the level of technology.

Hand held instruments - I'm assuming that you probably aren't looking for the ones which have developed over a long time, ie Boehm flutes, clarinets, oboes.

Woodwind: simple system (wooden) flutes, recorders, whistles (Irish whistle, low whistle), pipes (pipe and tabor?), panpipes (also have other, more evocative names like syrinx), older ancestors of the modern woodwind have intriguing names, racket, hautbois, there are others but their names escape me!

Strings: guitar (or maybe lute?), violins (or maybe the smaller viols?)

Other handheld instruments: concertina/accordian type instruments, auto harp, some kinds of dulcimer.

Certain brass instruments but only you will know whether that really fits with your setting, some of the simpler predecessors to the modern instruments might work?

Drums of various kinds, maybe other percussion.

Hope this helps a bit :)

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Thanks so much! I think that should be plenty of instruments, considering that I only have two Bardic characters so far.

I really appreciate all of the help!

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Sarah-flute's answer was really good.

I'll add that there are a lot of hand percussion instruments, many of our modern ones developed from things in nature. For example, the vibra-slap had come from using "the jawbone of an ass" (to sound all Samson/Biblical).

You can also try "found instruments", and with that I'm thinking of something as simple as a set of spoons clacking. it depends on what your Bard is doing and when. Perhaps some magic is needed around the campfire after the meal.

For a wind instrument, you could try the very cute ocarina. My brother brought me a historical reproduction from some Mexican ruins as a Christmas present 2 years ago. The one he gave me looks like a turtle, and it can do almost a full diatonic scale.

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If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise – attack it at an hour when it isn't expecting it. (H. G. Wells)

It's not period, but it's simple enough that it could've been: I'm partial to the bowed psaltery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowed_psaltery

If its recent invention is a worry, maybe have someone invent it in character, or be introduced to it as the latest thing, or something like that.

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(Title may change at any moment.)

Just to clarify, Bards are people who traveled around singing songs / playing music - and frequently through the songs passing history and news from town to town.

The "casting magic" through the music is a tradition pretty much brought forth through Dungeons and Dragons and the various role playing games spawned forthwith and the fiction that drew on the frameworks that D&D created.

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"To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it." - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

2009-Brother Monkey, Brother Lion, Sister Crow
2009 -Bunnystar Galactica Psychic Bunnies IN SPACE

This is true! I suppose I should clarify further and state that in my world, Bards are people who cast magic through their music. Thanks for the correction!

Also, thanks again for all of the excellent instrument ideas! I'm certain that I'll use quite a few of them with characters to come.

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Just remember that there are all types of drums (hand drums war drums tamborines bongos steel drums) and flutes (flutes recorders pan flutes ocarina) and stringed plucking instruments (great big angel's harp little 5 string shepherds harps) and stringed strumming instruments (lute guitar banjo ukelele) and horns (trumpets bugels) etc.

And those are just the Western traditions. Africa and Asia are full of music making doo dads unknown to nearly every man on the english speaking street.

And then there are the sackbut and other western instruments that have fallen out of favor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Early_musical_instruments

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"To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it." - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

2009-Brother Monkey, Brother Lion, Sister Crow
2009 -Bunnystar Galactica Psychic Bunnies IN SPACE

There is the lyre, which I believe is like a harp. I know it is used in greek mythology.

Traditionally, both bagpipes and horns were used in warfare to intimidate the enemy and rally troops. Drums and horns were also used to communicate orders on the battlefield as the sound usually carried better than the human voice.

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The Mayans used music as their system of communication during battle, they used large wind instruments with varying rythms for different orders.