Instruments of the Legend of Zelda Series

Instruments occur regularly throughout The Legend of Zelda series.

Woodwind Instruments
The most frequently occurring and most notable woodwind instrument in the Zelda series is the Ocarina. This includes the Bone Ocarina, the Fairy Ocarina, the Ocarina of Wind and most importantly, the Ocarina of Time. Of these, only the Fairy Ocarina and the Ocarina of Time are actually played note by note under Link's control, using the four C-Buttons and the A Button.

Other woodwind instruments include various Flutes, such as the Recorder, the Strange Flute and the Spirit Flute (also known as the Spirit Pipes). Once again, only the Spirit Pipes can be played note by note, using the touch screen and microphone of the Nintendo DS. The Pipes of Awakeningare also a woodwind instrument, though they are a transformation of the Ocarina of Time, activated when Link dons the Deku Mask.

The Horse Call and the Grass Whistles from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess maybe also be considered woodwind instruments.

String Instruments
There are many string instruments which feature in the Zelda series, many that play a major role in the quest.

The first to appear was Sheik's Harp, which was played only by Sheik to teach Link warping songs.

Later, during the events of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, two string instruments were wielded by the Sages of Earth & Wind. The first was Medli's Harp which resembles a golden Lyre, while the second was Makar's Violin, which resembled a Cello crafted from a large leaf, due to Makar's size. Again, these two instruments were to be played by NPCs alongside Link.

The Harp of Ages was next to come, which was the first string instrument to be played by Link. There are three possible songs to be played on it, all of which allow Link to travel through time in a similar way to the Ocarina of Time.

Most recently was the appearance of the Goddess's Harp in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which was first owned by [|Zelda] as a descendant of the Goddess, Hylia. However, Link did eventually claim it and used it to play various songs which would open the gates to the Silent Realms. It is played by swinging the Wiimote in time with a tempo or beat, using the Nintendo Wii Motion Plus controls. This harp is supposedly the same harp that Sheik used later on during The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Percussion Instruments
The only percussion instrument played in the Zelda series are the Drums of Sleep, though these are a transformation of the Ocarina of Time activated when Link dons the Goron Mask. However, various Gongs are seen throughout the series, including within the Swordsman's School. Link can strike these with his sword and they will sound one note.