instrumental
what it is
An instrumental is, in contrast to a song, a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments. Specifically, this term is used when referring to popular music; some musical genres make little use of the human voice, such as jazz, electronic music, and large amounts of European classical music (although in electronic music the voice can be sampled just like anything else). In commercial music, some tracks or songs on a compact disc include instrumental tracks.
✦ start here: albums
✦ who's making it, level by level
level 2 · the door
big names with a sharper edge
level 3 · one step out
cult favorites and indie darlings
level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
✦ make instrumental a playlist
turn these 38 artists into something you can press play on.
✦ nearby genres
questions
What is instrumental?
An instrumental is, in contrast to a song, a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments. Specifically, this term is used when referring to popular music; some musical genres make little use of the human voice, such as jazz, electronic music, and large amounts of European classical music (although in electronic music the voice can be sampled just like anything else). In commercial music, some tracks or songs on a compact disc include instrumental tracks.
What are good instrumental albums to start with?
Try Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails, Colma by Buckethead, The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place by Explosions in the Sky, and Young Mountain by This Will Destroy You.
Who are some women making instrumental?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/instrumental/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making instrumental, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20