Why have musical instruments been used in religious ceremonies and rituals?

Musical instruments have been used in religious ceremonies and rituals since ancient times to serve as essential tools for worship and spiritual connection. Their primary functions include:123

• Summoning and Connecting: Instruments are used to draw the attention of a deity and establish a sacred connection. Because of this need to attract divine attention, many ritual instruments—such as drums, gongs, cymbals, and bells—are designed to produce shrill or percussive sounds rather than melodic ones.14
• Exorcism and Protection: Many instruments are played to frighten away evil spirits or exorcise harmful forces. For example, the Indian ghanta or Tibetan dril-bu is shaken during prayers to attract beneficent spirits while repelling malevolent ones.145
• Symbolism and Magic: Instruments often carry deep symbolic meaning, representing natural phenomena, myths, or spiritual concepts. Some are believed to possess inherent magical properties, such as the shofar in Jewish tradition or the bull-roarer in various indigenous cultures, which can signify the voices of supernatural beings or powerful natural events like thunder.52
• Ritual Mediation: Certain instruments serve as a bridge to the sacred realm, assisting practitioners like shamans in their spiritual work. In some cultures, these instruments are themselves treated as sacred objects, housed in shrines, and venerated as if they possess divine attributes.45