text: what kind of music was popular during the time jesus lived?   almost all of the psalms are songs. psalms 150 speaks of using several instruments to worship - the lyre, the tambourine, trumpet, harp, strings, flute, and cymbals. the jews used a lot of reptition in their music. god was praised by musical instruments, singing, and dancing. if these instuments were around when psalms was written, they were surely around when jesus came.