Let’s Learn the
Orchestra!
Start
Lesson
Directions
Introduction
Directions
This is a completely self-guided lesson teaching you about all the different instruments in the orchestra!
There are various buttons to help you navigate through this lesson.
This button will
take you back to
the main page and
can be found in the
corner of every page
In the lesson
this button will
take you back to
the main page
of the lesson
The main page will give you access to the introduction, these directions, and the start of the lesson. The
main page of the lesson give you access to each of the four instrument families.
During the lesson, at the bottom of each page will be the image of the next instrument you will be
learning about. To get to that page, simply click the image of the instrument to advance. When you get
to the end of one music family, click the music note to go back and learn about another family of
instruments.
In this PowerPoint we are going to learn the
different instruments that make up the
orchestra and what family they belong in!
By the end of this lesson, you will be
able to identify all the instruments that
make up the orchestra , like in the
picture below, and which family they
belong in by showing your knowledge
in a short quiz.
We will go over each instrument
individually more further on in this
unit. This is more of an introduction.
Introduction to a lesson for
4th Grade General Music Class
Ohio Department of Education
Grade 4- music specific standards met:
-Classify instruments by the four families of the
orchestra.
-Describe the way sound is produced by various
instruments and the human
Voice
-Describe the roles of musicians in various music
settings.
You just listened and watched a short clip of Benjamin Britten’s piece
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Performed by the 2011 YouTube Symphony Orchestra!
This is what a full orchestra looks and sounds like.
It’s a lot of instruments, right?
Now let’s explore each instrument and the different families!
Brass
Woodwinds
Strings
Percussion
Finish and
Take the Quiz
Brass Family
Listen to what a brass section sounds like!
The brass family is made up of Trumpets, Horns, Trombones, and Tubas.
All are made of metal, and change pitch by pressing down a valve or piston, or by adjusting a slide.
They all use metal mouthpieces that you must buzz into to create a sound!
First let’s go learn about the highest
pitched member of the brass family:
The Trumpet!
Trumpet
The Trumpet is the highest sounding and smallest member
of the brass family used in the orchestra. It is one of the
oldest musical instruments, with the some of the first
trumpets being made as far back as 1500BC!
They are made out of brass or metal tubing, and have three
valves that let you change the pitch you are playing. Early
trumpets did not have the valves we see on trumpets today,
and were very limited to what notes they could play.
Take a listen!
Now let’s take a look at the Horns!
Previous
Throughout history, the trumpet as served many roles. It
has been used to sound alarms, gather people, and
announce the arrival of high members of society.
Horn
The Horn, or often called “French Horn”, has one of
the most varied sounds in the orchestra. Horns can
play anything from extremely loud to very soft, from
harsh and blaring to mellow and soothing.
The horn is made up of 18 feet of coiled tubing with a
bell at the end.
Meet the Horn section!
Usually there are anywhere from 2 to 8 horns in an
orchestra, and they have lots of melody and harmony
parts.
Next up: Trombone and Tuba!
Previous
Trombone
and
Tuba
The trombone is the only member of the brass
family that uses a slide instead of valves to
change pitch!
There are usually 3 trombones in an orchestra,
and they play in the same range as the cello and
the bassoon.
Usually, each trombone is independent of each
other, playing complete chords.
If you stretch out a trombone, it is about 9 ft
long!
The tuba is the lowest and largest member of the brass
family, and most often anchors the harmony of the
entire orchestra.
There is usually only 1 tuba in the orchestra, unless
specifically called for more.
Standard tubas have 16 feet of tubing, but could have
up to 20!
The tuba is often called the grandfather of the brass
family!
Previous
Click the music notes in the top right corner to head back to the full orchestra page and select the next instrument family!
Woodwind
Family
Listen to what the woodwind section sounds like!
The Woodwind family is made up of flutes, clarinets, oboes, and bassoons, along with
many variations of those instruments. Woodwinds are usually narrow cylinders or
pipes with many key holes that you cover to change pitch.
Besides the flute, all woodwinds use reeds to produce sounds. The oboe and bassoon
use two!
The first woodwind we will look at is the Flute!
Flute
The flute is the oldest of any of the instruments in
the orchestra that produced a pitched sound.
Today flutes are made of silver, gold, or platinum, but
they used made from wood, stone, clay, or even
bamboo.
To produce sound, you have to blow across a hole in
the mouthpiece.
The flute is one of the highest voices in the
orchestra.
The flute has a smaller, higher version that is often in
the orchestra as well called the piccolo. In the video,
watch for a smaller, black flute. That is the piccolo.
The piccolo is the highest voice of the woodwinds
Let’s take a look at the Clarinet
Previous
Clarinet
The clarinet is a single reed instrument, and can be
easily mistaken for an oboe. B-flat clarinets are the
most common clarinet played in an orchestra.
There are usually 2 to 4 clarinets in the orchestra that
play both melody and harmony.
There are many other types of clarinets that often
make appearances in the orchestra, the E-flat clarinet,
and the Bass Clarinet.
Clarinets sound dark and rich in their lower notes, and
bright in the upper register.
Now for one of the mysterious double reeds: The Oboe
Previous
Oboe
The oboe at first looks a lot like the clarinet, the main
difference taking place at the top of the instrument.
Instead of a mouthpiece and a single reed, the oboe
uses a double reed, or two reeds attached together.
There are usually 2 oboes in the orchestra, possibly up
to 4.
They produce a wide range of pitches and tones, and
have a very memorable sound.
The first oboe player in any orchestra holds the
responsibility of tuning the rest of the orchestra by
playing an ‘A’ before the concert begins.
The English Horn is the brother to the oboe, bigger
and lower sounding. It is usually doubled by the 2nd or
3rd oboe player.
Previous
Up next: The Bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a long pipe doubled over.
Bassoons are made of wood and are a doubled reed
instrument like the oboe.
There are usually 2 to 4 bassoons in the orchestra,
and have the same range as the cello.
Usually, the bassoon plays harmonies, but it is often
chosen as a soloist in many pieces.
The Contrabassoon is another frequent member of
the orchestra. It is much larger and lower than a
bassoon.
The contrabassoon plays the lowest notes in the
entire orchestra, even lower than the tuba!
Previous
Click the music notes in the top right corner to head back to the full orchestra page and select the next instrument family!
String
Family
Listen to what the Strings sound like!
The String Family is made up of the Violins, Viola, Cellos, and the Double Bass.
All string instruments are made of hollow wooden bodies, with strings running
down the neck and body of the instrument.
You play a string instrument by drawing a bow across the strings, or plucking the
strings
One of the most important members of the orchestra:
The Violin!
Violin
The violin is the smallest and highest pitched member of
the strings family.
The violin section is the largest section in the orchestra
with up to 30 members divided between two parts. The
first violins often play the melody, while second violins go
between melody and harmony.
The typical violin is about 2 feet long in length!
Next up: The Violas
Previous
Viola
The Viola is like an older sibling to the Violin.
The two look very similar and are easy to
confuse, but the viola is just slightly larger.
In an orchestra, there are usually 10 to 14
violas which usually only play harmony.
The viola has a slightly lower range than the
violin, and sounds much warmer and richer in
tone.
Now let’s meet the Cellos
Previous
Cello
The Cello is the second largest of the string family
measuring in at about 4 feet tall and rests between the
player’s legs. The cello has a very large range and can
easily blend in with the violas in the high register, or
play warm rich tones with the double bass.
Out of all the stringed instruments, the cello sounds
the most like a human voice.
There are usually 8 to 12 cellos in the orchestra playing
both harmony and melody.
Now for the largest:
Double Bass!
Previous
Double
Bass
At over 6 feet tall, the Double Bass is the grandfather of
the string family. It is the largest member of the string
family with the longest strings and playing the lowest
notes.
There are usually 6 to 8 doubles basses in the orchestra
and they almost always just play harmony.
Double Basses are so large you have to either stand up or
sit on a very tall stool to play the intrument.
Let’s go see the Harp!
Previous
Harp
The Harp is very different from the rest of the string
family. Instead of having to press down different parts of
a string to get a different pitch, the harp has 47 strings
all tuned to different notes.
Harps are usually about 6 feet tall and have to be played
sitting down with the instrument between your legs.
There is usually 1 harp in the orchestra, thought seeing 2
is not that uncommon.
The harp plays both melody and harmony!
Previous
Click the music notes in the top right corner to head back to the full orchestra page and select the next instrument family!
Percussion
Family
The Percussion Family is the largest in the orchestra!
Percussion instruments could be basically any instrument that makes a sound when it is hit, shaken,
or scraped. There are an endless number of instruments that could be included in the percussion
family, but the most common members are the Timpani, Xylophone, cymbals, triangle, snare drum,
bass drum, tambourine, gong, chimes, and castanets. The piano could also be a member of this
family.
Click to see images of the
Different types of percussion
Used in this piece!
Percussion
Follow this link to learn more about each individual percussion instrument!
Timpani
Snare Drum
Previous
Bass Drum
Cymbals
Xylophone
Gong
Tambourine
Triangle
Castanets
Click the music notes in the top right corner to head back to the full orchestra page and select the next instrument family!
Congratulations, you have
finished the lesson!
Before you head onto the quiz, take a few minutes and listen to all of Benjamin
Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra!
Try to name the instruments and families while listening!
Once you click continue, you
can not go back to the Home or
Full Orchestra page.
Back to Orchestra
Continue to Quiz
What instrument family has the largest
number of members, with one instrument
having up 30 members alone?
The
Woodwind
Family
The String
Family
The Brass
Family
The
Percussion
Family
Correct!!
The violins often have up to 30
members in their section alone making
the String Family the largest family!
Next
Question
Try Again…
Back to
Question
The highest pitched and smallest member
of the Brass Family is the what?
Piccolo
Horn
Trumpet
Alto
Trombone
Correct!!
The trumpet is the smallest member of
the brass family and plays the highest
notes!
Next
Question
Try Again…
Back to
Question
Which family has so many types of
instruments, we could only name a few of
the most common ones.
The Brass
Family
The String
Family
The
Woodwind
Family
The
Percussion
Family
Correct!!
You only got to see the Timpani, Bass
Drum, Cymbals, Tambourine, Triangle,
Snare Drum, Xylophone, Castanets, and
Gong! But anything that makes noise
when hit on can belong in the
percussion family!
Next
Question
Try Again…
Back to
Question
What are the only two Woodwinds that use
a double reed?
Oboe and
Clarinet
Flute and
Oboe
Oboe and
Bassoon
Bassoon and
Clarinet
Correct!!
The Oboe and Bassoon both use double
reeds! The other double reed that
sometimes shows up is the English
Horn!
Next
Question
Try Again…
Back to
Question
The String Family is made up of the Violin,
Viola, Cello, Double Bass, and what other
instrument?
The Harp
The Piano
The Fiddle
The Organ
Correct!!
The Piano is a member of the
Percussion Family, same with the Organ.
A Fiddle is a Violin but used for folk
music only, not in an orchestra!
Next
Question
Try Again…
Back to
Question
What is the only brass instrument that uses
a slide?
The Trumpet
The Horn
The Tuba
The Trombone
Correct!!
The Trombone is the only member of
the brass family that uses a slide to
change pitch instead of valves.
Finish
Try Again…
Back to
Question
Good Job!
You’ve finished the quiz!
By answering all those questions, it seems you have a good idea of
the different instruments of the orchestra!
Next time you look at an orchestra, or hear a recording, now you
can name what instrument you see/hear!
Back to the
Home Page
Credits
Credits
The 2011 YouTube Symphony Orchestra Performing Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
The Oregon Symphony Explanations of the instruments and instrument families
Tech Tips For All –
YouTube video editing and embedding
4Vector.com –
Oboe and Cello images
A special shout out to John DiCesareThe Tuba player in the 2011 YouTube Symphony Orchestra and Kent State Tuba Professor!