Lesson 3A String Instruments Instrument Families The Western Symphony Orchestra (4 Groups) 1. Strings 2. Woodwind 3. Brass 4. Percussion ***5. Keyboard Instruments (typically not normally part of the symphony orchestra) 1. Strings a. Violin - Essential role in orchestral music in the beginning. - Plays much of the melody in every single piece of classical orchestra music. - 4 strings; stretched across the length by the pegs and on the bottom by the tailpiece. - Originally, strings were made out of “cat gut”; not loud for modern concert halls & the Humane Society frowns upon it. - violin bows used to be curved like a bow - bow strings are typically made out of horsehair - violinists regularly wipe rosin over the hair on their bows; is a chalk powder that come in a form of an amber-colored, often circular silver dollar sized block. - rosin enhances the sound of a violin. - Best Violins; created 300 years ago by the famous Stradivari and Guarneri - Tuning Up o tune by twisting the four pegs at the top, which adjust the tension of the strings o tightening of the string causes it to play a higher note o loosening it causes it to play lower o To tune your violin strings, you first listen to a perfect A note played either by a tuning fork, an electronic tuning machine, or another instrument that’s already in tune. - In an orchestra, it’s the principal oboist’s job to play a perfect A for the entire Orchestra Playing the Violin o one octave higher, pinching the string halfway o left hand shortens the string, making the notes higher; violinists learn exactly where to put each left-hand finger on each note. - o right hand holds the bow o it is possible to play more than one note simultaneously by fingering more than one note at a time Vibrato: barely noticeable variation in pitch of the note. o wiggling the left-hand finger on the string o the singing effect is called vibrato o adds an amazing warmth to the tone of the instrument, giving it a quality that’s prized above all others in classical music o - Bowing: right arm moving back and forth o - vibrato is often used in romantic and heartfelt music there’s an art in deciding whether to play up or down bow Pizzicato: playing the violin by plucking at the strings instead of using the bow b. Viola c. - slightly bigger than the violin; almost a subtle difference from the audience - sound is very distinctive; compared to the violin, the sound is breathier, throatier. - high notes sound less effortless than on a violin - low notes are more powerful and rich - the viola is the most difficult string instrument to play. Cello - beautiful, rich, singing sound - sounds most like the human voice - name is short for “violoncello” = Italian for “double bass” - must be played sitting down - range lower than the violin and viola - cello usually plays the lowest notes in an orchestra d. Double Bass - is enormous, bigger around than a human being - potential of playing much lower notes than anyone can sing - provides the foundation for the orchestra’s sound - typically, right side up on the stage - played sitting on a tall stool or standing up - bass and double bass mean the same thing **there is no such thing as a “single bass” e. Harp f. - sound is soft, smooth, and lovely - 47 strings - Tuning o must be tuned before every rehearsal/performance o a harpist must show up at least 47 minutes early for any rehearsal just to tune up o to tune you need a specially made key that fits over a bunch of pins across the top of the harp o the use of a tuning device that gives the harpist the pitch that he/she is aiming for to match - strings are color coded; ALL C’s are Red, and all F strings are Blue - 7 pedals; change the pitches of the strings as being played - each pedal corresponds to one note of the scale (A, B, C, D, E, F & G) - each pedal has THREE different notched positions; Up, Down & Middle - if pedals are all locked in the middle position then they play the exact same notes as the white keys on a piano - Glissando which means “gliding” in Italian; running the fingers from one end of the instrument to the other Classical Guitar - six strings - tuned strings aren’t event spaced, making it tough to tune a guitar perfectly - guitar is fool proof since it has frets OTHER STRING INSTRUMENTS - Lute (ancestor of modern guitar): renaissance feel - Mandolin: Mediterranean mood - Banjo: classical hoe-downs - Sitar: for a spicy Indian flavor
