Timbre
A description of the actual sounds
that you hear.
“Tone color” or “quality”
Timbre
Timbre can be a list of the instruments
or voices that you hear.
Timbre can also refer to the variations
in tone color of a specific instrument (a
bright guitar or dark voice).
Timbre
6 Families of Instruments
Family
• An instrument is grouped into a family
based on how it PRODUCES sound
(not how it sounds, what it looks like,
what material it’s made from, etc).
6 Families
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String
Woodwind
Brass
Percussion
Keyboard
Electronic
Rule of Thumb
• The smaller/shorter the vibrating
element (string, pipe, air tube, etc.), the
HIGHER the pitch.
• The larger/longer the vibrating element,
the LOWER the pitch.
String
• Bowed Strings
– Violin
– Viola
– Violoncello (cello)
– Double bass
The nucleus of an orchestra consists of
bowed strings.
String
• Plucked Strings
– Guitar
– Banjo
– Mandolin
– Bass Guitar
– Balalaika
– Lute
Woodwinds
• Single reed (clarinet and saxophone)
• Double reed (oboe, bassoon and
English horn)
• No reed (flute and piccolo)
Brass
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Trumpet
Trombone
French Horn
Tuba
Percussion
• Definite pitch (marimba, vibraphone,
xylophone, chimes, bells, timpani)
• Indefinite pitch (bass drum, snare drum,
woodblocks, cymbal)
Keyboard
• Piano
• Pipe organ (king of instruments)
• Harpsichord
What is the proper name of
the piano?
What is the proper name of
the piano?
• pianoforte
Electronic
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Electronic keyboards
Computer
Synthesizer
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital
Interface)
Orchestra
• A group of (usually more than 20)
instruments which has bowed strings as
its nucleus.
• To that, you may add any number or
type of instruments.
Dave Matthews Band
• The instruments in his band include
guitar, bass guitar, drums, and violin.
• Just because it has a violin, it is not an
orchestra!
Seating plan of an Orchestra
• Softest instruments in front (bowed
strings)
• Woodwinds behind
• Brass behind
• Percussion in back
• Loudest instruments are in the back.
Conductor
• Stands in front of orchestra
• Keeps time and keeps them together
• Listens to sound and shapes the music
as it’s being played
Conductor
• The music directors of the "Big Five"
orchestras of the United States each made
over $1,000,000 per year, with the music
director of the New York Philharmonic making
the most, at $2,777,753 during the 2009-2011
season.
• Music directors of smaller full-time orchestras,
like in Atlanta, Minnesota, St. Louis, and
Baltimore made from $400,000 to $977,000
per year.
Concertmaster
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First chair first violin
Responsible for bowings in the section
Plays all passages written for solo violin
Tunes up the orchestra
Is expected to “stand in” for the
conductor if necessary
Concertmaster
• The concertmaster for the Atlanta
Symphony set a new all time high
compensation level at $578,436.
• The average compensation for the Top
10 highest paid concertmasters is
$418,324.
Voices
Voices
• SATB
Voices
• Female:
• Soprano (high)
• Alto / Contralto (low)
• Male:
• Tenor (high)
• Bass (low)
Voices – Most Common
• Female: Mezzo Soprano
• Male: Baritone
A cappella
• Unaccompanied voices
• Literally, “as in the chapel” – i.e., no
instruments.