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Voices/Singing
Ten important points
1.
2.
3.
4.
There is a much wider range of pitch and volume than is used in speaking
Vowel sounds are held longer
It demands a greater supply and control of breath
Air is controlled by the lower abdominal muscles and diaphram

5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Vocal cords vibrate by using the lungs, throat, mouth and nose
Pitch varies with the tension of vocal cords
Range depends on training and physical makeup
Women: soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto
Men: tenor, baritone, bass
Until the late 17 th century, most Western music was vocal, without instrumentation

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1.
4-5 Main Categories
String
2.
3.
4.
5.
Woodwind
Brass
Percussion
Electronic

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Orchestra Instrumentation:
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Usually contains strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion; sometimes piano or harpsichord

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Band Instrumentation:
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Usually includes brass, woodwind, and percussion

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Violin, viola, cello, double bass
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All played with a bow

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Pizzicato – plucking the string
Double stop – two notes at once
Vibrato – vibrate the left had while it is on the string
Tremolo – rapidly bowing up and down creating a shimmering effect
The harp and the guitar are both string instruments that are always plucked or strummed

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Produce vibrations of air within a tube that is traditionally made of wood
Holes along their length are opened and closed by fingers or pads
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Player changes the pitch by opening/closing holes, changing the length of the tube
Pg. 15

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Flute family – flute, piccolo

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Clarinet
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Oboe
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Bassoon
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Saxophone

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Vibrations come from the musician’s lips as he or she blows into a funnel-shaped mouthpiece
Vibrations are amplified and colored in a tube that is coiled with a flared end

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Trumpet, french horn, trombone, tuba, euphonium
Pitch is regulated 2 ways:
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Varying lip tension
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Using slides and/or valves to change the length of the tube

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Sound by being struck
Some with definite pitch: timpani, glockenspiel, xylophone, celesta, chimes

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Some with indefinite pitch: snare drum, bass drum, tambourine, triangle, cymbals, gong

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Keyboard instruments:

Piano – felt-covered hammer swings up against a string, most versatile instrument
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Harpsichord – strings that are plucked by a set of plectra

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In which family does a pipe organ fit?
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Keys control valves from which air is blown across or through openings in the pipes

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Tape studio
Synthesizers
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Computers

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Turn in books to page 34:

The Young Person’s Guide to the
Orchestra

Benjamin Britten

Stars and Stripes Forever

John Philip Sousa

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Homework
Worksheet on Chapters 1 & 2 due
TOMORROW.