Musical Instrument
Families—Western Tradition
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What is an Orchestra ?
Orchestra is an old Greek word
which means “a dancing place.”
In Greece, during the 5th century
B.C., orchestra was the name
given to the space in front of the
main acting area which was used
by the chorus, who danced as
well as sang, and by the
instrumentalists of open air
theatres.
Today we use the word orchestra
to mean a reasonably large
collection of instruments playing
together as a group.
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Greek Theater
The Orchestra
The orchestra has grown up gradually from early
17th century and is now a very wonderful and
varied combination of instruments, which falls into
four groups.
Try to name the
instruments that are
members in each group.
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Woodwind Instruments
As the name ‘woodwind’ suggests, the instruments of
this section of the orchestra are mostly made of wood,
though some are now often made of metal instead.
In each woodwind instruments there is a series of holes
bored along the length of the tube. When all the holes
are covered, the instrument sounds its lowest note. But
if the player uncovers the bottom hole, a higher note is
sounded.
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Woodwind Instrument
Flute
Nowadays, it is made of metal.
It is easy to recognize among
the instruments of the
woodwind section, as it is held
sideways (transverse) rather
than straight in front of the
player.
The low notes are soft and
mellow, but higher notes
become brighter and more
brilliant.
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Woodwind Instrument
Oboe
It is a double-reed
instrument.
It has reedy sound
and can express
pastoral feeling.
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Woodwind Instrument
Clarinet
Of the four main woodwind
instruments, it was last to
join the orchestra.
It has a single reed -- a flat
piece of cane.
The lower part of its range
has a hollow but rich sound.
The middle part of its range
is smooth. High up, it sounds
rather sharp.
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Woodwind Instrument
Bassoon
It is a double-reed
instrument with a
conical tube 9 feet
long.
The low notes are
very reedy. The
higher notes are
more flute-like and
sound lovely.
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Brass Instruments
The sounds of the brass section, like those of
the woodwind, are made by blowing.
Brass instruments are long, hollow brass tubes
blown from one end. They are curved or bent
into various shapes.
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Brass Instruments
Trumpet
Of the instruments in
the brass section, it
is the most ancient.
It is one of the most
powerful and colorful
musical instruments
in the orchestra.
The tone quality is
really brilliant.
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Brass Instruments
French Horn
It is a long conical tube
coiled into a circular
shape and ends in a
large bell shape.
It has a beautiful
mellow tone of pure
and lofty character.
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Brass Instruments
Trombone
The Italian name
means ‘big trumpet’,
and this instrument
is in fact a long,
folded trumpet with
a more deeply
cupped mouth-piece.
It has a rich, noble
tone.
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String Instruments
The strings are the ‘backbone’ of the orchestra. More than
half the members of an orchestra play string instruments.
The sound is produced by bowing, plucking or striking the
string.
Many of these instruments are similar in shape and each
has four strings, but in different sizes; all tuned in fifth
except the double bass that is fourth.
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String Instruments
Violin
It is about 23.5 inches long.
These instruments of the
orchestra are divided into
two groups: first and
second. The difference is
not in the music they play - the firsts usually playing
higher notes than the
seconds.
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String Instruments
Viola
It is about 25 inches
long and is pitched a
fifth lower than
violin.
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String Instruments
Cello
The correct name for this
instrument is in Italian a
longer violin name-- but
it is always called by its
shortened name.
It is around 5 feet in
height and is pitched one
octave lower than the
viola.
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String Instruments
Double Bass
This instrument is
sometimes called by a
shortened name.
It is the largest in size
(around 6.5 feet in height)
and has the deepest tone
(one octave below the
cello) in the string family.
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Percussion Instruments
Percussion instruments are those which are
struck or shaken.
Percussion instruments can be divided into
two groups. They are ‘tuned’ and ‘non-tuned’.
Non-tuned:
Tuned:
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Percussion Instruments
Timpani
It can also be called kettle
drum.
These are often used in sets
of two, three, or four each
tuned to a different note.
The instrument is played
with two sticks.
The player can tighten or
loosen the parchment with
pedals for tuning.
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Percussion Instruments
Xylophone
It consists of blocks
of hard wood, each
tuned to a note.
The player strikes
the wooden blocks
with wooden beaters
to produce a bright,
dry, hard sound.
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Percussion Instruments
Tambourine
Small metal plates
are loosely inserted
around the shell.
When the player hits
or shakes it with his
hand, the mental
plates give a jingling
effect.
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Percussion Instruments
Castanets
These consist of little
wooden clappers
moved by the thumb
and forefinger of the
player.
In the orchestra,
they are placed on a
stick.
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Orchestra
Instruments
Woodwind
Flute Oboe Clarinet Bassoon
Brass
Strings
Trumpet French Trombone Tuba Violin Viola Cello Double
Horn
Bass
Percussion
With
pitch
Without
pitch
Timpani Xylophone Tambourine Castanets
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http://www.dsokids.com/visitthesymphony/seatingchart/default.aspx
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