Classifications
of
Instruments
Submitted to:
Dr. Rogelio B. Quitain
Submitted by:
Christine Nicole M. Abcede
BSED III-E MAPEH
Woodwind Instrument
FLUTE
The three branches of the woodwind family have different
sources of sound. Vibrations begin when air is blown across the top
of an instrument, across a single reed, or across two reeds. Reeds
are small pieces of cane. A single reed is clamped to a mouthpiece
at the top of the instrument and vibrates against the mouthpiece
when air is blown between the reed and the mouthpiece. Two reeds
tied together are commonly known as a double reed. This double
reed fits into a tube at the top of the instrument and vibrates
when air is forced between the two reeds.
Originally made of wood, the flute is now made from silver or gold and is about 2 feet in
length. It looks like a narrow tube with a row of holes covered by keys along one side. The
player blows air across the small hole in the mouthpiece to produce a sound that can be
either soft and mellow or high and piercing.
PICCOLO
The piccolo is exactly like the flute except that it is much smaller
and is usually made of silver or wood. The pitch of the piccolo is
higher than that of a flute.
OBOE
The oboe is similar to the clarinet in many ways. Both are made
from wood and have metal keys that can produce many notes
rapidly. Unlike the clarinet, the oboe does not have a
mouthpiece, but has two reeds tied together. By placing them
between one's lips and blowing air through them, the reeds
vibrate and produce a sound.
ENGLISH CLARINET
The English horn is another double-reed instrument in the
woodwind family. Although much like the oboe, it is larger than
the oboe and its sound much lower.
CLARINET
Made from wood, the clarinet produces a fluid sound when air
is blown between a single reed and the mouthpiece. By pressing
metal keys with the fingers of both hands, the player has the
ability to play
BASS CLARINET
The bass clarinet is a larger and lower sounding relative of
the clarinet. Like the clarinet, the bass clarinet is a single-
reed instrument and is made of wood.
SAXOPHONE
Conically shaped, the saxophone is the only woodwind
instrument made of brass. Although it is found only
occasionally in the symphony orchestra, it is considered a
member of the woodwind family because it has a single reed
like the clarinet.
BASOON
The bassoon is a large double reed instrument with a lower
sound than the other woodwind instruments. Its double
reed is attached to a small curved tube called a vocal which
fits into the bassoon. When the player blows air between
the reeds, the vibrating column of air inside the instrument
travels over nine feet to the bottom of the instrument,
then up to the top where the sound comes out.
CONTRABASOON
The contrabassoon is another double-reed instrument in the
woodwind family. Although much like the bassoon, it is larger
and its sound is much lower.
STRINGED INSTRUMENTS
VIOLIN
The four major instruments in the string family, the violin, the viola,
the cello and the double bass, are built the same way. The
instruments are made of many pieces of wood which are glued - never
nailed - together. The body of the instrument is hollow, thus
becoming a resonating box for the sound. Four strings (sometimes
five on the double bass) made of animal gut, nylon, or steel are
wrapped around pegs at one end of the instrument and attached to a
tailpiece at the other. They are stretched tightly across a bridge to
produce their assigned pitches.
The violin is the soprano voice in the string family. It is held under the chin, resting on the
shoulder. The violin has a lovely tone that can be soft and expressive or exciting and
brilliant.
VIOLA
The viola is the alto voice in the string family. Like the violin, it is held
under the chin, resting on the shoulder. Unlike the violin, the viola is
slightly larger and is tuned five notes lower. It has a darker and
warmer tone quality than the violin, but is not as brilliant.
CELLO
The violoncello or cello is the tenor voice in the string family.
While shaped like a violin, the cello is much larger and is held
between the player’s knees. Because it can produce beautiful
sounds from its lowest to its highest notes, it is a popular
instrument.
DOUBLE BASS
The double bass, or string bass, is the largest and lowest
instrument of the string family. The double bass has sloping
shoulders, instead of rounded shoulders like the other string
instruments. This allows the player to have more room to
move his or her arms, hands, and fingers in front of the
instrument. Because of its size, the player stands or sits on a
high stool to play the double bass.
HARP
The harp is not like any other member of the string
family. It has about 45 strings stretched across its
tall triangular frame. The strings are plucked by hand
while seven pedals at the bottom of the harp adjust
the length of the strings to produce additional notes.
PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
BASS DRUM
With a name that means, "the hitting of one body against another,"
instruments in the percussion family are played by being struck, shaken,
or scraped. In the orchestra, the percussion section provides a variety
of rhythms, textures and tone colors. Percussion instruments are
classified as tuned or untuned. Tuned instruments play specific pitches
or notes, just like the woodwind, brass and string instruments. Untuned
instruments produce a sound with an indefinite pitch, like the sound of a hand knocking on
a door. The percussion instruments are an international family, with ancestors from the
Middle East, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe representing musical styles from many
different cultures. The composer Mozart added the deep, booming, untuned sound of the
bass drum to the orchestra in 1782. Constructed like a snare drum, but without snares, the
bass drum is much larger and is played on its side, so that either head may be struck. The
beater or mallet for a bass drum is large with a soft material such as sheep's wool
covering the end.
CASTANETS
The Castanets are an instrument in the percussion family. One pair
consists of two pieces of hard wood in the shape of a shell that are
hinged together by a string. Their name comes from the Spanish word
castañuelas, which means chestnut (which they look a bit like).They
are held in the hand, and when the wood pieces strike each other,
they produce a clicking sound that is often associated with Spanish
dances. They can be used to create rhythmic accents, or they can be
played very fast, which adds color and excitement to the music!
CHIMES
Chimes are a tuned instrument consisting of a set of 12 to 18 metal
tubes hung from a metal frame. The metal tubes range from 1 to 2 ½
inches in diameter and from 4 to 6 feet in length. The chimes, or tubular
bells, are struck with a mallet and sound like church bells when played.
The longer the length of tube that is struck, the lower the pitch that is
created.
CONGA DRUM
The conga drum is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba.
Congas are staved like barrels. Congas are traditionally used in
Afro-Cuban genres such as conga and rumba, although they are now
very common in some other forms of Latin music .Most modern
congas have a wooden or fiberglass shell, and a screw-tensioned
drumhead. They are usually played in sets of two to four with the
fingers and palms of the hand. Typical congas stand approximately
75 centimetres (30 in) from the bottom of the shell to the head.
The drums may be played while seated. Alternatively, the drums may be mounted on a rack
or stand to permit the player to play while standing .Conga players are called congueros.
The term "conga" was popularized in the 1930s, when Latin music swept the United States,
and was derived from the traditional rhythm congueros would play during carnival time in
Cuba.
COWBELL
The cowbell is a hand percussion instrument used in various styles
of both popular and classical music. It is named after the similar
bell historically used by herdsmen to keep track of the whereabouts
of cows. While the cowbell is commonly found in musical contexts,
its origin can be traced to freely roaming animals. In order to help
identify the herd to which these animals belonged, herdsmen placed
these bells around the animal's neck. As the animals moved about
the bell would ring, thus making it easier to know of the animal's
whereabouts. Though the bells were used on various types of animals, they are typically
referred to as "cowbells" due to their extensive use with cattle.
CYMBALS
Made from two large, slightly concave brass plates, cymbals are
fitted with leather hand straps and are shaped so that when they
are crashed together, only the edges touch. Although cymbals are
untuned instruments, different sized cymbals produce a wide
range of sound effects. Some are so small that they are played
with just the fingers. Cymbals are also played by being struck with
drumsticks or mallets while suspended on a string or stand.
GLOCKENSPIEL
Also called orchestra bells, the glockenspiel resembles a small
xylophone, but it is made of steel bars. The glockenspiel is
typically played with wooden or plastic mallets, producing a high
tuned sound that is bright and penetrating. The name
glockenspiel comes from the German language and means "to play
the bells."
GONG
Gongs (also known as Tam-tams) are large disc-shaped
pieces of brass that are hit with a large soft mallet. In
China, gongs were used to make announcements and send
signals. In the orchestra, the gong's untuned sound can be
a loud crash or a low rumble. Their size can range from just
a few inches to huge ones that are larger than a person.
The gong always adds drama whenever it is played.
GUIRO
The guiro is another untuned instrument from South and
Central America that is made from a gourd that has been
carved or notched to create a ridged surface. The guiro is
played by scraping the surface with a stick. Modern guiros
are made of materials such as plastic, metal and wood.
SNARE DRUM
The snare drum joined the orchestra nearly 200 years ago. It
has two calfskin or plastic drumheads stretched tightly over a
hollow metal frame. The top head is struck with wooden
drumsticks, and is called the batter-head. The bottom head, or
snare-head has catgut or metal wires, called snares, stretched
tightly across it. When this untuned drum is struck on the top
head, the snares produce a characteristic sharp rattling sound as
they vibrate against the bottom head.
TAMBOURINE
The tambourine is a shallow, handheld drum made of a
circular wooden frame with a calfskin or plastic drumhead
stretched across the top. The tambourine has small discs
called jingles set into its circular frame which produce sound
when the tambourine is shaken, rubbed, or struck on the
drum head with the knuckles. Early tambourines were played
by Turkish army musicians known as "Janissaries.” Mozart
first used the tambourine in his music in 1782.
TENOR DRUM
In a symphony orchestra's percussion section, a tenor drum is a
low-pitched drum. It's a little bigger than a snare drum, but it
has no snares and is played with soft mallets or hard sticks.
Under various names, the drum has been used by composers
since the mid-19th century. It is particularly noticeable in
scores by 20th-century English composers such as Benjamin
Britten and William Walton, and American composers such as
Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber.
TIMPANI
Timpani, also called kettledrums, were the first drums to be
used in the orchestra over 300 years ago. They are constructed
of a large copper bowl with a drumhead made of calfskin or
plastic stretched across the top. When struck with felt-tipped
wooden sticks, or mallets, timpani produce a specific pitch that
is determined by the drum's size. That pitch is fine-tuned by
tightening the drumhead with keys and foot pedals. Most
orchestras use three or four timpani of varying sizes.
TRIANGLE
The triangle is made from a small round steel tube, and is
played by striking it with a steel beater. Its bright
shimmering sound is untuned and resembles that of a bell.
The triangle first joined the orchestra in the late 1700s
WOOD BLOCK
A wood block is a small slit drum made from a single piece of
wood and used as a percussion instrument.The orchestral wood-
block instrument is generally made from teak or another
hardwood. The dimensions of this instrument vary, although it is
either a rectangular or cylindrical block of wood with empty
space inside for the sound to resonate. It is played by striking it
with a stick, which produces a sharp crack.
XYLOPHONE
First used in the orchestra just over a century ago, the
xylophone is a tuned instrument made of hardwood bars
in graduated lengths set horizontally on a metal frame.
With the larger, lower-sounding bars on the left, the
notes of the xylophone are laid out much like a piano
keyboard. Striking the bars with hard mallets produces
a bright, sharp sound. The xylophone was originally
modeled after an African instrument and its name is
Greek, meaning "wood sound".
BRASS INSTRUMENTS
TRUMPET
Brass family instruments produce their unique sound by the
player buzzing his/her lips while blowing air through a cup- or
funnel-shaped mouthpiece. To produce higher or lower
pitches, the player adjusts the opening between his/her lips.
The mouthpiece connects to a length of brass tubing ending
in a bell. The shorter the tubing length, the smaller the
instrument, and the higher the sound; and the longer the
tubing length, the larger the instrument, and the lower the
sound. The brass family can trace its ancestry back to herald
trumpets, hunting horns, and military bugles. The main
instruments of the brass family include the trumpet, horn,
trombone, and tuba.The trumpet is the highest sounding member of the brass family. The
brilliant tone of the trumpet travels through about 6 - ½ feet of tubing bent into an oblong
shape. The player presses the three valves in various combinations with the fingers of the
right hand to obtain various pitches.
TROMBONE
The mouthpiece of the trombone is larger than that of a
trumpet, and gives the instrument a more mellow sound.
Instead of valves, the trombone has a slide which changes
the length of its approximately 9 feet of tubing to reach
different pitches.
TUBA
Made of about 16 feet of tubing, the tuba is the lowest sounding
member of the brass family. The tuba has three to five valves
and is held upright in the player’s lap.
KEYBOARDS INSTRUMENTS
HARPSICHORD
Keyboard instruments are often classified as percussion
instruments because they play a rhythmic role in some
music. However, most keyboard instruments are not true
members of the percussion family because their sound is
not produced by the vibration of a membrane or solid
material.The harpsichord is an early relative of the piano.
Although it looks like a piano, it sounds much different.
Small hooks called quills pluck the strings when the
player's hand presses a key on the keyboard.
PIANO
Sound is produced on the piano when a player presses the keys, which
causes small hammers to strike the strings inside the instrument. It
is the vibrations of the piano's strings which produces its musical
sound.
ORGAN
When an organist presses the keys
of an organ, air is allowed to flow into corresponding
pipes. The vibration of the air in the pipes creates the
sound of the organ. The organ in the Meyerson
Symphony Center was designed and created by the Fisk
Organ Company of Glouceter, Massachusetts. One of the
largest concert hall organs in the world, it has four
keyboards, 244 keys, 32 pedals and 4,535 pipes. The
largest pipe is 32 feet high while the smallest pipe is
less than one inch in height.
