Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Division of Bohol

MUSIC 6
THIRD QUARTER
Quarter : 3 Week : 4 Day : 1 Activity No. : 4
Competency: : Describes the instrumental sections of the Western Orchestra MU6TB-IIId-1
Objective : Describe the instrumental sections of the Western Orchestra
Topic : Instrumental sections of the Western Orchestra
Materials : Books, pictures
Reference :
Ligaya Bautista Garcia-Quinitio, Eduardo V. Cipriano, Eliseo P. Buhain, Juliet H. Brioso, Diana
Acoba-Lacia, Almira Alcoba-Alonzo, Gemalyn Andres-Solano. n.d. The 21st Century MAPEH in
ACTION. 856 Nicanor Reyes, Sr. St.: REX Book Store.

Copyrights : For classroom use only

Concepts Notes
The Orchestra
The orchestra is a large group of musicians playing different musical instruments together.
These instruments vary in sizes and sound quality. The usual size of an orchestra ranges
from 60 to 90 players.

The conductor is the main coordinator in an orchestra. He stands in front of the players.
He holds a baton, a slender wooden stick to direct the orchestra. The baton serves as an
extension of the conductors hands in surveying the expressions in the musical piece.

There are four families of instruments that are played in an orchestra. They are the following:

1. The String Family

Stringed instruments are played by pulling a bow across the strings and sometimes
by plucking the strings. They usually carry the melodic line of the composition.

1.1 Violin – is the smallest member of the orchestral strings and plays the high notes.
It has 4 strings tuned to G D A E. It has a lyric singing quality and
produces brilliant and dramatic tones.

1.2 Viola – is slightly larger than the violin and is held in the same way as the violin.
It has four strings tuned to C G D A. The viola is the tenor of the
string family. Its tone is warm and dark.

1.3 Cello – The cello is gripped between the knees of the player and it
has a spike to support the instrument. It has four strings
tuned to C G D A. But the strings are thicker and longer
than that of the viola. The cello plays lower notes.

1.4 Double Bass – is the biggest member of the string family. It has four strings tuned
to E A D G and usually plays the bass part or an octave lower than
the cello.

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2. The Woodwind Family
The woodwind instruments are tubes generally made of wood. The instruments are played by blowing
air into the mouthpiece. Different tunes are produced by using the fingers to cover its holes that
produce different tunes.

2.1 Piccolo – the piccolo is a baby flute It looks like a flute but it is
half the size and plays an octave higher. The piccolo
plays the highest note in the orchestra and makes a very
shrill sound.
2.2. Flute – the flute is a tube about 26 ½ inches long. The mouth
hole is cut in the side of the flute near the end. The end is
sealed with a stopper while the other end is open.
The flute has a tone which varies from a low velvety tone
to a higher bird-like sound.
2.3 Clarinet – The clarinet has a single reed. Its size is about 26
inches long. It is a very expressive instrument as it can be
played very quietly or gradually louder and softer.
It is lower in pitch and thicker in sound than the oboe.
2.4 Oboe – The oboe is a double reed instrument about 25 inches
long. The double reed is a narrow strip of cane that is
scraped very thinly. The sound of the oboe is naturally reedy.
It has a plaintive quality and is very good at melancholic tunes.
2.5 Bassoon – the bassoon is also a double reed instrument with a
conical tube. It is over eight feet long but it is doubled
up in itself to make the instrument manageable. It is the bass
of the woodwind family but it has a wide tenor register too.
The lower register is dry, while the upper register is
often used for expressive solos.

3. The Brass Family

Brass instruments are made up of metal or brass and sometimes from silver alloys. It makes use of a
slide, or three or four valves to get the different notes. It produces sound by “buzzing” the lips against the
mouthpiece. The sound is then amplified and refined by the time it comes out of the bell at the end of its
body.

3.1. Trumpet – plays the highest pitch in the brass section. It is four
and a half feet long. The player uses a cup-shaped
mouthpiece and valves pressed by fingers. The trumpet
has a bright ringing sound but it can be muted for special effects.

3.2. Trombone – has a cylindrical tubing. It is played with a deep

cup-shaped mouthpiece instead of finger valves.
The player lays the trombone by sliding the tubes
in and out of the sockets. The trombone has a lower
pitch than the trumpet and it is 9 feet long.

3.3. French horn – a conical tube about 12 feet long coiled into a
circular shape with cup-shaped mouthpiece and
valves to vary the notes. It has a smooth mellow
tone quality which makes it blend with the
orchestra. It usually plays the lower melodies of
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 the brass family.

3.4. Tuba – The biggest among the brass instruments. It provides

the lowest note in the brass section. Measuring about
12 feet long. It can produce its lowest natural note
with the aid of the valves.

4. The Percussion Family

Percussions are instruments that are banged, tapped, shaken, scraped or struck by mallets.
There are two kinds of percussion:

- Tuned Percussion- have definite notes

- Non-tuned percussions – have no definite note.

A. Tuned Percussions
4.1 Tubular bells or chimes – metal tubes that are hung in a frame.
These tubes sound like church bells. The player hits
the top of the tube with a wooden mallet.

4.2 Glockenspiel – made in the same way as the xylophone

except that the bars are made of metal, not wood.
It produces high pitch bell-like sound.

4.3 Xylophone – made of strips of hard wood each tuned to a note. It

produces a bright, dry, hard sound.

B. Non-Tuned Percussions
4.4 Bass Drum – a large drum with a vellum lead about three feet in
diameter. It can be played with single taps or by
using two sticks usually covered with cloth. The
Bass drum provides the thundering effect in the orchestra.

4.5 Snare Drum – sometimes called the side drum. It has two
drumheads and the player strikes the upper one.
The lowest head has strings of gut or small wires
stretched across it, called snares. It produces a dry
rattling noise when the instrument is struck.

4.6 Timpani – also called the kettle drum. It is a set of bowl-shaped

drums struck by a pair of mallets. There are usually three
to four timpani’s used in an orchestra and they are tuned
to different pitches.

4.7 Cymbals – two thin plate of brass. The player clashes them
together very loudly. He can make them sweep past each
other with violent swish, or he can gently brush one with
the other. The instrument produces a wonderful
shimmering sound.

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Activity:
A. Directions: Classify the following instruments listed inside the box below to their correct section in
the orchestra. Write your answer on the space provided for.
Cello Viola Snare drum Glockenspiel

Tubular bells Clarinet Flute Tuba

Piccolo Trombone Double Bass French Horn

String Section Wind Section Brass Section Percussion Section

B. Directions: Read and understand the statement below. Write the letter of the correct answer on the
space provided for.

_______1. Which of the following percussion instruments produces a bright, dry, hard sound?
a. Xylophone b. Timpani c. Tubular bells
_______2. Which of the following string instruments produces brilliant and dramatic tones?
a. Violin b. Viola c. Double bass
_______3. It refers to a woodwind instruments which signifies low velvety tone to a higher bird-like
sound.
a. Flute b. Piccolo c. Clarinet
_______4. It refers to brass instrument which signifies a cylindrical tubing shape.
a. Trombone b. Trumpet c. Tuba
_______5. The following statement is TRUE about Bassoon instrument except one. Which one is it?
a. It is a single reed instrument with conical tube.
b. It is a double reed instrument with conical tube.
c. It measures over eight feet long.

C. Directions: Read and understand the question below. Write your answer on the space provided. (3
points)
If you were given a chance to become one of the members of the orchestra, what instrument would like to
play? Why?

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Prepared by:

ALVIN A. JABILLES
Teacher I
Writer in MUSIC 6

Checked by:

MIA MARIE J. BILIRAN

TWG in MUSIC 6

Approved by:

CIRILO S. CALATRAVA
EPS in MAPEH