Elements of Music
TIMBRE
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TIMBRE
Timbre is the type of sound that is
made. This can mean the instrument
playing or the quality of the sound the
instrument is making. Most instruments
are capable of many different timbres.
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TYPES OF INSTRUMENT
Strings
Woodwind
Brass
Percussion
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ORCHESTRA
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STRINGS
The String section has the most players in it -
sometimes as many as 60. This is because it
takes many strings to create a rich sound that
balances well with the wood winds, brass and
percussion.
There are four kinds of stringed instruments in
the orchestra:
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1.Violas 3. Cello
STRINGS
All stringed instruments have strings stretched
over them. The strings are made of gut, steel,
or nylon. They are played with a bow - a long
stick that has horsehair attached to it.
Usually the bow is prepared with resin and
drawn across the strings. This is called bowing.
Stringed instruments can also be struck with
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the bow. Or they can be played by plucking or
STRINGS
The violin is the smallest
member of the string family.
Because its strings are the
shortest, it produces the
highest sound.
Violin Violas The viola is not often heard
by itself. Because it is
s bigger than the violin, with
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STRINGS
The cello plays even lower than
the viola - a whole octave lower.
To support its longer strings, it
is more than twice as big as the
viola - too big to support on one
arm! It's heavy, too. So cellists
Cello sit down, resting the instrument 8
upright against their bodies.
STRINGS
The double bass is the
orchestra's foundation. They
are the largest of all the
stringed instruments, and play
the lowest notes.
Doubl At six feet or even more, it's
often taller than the person who
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plays it. Bassists have to stand
Woodwind
Can be made of wood, plastic,
or metal.
Except for the flute they all use
reeds to make sound.
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The Flute
Flutes are usually made of metal, but
sometimes you will see flutes made of
wood. Flutes are some of the highest
instruments in the orchestra, and they
are very good at playing fast, detailed
music.
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The Clarinet
You can hear the smooth, velvety sound
of the clarinet in orchestras, military
bands, and jazz groups. Clarinets are
made of wood or molded plastic.
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Bass Clarinet
A bass clarinet is shaped differently.
Because it is larger than the B-flat
clarinet, it plays lower and can take on a
mysterious quality. It is played in the
same way as the standard clarinet, but
because it is much longer, it has an
endpin that slides out of the bottom of 13
Oboe and Bassoon
Oboes are made of wood, and their sound is
produced by blowing air through a thin double reed
at the upper end of the instrument.
The bassoon is a double-reed woodwind instrument.
It has almost 8 feet of wooden tubing, bent into a
narrow U-shape. The reed is secured in a curved
metal tube. Bassoons are the largest woodwind
instruments in the orchestra
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The Saxophone
The saxophone is classified as a woodwind because it
is played using a reed. But it's made of brass. It's
kind of a cross between a woodwind and a brass
instrument. The saxophone has a single reed and a
mouthpiece like a clarinet, but it has a metal body
with a flared bell.
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The Saxophone
The saxophone is classified as a woodwind because it
is played using a reed. But it's made of brass. It's
kind of a cross between a woodwind and a brass
instrument. The saxophone has a single reed and a
mouthpiece like a clarinet, but it has a metal body
with a flared bell.
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BRASS
Brass players produce sound by
blowing into the mouthpiece of the
instrument. To set the air in motion,
they "buzz" their lips together. Their
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TRUMPET
The loud, clear sound of the trumpet has been
used to send signals and messages for a long
time.
There are two ways different pitches are played.
A trumpeter can press down on the keys that
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control the trumpet's three valves, and he can
FRENCH HORN
The French horn has a velvety, round tone color
that projects well across other instruments
without overpowering them.
The horn is balanced on the legs. The left hand
works the valves that help change the horn's
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pitch, and the right hand is held inside the bell.
TROMBONE
Most brass instruments use valves to produce
different pitches. But the trombone uses a slide
instead. The player pushes and pulls the slide
back and forth to change the length of tubing -
which changes the pitch.
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THE TUBA
The tuba is the largest member of the brass
family and plays the lowest notes. It's also the
youngest brass instrument. It was first used in
military bands in the 1800s and joined the
orchestra about a hundred years ago.
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brass ensemble
PERCUSSION
The percussion family is huge! It includes any
instrument that produces sounds when it is struck,
scraped or shaken.
A percussionist in an orchestra may play as many as
a dozen different instruments.
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Struck percussion instruments include the piano, the
PERCUSSION
Percussion instruments that are scraped to produce
a sound are a little less common in the orchestra.
Some shaken instruments used in the orchestra
include tambourines and rattles.
percussion ensemble
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