MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE ORCHESTRA

PERCUSSION

•Percussion is designed to make unique noises when hit with a stick or hands.

•Membranophones are drum-stretched membrane or drum head covering a hollow shell.

•Idiophones are instruments without membrane that vibrate.

•A drum kit consists of bass drum, snare drum, toms and cymbals.

BRASS Instruments made from brass don’t necessarily belong to

this family. Brass instruments are long metal tubes. The trombone is a slide instrument. Players can change

pitch sliding the long tube up and down allowing smooth change of notes.

A bugle is a natural brass instrument it has neither a slide or valve, so it has a limited range of notes and not used.

The tuba hits lowest notes and sits on the musicians lap.

WOODWIND

Woodwinds instruments are not all made of wood, but require wind to make noise. They are tubes with holes along it. For example, flutes, saxophones, oboes and clarinets.

To make music with a mouthpiece air has to be blown into instruments through the reed. These types of instruments would be played without a mouthpiece.

The reed is often made of bamboo. It is the vibrating air produced inside the instrument, blown through the reed within the mouthpiece, then makes the sound.

STRINGS

The lyre is the oldest kind of stringed instrument, popular with ancient Greeks. Harp is also another kind of stringed instrument that has been around for a long time. It could be big or small.

Bowed is a technique when the string is rubbed over and played using a bow.

A bow is a strong flexible stick with ribbon of horsehair stretched onto it. Hair is rubbed with resin that produces friction on the strings.

Plucked means when the string is flicked with the thumb, finger or a small piece of plastic. Guitar is a stringed instrument that can be plucked. Pitch can be changed by pressing on the neck in different places.