Musical Instruments

Exploring Music

Unit 3

The String FamilyViolin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Guitar, Bass

Guitar, Banjo

Orchestral Strings

• Violin- Highest

• Viola- 2nd Highest

• Cello- 2nd Lowest

• Bass- Lowest

• All Played With Bows

How are Orchestral Strings Played?

• YouTube video!!!

•

• What are three ways they can be played?

Violin

• Highest string instrument

• Placed on shoulder, with chin on body of instrument

• Smallest string instrument

• Typically plays the melody line

• Vivaldi, Four Seasons violin solo

Viola

• 2nd Highest string instrument

• Played same way as a violin

• Wider body than the violin

• Strings are also long

• Bach, Viola solo

Cello

• 3rd highest string instrument

• Played sitting down, with cello in between legs and left arm on bridge to play strings

• Larger body, longer strings

• Cello duet with piano!

Upright Bass

• Lowest string instrument

• Must be played standing up, some people even sit on a stool because this instrument is so large

• Tallest instrument, longest strings

Good Morning Exploring Music!

• Bell Ringer for Today!

1.Name the 6 levels of dynamics.

2.Write down the melody of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

3.List three words that can be used to describe timbre.

4.List the orchestral string instruments in order from smallest to largest.

Elements of Music Quiz

• Common mistakes: confusing texture with timbre and melody with harmony.

• Spelling errors

• Not using complete sentences

• Not answering all parts of the question

Quiz Corrections

• You may make up the quiz and earn up to half of your points back. So… if your grade was a 10/20 and you make up all 10 points, you will receive 5 back, therefore your grade is now 15/20. (50% 75%)

• You may come in before or after school to do the corrections, or during 4th lunch.

• You have one week to make these up.

• Go to www.oceanwaychoir.com to review the Powerpoint.

Any Questions about the quiz?

Back to string instruments!

•Let’s talk about what all string instruments have in common and how they make the sounds they make!

How is sound produced?

• By causing the string to vibrate!

• In acoustic (non-electrical) these instruments send air waves to the body of the instrument which causes the sound to echo and produce the sound you hear!

• In electrical, a pick-up is attached to the instrument and amplified (made louder) through an amp.

How does the pitch change?

• Pitch is how high or low the instrument sounds.

1. Tension- Looser strings = lower pitch, tighter strings = higher pitch

2. Density (thickness)- Thicker strings = lower pitch,

3. Length- Longer strings = lower pitches, shorter strings = higher pitches.

Other Stringed Instruments

• Ukulele

• Guitar

• Electric Bass

• Sitar

• Banjo

• Mandolin

Ukulele

• Commonly associated with music from Hawaii

• Can come in a variety of sizes• Why would we want different sizes of the same instrument?

• Listen to Ob-la-di-ob-la-da!

Good Morning!

• Bell Ringer:1. What does acoustic mean?

2. What word means “to make louder”?

3. What are the three things that effect pitch change?

4. Where did the ukulele originate from?

Guitar

• Can have anywhere from 4-18 strings, but the common guitar has 6

• Played by strumming or plucking

• Can be made electric with a pick-up

• Used in a variety of genres worldwide

• Two listening examples• Rodrigo y Gabriela

• Stevie Ray Vaughn

Electric Bass

Banjo

• 4, 5, or 6 stringer instrument

• Associated with country, folk, Irish, and bluegrass music

• Characterized by fast arpeggiated plucking

• Has a resonator in the body which gives it a more echoing and pingy sound

• Let’s listen!• Dueling Banjos!

• 9 year old plays the Banjo!

Good Morning!!!!

•Please review your notes and have out a blank sheet of paper. Number that paper 1-4. We will have a pop quiz on string instruments once the bell rings.

Pop Quiz 9/29

1. Name the orchestral string instruments from lowest to highest.

2. What does “acoustic” mean?

3. What are three ways string instruments can be played?

4. Name one of the genres (styles) of music that the banjo is commonly associated with.

Good Morning, Exploring Music!

• Please place belongings under tables and bring materials to your chair.

• Bell Ringer:• List the brass instruments from highest to lowest.

• What instrument does not have valves?

• Which brass instrument is the largest?\

Good Morning!!!

•Please use your bell ringer time to go over your Woodwind Assignment with classmates. If you have any questions, be ready to discuss them after the bell rings!

Woodwinds

• Highest to Lowest• Piccolo

• Flute

• Oboe

• Clarinet

• Saxophone

• Bassoon

How Sound is Produced

Let’s Take a Listen

• As we listen…• Write down a color for each instrument

• Do you have any other words you would like to use to describe the timbre of each instrument?

• Write down any additional questions you may have about the instrument after listening. We will go over them after we have listened to all of the instruments.

Any Questions???

Next Class

•Look over your spelling list and be prepared for the quiz on Wednesday! We start percussion instruments as well

Good Morning!!!

• Look over your spelling list. The quiz will begin shortly after the bell rings.

• Make sure you have a…• Piece of paper to turn in.

• Something to write with.

• Something to write on.

Spelling Quiz

• All materials away.

• At least one empty chair in between each person.

• Talking/cheating…• If you do either of these, you automatically receive a zero on the

quiz.

Percussion Instruments

• Produce sound when struck or shaken. Percussion means “the hitting of one body against another.”

• Provides rhythm to ensembles

• Most consist of a solid material with a thin membrane stretched across a frame or hollow container

• There are varieties of percussion instruments all over the world. We will split these up into two groups: Tuned and Untuned percussion

Untuned Percussion

• Many percussion instruments have indefinite pitch , meaning they produce a noise-like sound that is not a recognizable note. This is also called “untuned.”

• Some percussion instruments are called membranophones because they have a membrane stretched across a resonating chamber.

• Snare drum is a small drum that is perfect for march rhythms.

• Bass drum is played with large, padded beaters and makes low, booming sounds.

Untuned, continued…

• Idiophones are percussion instruments produces the sound by the whole body vibrating.

• Metal idiophones are…• Crash cymbals - two big saucers that crash together

• Tam tam - Huge sheet of metal hanging from a frame (gong)

• Triangle - Solid metal bar bent into triangle shape

Untuned, continued

• Wood idiophones include…• Wood block - a block of wood with a slit cut in it to make the

sound louder

• Claves - two wooden dowels that are struck together

• Castanets - Two small shell-shaped pieces held in the hand and clicked together very rapidly.

Listening

• Drumlines use untuned instruments.• Let’s listen to the greatest Drumline in the world.

• The Michigan State Marching Band Drumline!

• What three untuned percussion instruments do you see?

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHpxV8tweJ0

Tuned Percussion

• These instruments produce a definite pitch, meaning they create recognizable notes.

• Timpani - are a set of four copper drums commonly seen in the orchestra.• The pitch can be adjusted with a foot pedal, which makes the

drum head tighter or looser. Which adjustment will make the pitch higher or lower?

• Another name for timpani is the kettle drum.

Tuned, continued

• Some tuned instruments use metal or wooden bars laid out like a piano keyboard.• The longer the bar, the lower the pitch. The shorter the bar, the

higher the pitch.

• When all the bars are put together, they create a compound idiophone.

• Why would we call it compound?

• Percussionists strike these instruments with mallets.

Tuned, continued

• Glockenspiel – metal bars that are very high in pitch with a penetrating tone.

• Xylophone – wooden bars that have resonators underneath to help produce a louder sound.

• Marimba – like the xylophone but can play lower pitches and has a fuller tone.

• Tubular bells – set of hollow metal tubes hung on a rack. Percussionist strikes the top rim of the tubes with a hammer-shaped mallet. Sometimes these sound like church bells.

Listening

• One guy playing a lot of orchestral percussion instruments• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kH7wD11vQs

• A whole orchestra of percussion instruments

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHqAgKN5wGc

Coming Up…

• Friday: Keyboard Instruments, Review all Instrument Families, Instrument Family Bingo (if time)• Take Home Review Sheet for Exam

• Tuesday: Instrument Family Jeopardy

• Thursday: Instrument Family Exam