musical instruments in a band

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WoodwindsBrassPercussion

Woodwinds

• The three branches of the woodwind family have different sources of sound.

• Wind instruments were originally made of wood but are now also made of plastic or metal.

• They are cylindrical pipes with holes cut on the side and played by blowing air into the mouthpiece.

• Vibrations begin when air is blown across the top of an instrument, across a single reed, or across two reeds.

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FluteFlute

The fluteflute is 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.

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OboeThe oboeoboe is similar to the clarinet in many ways. Both are made from wood and have metal keys that can produce many notes rapidly. 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.



ClarinetMade from wood, the clarinetclarinet 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 many different notes very quickly.



BassoonBassoonThe bassoonbassoon is a large double reed instrument with a lower sound than the other woodwind instruments. 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.



Brass

• Brass Family instruments produce their unique sound by the player buzzing his/her lips while blowing air through a cup- or funnel-shaped mouthpiece.

• 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.

• To change the pitch, the slides and pistons are either shortened or lengthened.

TrumpetTrumpet

The trumpettrumpet 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.



TromboneTromboneThe mouthpiece of the trombonetrombone 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.



TubaTubaMade of about 16 feet of tubing, the tubatuba is the lowest sounding member of the brass family. The tuba has four to five valves and is held upright in the player’s lap.

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French HornFrench HornThe French HornFrench Horn consists of about 12 feet of narrow tubing wound into a circle. The player obtains different notes on the horn with a clear mellow sound by pressing valves with the left hand and by moving the right hand inside of the bell.


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Percussion

• 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.

Snare Drum

The snare drumsnare drum 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 drum is struck on the top head, the snares produce a characteristic sharp rattling sound as they vibrate against the bottom head.



CymbalsCymbalsMade from two large, slightly concave brass plates, cymbalscymbals are fitted with leather hand straps and are shaped so that when they are crashed together, only the edges touch. Different sized cymbals produce a wide range of sound effects. Cymbals are also played by being struck with drumsticks or mallets while suspended on a string or stand.



Bass DrumBass DrumThe composer Mozart added the deep, booming, sound of the bass bass drumdrum 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.



TriangleTriangleThe triangletriangle 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.



TimpaniTimpaniTimpaniTimpani 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.



Seventy- Six Trombones

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musical instruments in a band

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