The String Family

The double bass is so tall that you must stand up or sit on a high stool to play it. It is often taller than the person who plays it!

The violin, like the other members of the string family, has strings. Sound can be made by plucking the strings or by drawing a bow across them.

The viola looks just like the violin, but it is a little larger and plays notes that are a little lower.

The cello is so big that you must rest it on the floor to play it. It has a rich mellow voice.

The bow is a stick with horsehair stretched from end to end. When sticky rosin is rubbed onto the horsehair, the bow catches on the strings of the instrument making them vibrate.

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The harp is also a stringed instrument, but it is not always found in the orchestra. The strings of the harp are strummed and make a beautiful sound.

The Woodwind Family

The flute was once made of wood. Today it is made of silver or other metals. To play the flute, blowing across the top of a pop bottle.

The clarinet is made of wood or plastic. The sound is made by the vibrating of the reed - a piece of cane that is fastened to the mouthpiece.

The oboe is made of wood or plastic. The oboe has a nasal sound made by the double reed - two pieces of cane that are tied together.

The bassoon is made of wood or plastic. The sound on the bassoon is also made by a double reed. Because the bassoon is larger than the oboe, it plays a lower notes.

The saxophone is not made of wood - it is made of brass. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax. He took a brass body, and put a woodwind mouthpiece and reed onto it. Because it has a woodwind mouthpiece and reed, it is called a woodwind. The saxophone is used in concert bands and marching bands, but is only used occasionally in the orchestra.

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The Brass Family

The tuba is made of brass. Sound is made on the tuba by the player buzzing his lips. The tuba has valves. When the tuba player pushes down a valve, it opens up a tube. Each valve opens a tube of a different length. This allows the tuba to play all the notes of the scale.

The trumpet, like all the members of the Brass Family, is made of brass. Sound is made on the trumpet by the player buzzing his lips. The mouthpieces helps to focus the sound, and the trumpet makes it louder and clearer. The trumpet has valves. When the trumpet player pushes down a valve, it opens up a tube. Each valve opens a tube of a different length. This allows the trumpet to play all the notes of the scale.The French Horn is made of brass. Sound is made on the French horn by the player buzzing his lips. The mouthpiece helps to focus the sound, and the French horn makes it louder and clearer. A french horn player keeps one hand in the bell to soften the sound. The French horn has valves to allow it to play all the notes of the scale.

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The trombone is made of brass. Sound is made on the trombone by the player buzzing his lips. The trombone does not have valves. It has a slide. When the slide is pulled out, the tube that the air goes through becomes longer. This makes the sound lower. When the slide is pulled in, the tube becomes shorter and the sound goes higher. It’s fun to pull the slide on a trombone in and out!

The Percussion Family

There are many other instruments in the percussion family. Any instrument that is hit or shaken to make a sound is a percussion instrument. How many percussion instruments can you think of?

The snare drum is a small drum played with a pair of drumsticks. It has wires, or snares tightened across the bottom of the drum that give it a distinct sound.

The bass drum is a large drum played with a soft beater. The bass drum is played in the concert band and the orchestra.

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The timpani are large kettle drums played with soft mallets. There is a pedal on the timpani, and the player can tighten the head of the drum wtih this pedal. By raising and lowering the pedal, the player can play higher and lower notes.

The Keyboard Family

A harpsichord looks similar to a grand piano, and is made with wood and strings just like a piano. While a piano strikes the strings with hammers, a harpsichord instead plucks the strings with quills. Because it is being plucked, harpsichords can only play at one dynamic level.

The Piano is a wooden instrument with 88 keys. A piano can either be upright or grand. An upright piano is built with the strings vertical. A grand piano has the strings horizontal, and can be up to 9 feet long. The keys are connected to hammers which hit the strings to make a sound. A piano also has a cast iron frame which helps to amplify the sound.

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A celeste looks similar to an upright piano, although has smaller keys. Just like the piano, the celeste has keys which connect to hammers. However, instead of hitting strings, the hammers strike metal plates or bars, sort of like a glockenspiel. It has a very soft and gentle sound.

Electronic keyboards and synthesizers are able to create a lot of different sounds. These keyboards have a built in computer which play anything from a traditional piano sound, voices, any of the other instruments of the orchestra, or even funny things like dog and cat sounds. When you press a key, the computer plays a sound