INSTRUMENTS OF THE ORCHESTRA
STRING INSTRUMENTS
String Instruments - Violin, Viola, Cello, Double bass
String instruments are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings
VIOLIN
The Violin is also known as the fiddle and is the smallest and high pitched instrument of the String Family. , A person who makes or repairs is called the luthier. They are tuned to notes of GDAE . All music for the violin is written for the treble clef. The Violin is a Non-Transposing instrument and mostly uses the Treble Clef.
Most violins have four strings. The strings are tuned to a 5th apart. The range of the violin extends from G, the lowest open string.
Ornaments : p, pp, ppp, mp,mf, , Pizzicato and Arco, Legato, Marcato, Moderato
VIOLA
The Viola is a bow string instrument , generally strung with heavier instruments than the violin. They have 4 strings normally tuned in 5ths. It has a low and deeper melody compared to Violin.The music for the Viola is primiarly written in Alto clef. Viola is the middle voice sitting comfortably between the violin and cello. The Viola is a Non-Transposing instrument .
CELLO :
The Cello is the second largest bow stringed instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths .The Cello is most closely associated with European classical music, and has been described as the closest sounding instrument the human voice. The pitches of the open strings are C, G, D, and A . The Cello mainly uses the Bass Clef. But it also sometimes uses the treble and tenor Clef . it was used in baroque period,
DOUBLE BASS :
The Double Bass is the largest and low pitched instrument. The Double Bass has four strings and is a transposing instrument. It most widely uses the bass clef. The double bass, or upright bass, also called the string bass, contrabass,The double bass is played either with a bow (arco) or by plucking the strings (pizzicato).
The double bass is the only modern bowed string instrument that is tuned in fourths EADG from bottom-top rather than fifths . A person who plays the double bass is usually referred to as a bassist or bass playerThe Double Bass is used in a range of genres, such as jazz, 1950s-style blues and rock and roll, rockabilly/psychobilly, traditional country music, bluegrass, tango and many types of folk music.
WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS
- FLUTE
The flute is an instrument of the woodwind family, it’s an aerophone or reedless wind non transposing instrument.
Next to the Next to the Piccolo the flute is a high Pitched Woodwind instrument consisting of a slender tube closed at one end withkeys and finger holes
on the side and an opening near the closed end across which the breath is blown.
The standard concert flute is pitched in C and has a range of about three and a half octaves
starting from the musical note C4 (middle C).
Articulation such as doubele tounging
, legato, staccato, are used in flute
, legato, staccato, are used in flute
RANGE :
OBOE
Oboe belongs to a family of double reed woodwind instruments. Play Treble or soprano range.
The range of the oboe is from Bb below middle C to high G, - 3 octaves. This instrument was primarily used In the baroque period. The Oboe is a non transposing instrument.
Dymanics such as pianissimo piano mezzo-piano mezzo-forte forte fortissimo and crescendo diminuendo are used.
CLARINET :
Clarinet belongs to the family of woodwind instruments that have single reed mouth-piece. Range is E3 - C7 . Mostly uses the Treble clef . The clarinet is a transposing instrument . Clarinets have the largest pitch range of common woodwind
BASSOON/FAGOTT:
Bassoon , a woodwind instrument of doublereed plays music mostly written in Bass or tenor clefs. Its a low pitched instrument The range of this instrument is lower than Oboe.
The Bassoon is the low pitched non transposing instrument. One plays the bassoon by holding it upright and blowing through the double reed
BRASS INSTRUMENTS
Instruments that use a cupped mouth piece
TRUMPET
RANGE:
Trumpet Smallest and high pitched instrument of the brass family . It has a very powerful tone.
HORN /FRENCH HORN
Little larger than the trumpet , the horn is the third highest sounding instrument group in the brass family. . It’s a Transposing instrument mostly uses the Treble clef and sometimes bass clef. Its pitch is lower than the Trumpet.
TROMBONE :
A brass instrument consisting of a long cylindrical metal tube with two turns and having a movable slide or valves for varying the tone and a usual range one octave lower than that of the trumpet.
RANGE :
TUBA
Tuba is the largest and lowest sounding member of the brass family. It has a Bass pitch.
Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece.
The Tuba was invented by Willhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and Johann Gottfried Moritz in September 12, 1835.
PERCUSSION :
A musical instrument, as the drum, cymbal, triangle, xylophone, or piano, that is struck to produce a sound, as distinguished from string or wind instruments. Examples like drum, xylophone, piano, or maraca, tambourine , Cymbals has indefinite pitch. Chimes, bells, and xylophone are examples of fixed-pitch percussion instruments. These instruments have a definite pitch . The most common variable-pitch percussion instruments are the timpani (also known as kettledrums).
Strings
- Violin : Treble Clef , Non Transposing, Smallest and High pitched.
- Viola : Alto Clef , Non Transposing.
- Cello : Bass Clef , Non Transposing.
- Double Bass: Bass Clef, Transposing , Largest and low pitched.
Wood Wind
- Flute : Treble Clef, Non transposing , Smallest and high pitched next to piccolo , Reedless.
- Oboe : Treble Clef ,Non Transposing , Double reed.
- Clarinet: Treble Clef , Transposing , Single reed.
- Bassoon: Bass Clef sometimes Tenor Clef ,Non Transposing, Largest and lowest pitched, Double reed .
Brass
- Trumpet: Treble Clef, Transposing, Smallest and High Pitched.
- Horn: Treble Clef, Transposing.
- Trombone: Bass Clef, Non transposing.
- Tuba: Bass Clef and Tenor, Non Transposing, Largest and low pitched.
