Exploring Music: Instruments Review

Exploring Music: Instruments Review

Woodwinds

Remember that in the woodwind family, almost every member uses a reed to make a sound.

Clarinets and Saxophones use Single Reeds.

Oboes and Bassoons use Double Reeds.

Flutes Do Not Use Reeds.

Flutes (no reed)

Remember that flutes are the only woodwind instruments that are HELD sideways and not vertically.

Flutes are also the only woodwind instruments that DO NOT use reeds.

Brass

• Remember that all Brass instruments are made of metal.

• They all use Mouthpieces

• They all have Bells

• They all have Tubing

• MOST have Valves, The Trombone is the only one without valves. Instead, the Trombone has a slide.

• The Trombone also happens to be one of the Oldest brass instruments.

Strings

• Of course, the String family has STRINGS!

• Because String instruments come in so many sizes, we can usually tell how low or high they will sound based on the length of their strings!

• The longer the string, the lower the sound, the shorter the string, the higher the sound.

Strings

• Some String instruments like the Violin, Viola, Cello, and Double Bass use a Bow to play.

• Other instruments like the Guitar and Harp are strummed and plucked.

Percussion: Membranophones

• With Membranophone instruments, the sound is produced by the vibration of a stretched membrane.

• This works a lot like your ear drum!

• They consist of at least one membrane called the drum head or drum skin, stretched over a shell.

• The body of the drum can be dish or bowl-shaped, tubular, cylindrical, or barrel-shaped.

Percussion: Idiophones

• An Idiophone is a musical instrument that creates sound by vibrations running through the instrument's body without the use of strings or membranes.

• Most percussion instruments that are not drums are classified under idiophones.

• Ex: Marimba, Triangle, Cymbals, Maracas

Percussion: Pitched

• Pitched Percussion can play individual notes, a lot like the piano, so they usually play a melody.

• The Piano itself has 88 different notes and is one of the most popular instruments in the world.

• If you can play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star on the instrument, it's a pitched instrument.

• Ex: Marimba, Piano, Xylophone, Timpani

Percussion: Non-Pitched

• Non-Pitched Percussion, cannot play individual notes.

• Non-Pitched Percussion usually maintains a beat/rhythm.

• Ex: Most Drums, Cymbals, Triangles