Musical Instruments of the

Orchestra

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 What is an Orchestra ?

Orchestra is an old Greek word which

means ‘a dancing place’.
In Greece, during the 5th century B.C.,
orchestra was the name given to the
space in front of the main acting area
which was used by the chorus, who
danced as well as sang, and by the
instrumentalists of open air theatres.
Today we use the word orchestra to
mean a reasonably large clooection of
instruments playing together as a
group. Greek Theatre

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 The Orchestra

The orchestra has grown up gradually from early 17th

century and is now a very wonderful and varied
combination of instruments, which falls into four group.

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 Woodwind Instruments

As the name ‘woodwind’ suggests, the instruments of this section of the

orchestra are mostly made of wood, though flutes are now often made of
metal instead.
In each woodwind instruments there is a series of holes bored along the
length of the tube. When all the holes are covered, the instrument sounds
its lowest note. But if the player uncovers the bottom hole, a higher note
is sounded.

Flute Oboe Clarinet Bassoon

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 Woodwind Instrument

Flute

Nowadays, it is made of metal.

It is easy to recognize the flute among
the instruments of the woodwind
section, as it is held sideways rather
than straight in front of the player.
The low notes are soft and mellow, but
higher notes become brighter and more
brilliant.

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 Woodwind Instrument

Oboe

It is a double-reed instrument.
It has reedy sound and can express
pastoral feeling.

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 Woodwind Instrument

Clarinet

Of the four main woodwind

instruments, the clarinet was last to
join the orchestra.
The clarinet has a single reed -- a flat
piece of cane.
The latest part of its range has a hollow
but rich sound. The middle part of the
range is smooth. High up, the clarinet
sounds rather sharp.

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 Woodwind Instrument

Bassoon

It is a double-reed instrument with a

conical tube 9 feet long.
The low notes are very reedy. The
higher notes are more flute-like and
sound lovely.

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 Brass Instruments

The sounds of the brass section, like those of the woodwind, are made by
blowing.
Brass instruments are long, hollow brass tubes blown from one end. They
are curled or bent into various shapes.

Trumpet French Horn Trombone Tuba

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 Brass Instrument

Trumpet
Of the instruments in the brass section,
the trumpet is the most ancient.
It is one of the most powerful and
colorful musical instruments in the
orchestra.
The tone quality is really brilliant.

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 Brass Instrument

French Horn

It is a long conical tube coiled into a

circular shape and ends in a large bell
shape.
It has a beautiful mellow tone of pure
and lofty character.

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 Brass Instrument

Trombone

The Italian name means ‘big trumpet’,

and the trombone is in fact a long,
folded trumpet with a more deeply
cupped mouth-piece.
It has a rich, noble tone.

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 String Instruments

The strings are the ‘backbone’ of the orchestra. More than half the
members of an orchestra play string instruments.
The sound is produced by bowing, plucking or striking the string.
Violin, viola, cello and double bass are similar in shape and each has four
strings, but in different sizes; all tuned in fifth except the double bass that
is fourth.

Violin Viola Cello Double Bass

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 String Instrument

Violin

It is about 23.5 inches long.

The violins of the orchestra are divided
into two groups: first violins and
second violins. The difference is not in
the music they play -- the first violins
usually playing higher notes than the
seconds.

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 String Instrument

Viola

It is about 25 inches long and is

pitched a fifth lower than violin.

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 String Instrument

Cello

The correct name for this instrument is

really, as in Italian, violoncello -- but it
is always called cello for short.
It is around 5 feet in height and is
pitched one octave lower than the
viola.

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 String Instrument

Double Bass

The double bass, sometimes just called

bass for short.
It is the largest in size (around 6.5 feet
in height) and has the deepest tone
(one octave below the cello) in the
string family.

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 Percussion Instruments

Percussion instruments are those which are struck or shaken.

Percussion instruments can be divided into two groups. They are ‘tuned’
and ‘non-tuned’.

Tuned: Non-tuned:

Timpani Xylophone Tambourine Castanets

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 Percussion Instrument

Timpani

It can also be called kettle drum.

These are often used in sets of two,
three, or four each tuned to a different
note.
The instrument is played with two
sticks.
The player can tighten or loosen the
parchment with pedals for tuning.

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 Percussion Instrument

Xylophone

It consists of blocks of hard wood,

each tuned to a note.
The player strikes the wooden blocks
with wooden beaters to produce a
bright, dry, hard sound.

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 Percussion Instrument

Tambourine

Small metal plates are loosely inserted

around the shell.
When the player hits or shakes it with
his hand, the mental plates give a
jingling effect.

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 Percussion Instrument

Castanets

These consist of little wooden clappers

moved by the thumb and forefinger of
the player.
In the orchestra, they are placed on a
stick.

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 Seating Plan

Because of their family likenesses, the instruments of

each section are grouped together. The platform is
usually terraced, and the sections are positioned in
such instrumental sounds and tone-colors.

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 Orchestra

Instruments

Woodwind Brass Strings Percussion

Flute Oboe Clarinet Bassoon Trumpet French Trombone Tuba Violin Viola Cello Double With Without
Horn Bass pitch pitch

Timpani Xylophone Tambourine Castanets

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