Instruments have been in action for a very long time. Obviously, not in the same style as today’s instruments, but still with the same goal, to create music.
In an orchestra, all the instruments are separated in groups. There are four main families (groups). These are the string, the brass, the percussion and the wood-wind families. In the pages to come, we shall discuss them in more detail.
The String Family
The string family is made up of instruments that are plucked or are even drawn with a bow. Some common instruments in the string family are the violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar, harp and electric bass. In the orchestra, one will always find the violin, viola, cello and the double bass. The first forms of violins were found in Italy, in the sixteenth century. The violins name, at that time, was ‘violas da braccio’, to distinguish it from the cello (violoncello) and the double bass. The violin is used for orchestral, country and folk music. But for country and folk music, the violin is called a fiddle. The viola is used for orchestral music mainly, while the cello and the double bass are used for orchestral and even for jazz music. The harp is usually and accompaniment to other instruments. Sometimes, if the composer of a piece of music wishes to include a harp, the harp will join the orchestra. The guitar is for classical guitar, but mainly, it is used for rock.
The Percussion Family
A percussion instrument is an instrument that is mainly played by being struck or by being scraped. These instruments are considered to be one of the oldest types of instruments. In an orchestra, the percussion section is made up of the timpani, the snare drum, the bass drum, the cymbals, the triangle and the tambourine. The percussi...
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...ments use a slide to change the length of tubing. The main instruments of this family are the trombones. These are mainly used in jazz. The natural brass instruments are played by notes in the instruments harmonic series. The only three instruments that use the natural are the bugle, the horns and the trumpets. The keyed or fingered brass instruments have holes through their body which would be covered by the fingers or by finger operated keys. These include the Cornett, serpent, ophicleide, the keyed bugle and the keyed trumpet. They are more difficult to play than the valved instruments.
The Woodwind Family
To begin with, there are two types of woodwind instruments. The flutes and the reed instruments. The differences is from the way they produce their sound. The flutes produce sound by directing a focused stream of air into the of a hole in a cylindrical tube
A lot of the orchestral percussion instruments originated in Asia Minor. Sometime during the 15th century when people were moving east they carried there instruments with them, some of those instruments just happened to be percussion instruments. Crusaders carried back drums they had found in the Middle East during the crusade. (Jason)
The Native American flute is the third oldest known musical instrument in the world, with bone flutes dating back over 60,000 years. The first instrument found were drums, then varies whistle were made. Over time, the instrument evolved with many different materials and shapes. And these difference and changes reflect the culture of that time. Virtually, flutes were used all types of hardwoods and softwoods in history.
The piano is the most commonly known and most used. The saxophone has the ability to produce a unique sound. The clarinet has a reed connected to the mouthpiece, which the player blows through to create music. The trumpet is another a popular instrument. The trombone is descended from the trumpet that’s with played in bass clef or treble clef. With the larger size the double bass, the player usually has to stand up. The drums include the bass drum, snare drum, and cymbals. Last but not least, it’s good to have a vocalist because songs will sound
It is believed that the Irish brought to the region the fiddle and the pipes. It is believed that the first stringed instrument, the dulcimer was brought by the Germans, Norwegians, Swedish and French. The dulcimer became known as the 1“Hog Fiddle” or “Music Box”.
Body percussion, spoons, washboard, harp. Harmonica, a jug. Bluegrass Music - What is bluegrass music? Direct descendant of the old-time string band tradition, which developed out of Southern mountain dance music & songs. Combines old-time string band music with gospel harmonies & blues rhythms.
Though the formation of our modern-day Concert Band does not date back quite as far as our modern-day Wind Ensemble, the extent of events, groups, composers, and advancements is quite similar. The evolution of the Concert Band dates back to the French Revolution. Large bands, full of unique instruments and amateur musicians, were required to play at festivals and ceremonies. Similar to the evolution of the Wind Ensemble, the Concert Band is derived from military purposes. Instruments, such as the trumpets, horns, and drums, were often used for signaling. In contrast to Wind Ensemble musicians, these Concert Band musicians never played their instruments for military enjoyment. The Concert Band musicians primarily played instruments to signal to the guards and villages. There were a few unique instruments, however, that were desired to play a military tune. These instruments include instruments such as a flute or bagpipe. Throughout the Middle Ages, this difference in military preference led to different job opportunities. For example, a cavalry company required trumpets, horns, and trumpets. On the other hand, foot soldiers would hire flute and bagpipe
On the front lines of battle would be a soldier that would be holding a drum or a flute. When this was a common act the instruments would be spread around to different cultures after a battle. This brought on a new way of looking at music. Around the 16th century people started to collect instead of play music.
Percussion instruments are by far the most dominant of the four major instrument families. There are many different types of cymbals and drums, which are ...
...18th-century instruments, often incorporating the best of the 19th-century innovations. Electronic Organs Electronic and electric organs, developed in the 20th century, are not organs in the strict sense, for they do not produce sound by air vibrating in a pipe; rather, they are instruments in their own right. One kind, invented in 1935 by an American, Laurens Hammond, utilizes electrical circuits and amplifiers to produce and enlarge the sound. Another kind uses electronic devices such as vacuum tubes. Although such instruments are often designed to imitate the tone qualities of pipe organs, they are frequently criticized for a pinched or artificial-seeming sound. Electronic organs were widely used in the rock bands of the 1960s and after. In such bands, which use extensive electrical sound amplification and manipulation, the distinctive qualities of electronic-organ sound are exploited for their own sake. Reed Organs Keyboard instruments in which the wind supply is directed toward free metal reeds like those of a harmonica or accordion are called reed organs. They include the melodeon, developed in the United States about 1825, and the harmonium, developed in Germany about 1810.
Continuo: An accompanying part that includes a bass line and harmonies, it’s typically played on a keyboard instrument and with other instruments such as a cello or bass violin.
Another distinctive feature is the rising importance of the woodwind section. Before the 19th century, the string section played a main role in presenting the melody while woodwind instruments were only adopted to create some orchestral colors to the piece. However, the use of the woodwinds became very different during the 19th century that not only melodies were assigned to them, sometimes they were even accompanied by the strings (Ex 4):
The clarinet is a woodwind instrament consisting of a cylindrical wood, metal, or ebonite pipe with a bell-shaped opening at one end and a mouthpiece at the other end, to which a thin reed is attached. The clarinet has five different sections, the mouthpiece, the barrel, the upper section, the lower section, and the bell. The length of the entire instrument is 60 cm long. The mouthpiece section consists of a slotted cylinder, to which a reed is attached by a metal clamp called a ligature. The mouthpiece plugs into the next section which is a barrel. The barrel is simply a connecting cylinder to which the mouthpiece and the upper section plugs into. The upper section is a cylindrical pipe consisting of 4 holes and 9 keys placed in different locations along the pipe. On the back of the pipe there is a hole and a key that is used by the thumb. The lower section plugs into the upper section and is also connected via a special bridge key. This piece consists of 3 holes and 8 keys. On the inward facing side of the pipe, there is a protruding piece of metal called a thumb rest, which supports the entire clarinet. The bell plugs into the lower section. It consists of a cylinder that flares out into a bell shape and ends the clarinet.
In Portugese folk music, there are a wide variety of instruments. Some of the most common include bagpipes, harmonicas, accordions, flutes, drums (adufes, bombos, caixas, pandeiros, sarroncas), and numerous percussion instruments (ferrinhos, genebres, reco-reco, trancanholas). However, Portugal is most well-known for its string instruments: violins, twelve-stringed "Portuguese guitar", and six variations of "viola-guitars" unkown to other European countries. Design, character, and tuning are unique to each one of the viola-guitars. The most well known is the small, four-stringed cavaquinho. The others have elaborate combinations of single, double, and even triple strings.
Music has shaped the lives of people throughout history. Even in its earliest forms, music has included use of instruments. One of the oldest musical instruments known is a variation of the flute; the original flute is thought to date back nearly 67,000 years ago. Tonight we are going to move throughout the eras with a history of instrumental music. This concert will begin with the Renaissance Era and continue through time until we have reached modern instrumental music.
The term “flute” refers to a woodwind instrument that is held horizontally while being played. The oldest flutes are said to be from 35,000 to 43,000 years old and were found in Germany. There are many names for flutes, such as the cross flute and the transverse flute. Around 1000 AD, in the 10th and 11th centuries, it seems that the flute disappeared then reappeared with the rise and fall of Rome. In 1670 the flute went from being one peice to three: the head, body, and foot joints.