instruments of the orchestra 2

8/6/2019 Instruments of the Orchestra 2

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Musical Instruments of the

Orchestra


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What is an Orchestra ?

Orchestra is an old Greek word whichmeans 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 areawhich was used by the chorus, whodanced as well as sang, and by theinstrumentalists of open air theatres.

Today we use the word orchestra tomean a reasonably large clooection ofinstruments playing together as agroup. Greek Theatre


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The orchestra has grown up gradually from early 17thcentury and is now a very wonderful and variedcombination of instruments, which falls into four group.

The Orchestra


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Woodwind Instruments

As the name woodwind suggests, the instruments of this section of theorchestra are mostly made of wood, though flutes are now often made ofmetal instead.

In each woodwind instruments there is a series of holes bored along thelength 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 noteis sounded.

Flute Oboe Clarinet Bassoon


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Woodwind Instrument

Nowadays, it is made of metal.

It is easy to recognize the flute amongthe instruments of the woodwindsection, as it is held sideways ratherthan straight in front of the player.

The low notes are soft and mellow, buthigher notes become brighter and more

brilliant.

Flute


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Woodwind Instrument

It is a double-reed instrument.

It has reedy sound and can express

pastoral feeling.

Oboe


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Woodwind Instrument

Of the four main woodwindinstruments, the clarinet was last tojoin the orchestra.

The clarinet has a single reed -- a flatpiece of cane.

The latest part of its range has a hollowbut rich sound. The middle part of therange is smooth. High up, the clarinet

sounds rather sharp.

Clarinet


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Woodwind Instrument

It is a double-reed instrument with aconical tube 9 feet long.

The low notes are very reedy. Thehigher notes are more flute-like andsound lovely.

Bassoon


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Brass Instruments

The sounds of the brass section, like those of the woodwind, are made byblowing.

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

Of the instruments in the brass section,the trumpet is the most ancient.

It is one of the most powerful andcolorful musical instruments in theorchestra.

The tone quality is really brilliant.

Trumpet


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Brass Instrument

It is a long conical tube coiled into acircular shape and ends in a large bellshape.

It has a beautiful mellow tone of pureand lofty character.

French Horn


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Brass Instrument

The Italian name means big trumpet,and the trombone is in fact a long,

folded trumpet with a more deeplycupped mouth-piece.

It has a rich, noble tone.

Trombone


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String Instruments

The strings are the backbone of the orchestra. More than half themembers 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 fourstrings, but in different sizes; all tuned in fifth except the double bass thatis fourth.

Violin Viola Cello Double Bass


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String Instrument

The correct name for this instrument isreally, as in Italian, violoncello -- but it

is always called cello for short.It is around 5 feet in height and ispitched one octave lower than theviola.

Cello


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String Instrument

The double bass, sometimes just calledbass for short.

It is the largest in size (around 6.5 feetin height) and has the deepest tone(one octave below the cello) in thestring family.

Double Bass


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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 tunedand non-tuned.

Tuned: Non-tuned:

Timpani Xylophone Tambourine Castanets


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Percussion Instrument

It can also be called kettle drum.

These are often used in sets of two,three, or four each tuned to a differentnote.

The instrument is played with twosticks.

The player can tighten or loosen theparchment with pedals for tuning.

Timpani


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It consists of blocks of hard wood,each tuned to a note.

The player strikes the wooden blockswith wooden beaters to produce abright, dry, hard sound.

Xylophone


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Small metal plates are loosely inserted

around the shell.

When the player hits or shakes it withhis hand, the mental plates give ajingling effect.

Tambourine


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These consist of little wooden clappers

moved by the thumb and forefinger ofthe player.

In the orchestra, they are placed on astick.

Castanets


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Seating Plan

Because of their family likenesses, the instruments of

each section are grouped together. The platform isusually terraced, and the sections are positioned in

such instrumental sounds and tone-colors.


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Woodwind

Flute Oboe Clarinet Bassoon

Brass

TrumpetFrenchHorn

Trombone Tuba

Strings

Violin Viola CelloDouble

Bass

Percussion

Withpitch

Withoutpitch

Timpani Xylophone Tambourine Castanets

Instruments

Orchestra

instruments of the orchestra 2

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