BY: KATIE MORGAN.

Section Two:

Introduction:

In this article I will be exploring the principles of musical instruments

and their elements. I will include: instrument families, physical

construction, how the instruments are played and musical attributes.

Instrument Families (These instruments and more are in Logic):

Woodwind- Saxophone, clarinet, flute, bassoon and oboe and more

Strings- Guitar, violin, cello, bass and harp and more

Percussion- Drum kit, triangle, glockenspiel and timpani and more

Brass- French horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba and more

Woodwind instruments are blown into and they have reeds. A reed is a

thin piece of wood, which vibrates to make sound on an instrument.

The reed sits on the mouthpiece. Also the reeds can have different

thickness. This is from 1 to 5 (softest to hardest). I play the clarinet and

my reed is number 2.

However apart from the flute that has no reed. The flutes sound is

produced by air that is on the edge of the hole. This hole is in the

cylindrical tube.

Going back to reeds, when a clarinets reed vibrates the notes travels

through the column or the next available hole. Plus, the bell which is at

the bottom of the clarinet is where all of the sound escapes.

The clarinet is made up of sections and they are:

And the flute’s

sections are:

I will not be

talking

about this

family!

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

As well having pipes these instruments have elements. When we play them

we have to consider them.

Clarinet dynamic range:

Flute dynamic range:

As well as having a dynamic range, these

instruments also have a frequency range, which

is:

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

A clarinet’s envelope:

A flute’s envelope:

Also harmonics can help you to work

out if something is in major or minor.

A clarinet’s timbre is reed because without it the sounds that it produces won’t

sound right.

A flute timbre is air that you blow into the mouthpiece. This is like the clarinet

without the mouthpiece the sounds won’t produce proper notes.

To make all of this work you need harmonic content and here they are:

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

Clarinet Music (This piece is only played by a clarinet):

Flute Music (This is played by a flute, however, it is accompanied by a

piano):

Strings instruments are plucked, bowed or strummed. The sound is

produced from the strings vibrating. These vibrations are sent to the

body of the stringed instrument. This then vibrates and air inside does

too.

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

A violin needs a bow to make the vibrations. As you bow the strings they

move to create different sounds. Meanwhile a guitar is plucked or

strummed with your fingers, thumb or plastic plectras.

Another violin playing method is striking with the bow.

Here is picture to show what a violin and a bow look like:

And a guitar looks like this:

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

As well having strings these instruments have elements. When we play

them we have to consider them.

Violin dynamic range:

Guitar in F Major dynamic range:

As well as having a dynamic range, these instruments also have a

frequency range, which is:

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

A violin envelope:

A guitar’s envelope:

A violin’s timbre is bow because without it the music produces different

tones that sound better without the bow.

A guitar’s timbre is striking the string. This is like the other instruments,

for example the keys on the piano are hit. So, by hitting the notes the

sounds are produced.

To make all of this work you need harmonic content and here they are:

Like woodwind

instruments harmonics

can help you to work

out if something is in

major or minor.

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

Violin Music (This piece is only played by a violin):

Guitar Music (This piece is played by two guitars):

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

Percussion instruments are hit with your hands or beater. If you hit the

instrument softly you will get a quiet sound. But if you hit it hard you will

get a louder sound.

These instrument do vibrate and they last a long time because you hitting

the instrument continuously.

However, to have breaks in the music will have to stop playing for a few

seconds or beats.

Here is the structure of a standard drum kit:

And here is the structure of a xylophone:

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

As well having drum sticks and beaters these instruments have elements.

When we play them we have to consider them.

Snare drum dynamic range:

Xylophone dynamic range:

As well as having a dynamic range, these instruments also have a

frequency range, which is:

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

A snare drum’s envelope:

A xylophone’s envelope:

A snare drum’s timbre is drum sticks and brushes (the brushes are used

for a softer tone) because without these you wouldn’t be able to hit the

instrument.

A xylophone’s timbre is same as a snare drum because you still need a

beater to hit each key to create music.

To make all of this work you need harmonic content and here they are:

Like woodwind and

stringed instruments

harmonics can help

you to work out if

something is in major

or minor.

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

Snare Drum Music (This piece is only played by a snare drum):

Xylophone Music (This piece is only played by a xylophone):

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

Dynamic range, frequency range, envelope, timbre, harmonic content is all used

in Logic.

Dynamic range because we can change the octave and the volume of a note. Plus,

some notes are louder than others. So you can adjust the velocity to match the

rest of the music.

Frequency range because we can change the frequency to high or low. By doing

this it can make the music more interesting and creative. Furthermore, the

frequency can sometimes be out of place when you are recording MIDI.

Envelopes because we can create them in Logic. (See Section 1).

Timbre because all of the musical instruments have different properties and we

can easily identify a particular interment just by listening to the sound it makes.

Harmonic content because this is important in music and without them the music

would fall apart, for example, a guitar’s harmonic is different to a flute’s

harmonic. Harmonics power the fundamental frequency!

What is fundamental frequency?

Fundamental frequency is the lowest frequency. The lowest frequency is made

by oscillation of all of an object. This is definitely from the higher frequency

harmonics.

That’s it for Section 2. I left you extra information about what the musical

notes of the different instruments look like! The next Section is Section 3,

which is about the mechanisms of human hearing. I’ll write about this in a new

word document.

Picture References:

http://musicpartnership.com.au/music-instruments/clarinet/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/132856257730311962/

http://www.scorecorner.com/woodwinds.html

http://www.scorecorner.com/woodwinds.html

http://cnx.org/contents/b2ceb903-8abe-4848-9ff6-

6e59c9137d09@2.1:61/Siyavula_textbooks:_Grade_11_P

http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~tasha/

http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~tasha/

https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2anv91/eli5_why_does_a_major

_chord_sound_happier_than/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OSKX5YK3zU

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

http://www.scoreexchange.com/scores/68922.html

http://cargocollective.com/joannasalem/2D-Design

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_(music)

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html

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scores.com/midi.php?sheetmusic=Mozart_kk_KV467_2nd_mvt_Andante_Gtr2

http://www.normans.co.uk/blog/2014/04/anatomy-drum-kit/

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http://snaredrumz.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/dynamics-and-sound-levels-part-1.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marimba

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technica.com/cms/resource_library/product_images/1e3740bcb11413e6/index.html

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sibelius_drum_legend.png

http://www.scoreexchange.com/parts/300904.html

http://www.onlinesheetmusic.com/kehraus-xylophone-p332057.aspx