The document provides definitions and descriptions of various musical instruments. It discusses the four main families of orchestral instruments - woodwinds, brass, percussion and strings. For each family it outlines some of the common instruments, what they are made of, and how they are played or what purpose they serve in an orchestra or musical ensemble. It also discusses the role of the conductor in coordinating an orchestra.

1. MUSIC
GRADE 6 MAPEH

2. How would you describe timbre?
Terms we might use to describe
timbre: bright, dark, brassy,
reedy, harsh, noisy, thin, buzzy,
pure, raspy, shrill, mellow,
strained. I prefer to
avoid describing timbre in
emotional terms (excited, angry,
happy, sad, etc.); that is not the
sound quality, it is its effect or
interpretation.

3. What is an orchestra made of?
The typical symphony
orchestra consists of
four groups of related
musical instruments
called the
woodwinds, brass,
percussion, and
strings.

4. What is the role of a conductor in music?
The primary responsibilities of
the conductor are to unify
performers, set the tempo,
execute clear preparations and
beats, listen critically and shape
the sound of the ensemble, and to
control the interpretation and
pacing of the music. ... Typically,
orchestral conductors use a baton
more often than
choral conductors.

5. What is the string family?
The strings are the largest
family of instruments in
the orchestra and they
come in four sizes:
the violin, which is the
smallest, viola, cello, and
the biggest, the double
bass, sometimes called
the contrabass

6. What is a violin used for?
The violin is the smallest and
highest-pitched of the
instruments in the string family.
It is related to a North African
instrument called a rebab (a
three-stringed instrument also
played with a bow drawn across
the strings). Violins have been
traditionally used as an
accompaniment to singing and
dancing.

7. What does a viola do?
In a string quartet, the viola
is the filmic best friend:
provides a lot of support but
rarely gets the girl (or the
melody). In an orchestra,
the viola often has a larger
role, providing the middle
space between the violins and
the lower strings.

8. What is the cello used for?
The violoncello, usually
abbreviated to cello, is a bowed
stringed instrument. A member of
the violin family, tuned an octave
below the viola. The cello is used
as a solo instrument, in chamber
music, and as a member of the
string section of an orchestra.

9. What is the difference between a bass and
a double bass?
They're all the same instrument
just known by different names
depending on what style of
music they're being used to
play. Double Bass, or just
simply Bass, is commonly
used in the Classical
community. ...
Upright Bass refers to the fact
that the thing stands upright.
Nuf' said.

10. What was the harp used for?
Used in the ancient
Mediterranean and Middle East,
the harp is a multi-stringed
instrument that has a resonator
that vibrates with the
movement of strings, producing
the sound of the notes.
The harp has gone through
several changes over time and is
still popular in modern music
and orchestras today.

11. Which instruments belong to the woodwind
family?
The woodwind family of
instruments includes, from
the highest sounding
instruments to the lowest,
the piccolo, flute, oboe, E
nglish horn, clarinet, E-
flat clarinet, bass
clarinet, bassoon and cont
rabassoon.

12. What is a reed
A reed is a thin strip of material
that vibrates to produce a sound
on a musical instrument. Most
woodwind instrument reeds are
made from Arundo donax ("Giant
cane") or synthetic material.
Tuned reeds (as in harmonicas
and accordions) are made of
metal or synthetics.

13. What does a piccolo?
The piccolo /ˈpɪkəloʊ/
(Italian pronunciation:
[ˈpikkolo]; Italian for
"small", but named
ottavino in Italy) is a half-
size flute, and a member
of the woodwind family of
musical instruments.

14. What is the purpose of a flute?
A flute is a musical
instrument that produces
sound when a stream of air is
directed against the edge of
a hole, causing the air within
the body of the instrument
to vibrate. ...
Some flutes are played by
blowing air into a
mouthpiece, which directs
the air against the edge of a
hole else-where in the flute.

15. What is a clarinet used for?
Clarinet, French clarinette,
German Klarinette, single-
reed woodwind
instrument used orchestrally
and in military and brass
bands and possessing a
distinguished solo repertory.
It is usually made of African
blackwood and has a
cylindrical bore of about 0.6
inch (1.5 cm) terminating in
a flared bell.

16. What is the saxophone used for?
A member of the woodwind
family, saxophones are usually made
of brass, and are played with a single
reed mouthpiece, similar to that of
the clarinet. The sax is used in many
genres of music including classical,
military and marching bands, jazz,
and contemporary music, including
rock and roll.

17. What is the difference between a bassoon
and a contrabassoon?
The Contrabassoon is the
biggest instrument of the
Woodwind family. The
only difference is that it is
double bigger than
a Bassoon. ... It produces its
sound by blowing into the
reed, like in the Bassoon. It
is pitched in the key of C
and notated in treble clef
too, but it sounds one octave
lower than the Bassoon.

18. What are Brass Instruments?
Trumpet. This ancient
brass instrument
dates back to the
15th century, and has
the highest register in
the brass family. ...

19. What is the trumpet in?
A trumpet is a brass instrument
used mainly in Classical music
and jazz music. The most
common type of trumpet is a
B♭ trumpet, meaning that if the
player plays a C, it will sound
like a B♭ in concert pitch.
The trumpet is played by
blowing into the mouthpiece
and making a "buzzing" sound.

20. What is the French horn made of?
The French horn is a very
complex instrument with many
different pieces. It consists of
valves, levers to operate valves,
tubing, and a mouth piece.
Some French horns have
detachable bells for easier
transportation. The metal that
the French horn is made of is
yellow brass, gold brass, or red
brass.

21. What is the trombone used for?
Today, the trombone plays an
important role in modern
orchestras, concert bands, brass
bands and jazz ensembles. The
most recognizable part of
the trombone is the slide,
which is used to change the
pitch of the instrument. The
player rests the instrument on
his left shoulder and moves the
slide with his right hand.

22. What is the meaning of tuba tuba?
tuba. A tuba is a large brass
instrument that you play by
blowing into its mouthpiece. ...
The tuba is the biggest, and
among the newest, of all the
brass instruments. Tuba players
create the low-pitched sound by
making a kind of "buzz" with
their breath against the
mouthpiece and pressing
the tuba's valves to form notes.

23. What is the percussion family?
The percussion family is the
largest in the orchestra. ...
The most
common percussion instrum
ents in the orchestra include
the timpani, xylophone,
cymbals, triangle, snare
drum, bass drum,
tambourine, maracas, gongs,
chimes, celesta, and piano.

24. PITCHED PERCUSSION
What is the timpani used for?
Timpani evolved from military
drums to become a staple of the
classical orchestra by the last
third of the 18th century. Today,
they are used in many types of
ensembles, including concert
bands, marching bands,
orchestras, and even in some
rock bands. Timpani is an Italian
plural, the singular of which is
timpano.

25. What is xylophone used for?
The xylophone is usually played
so that the music sounds an
octave higher than written.
Because the sound is always
very short the xylophone is
often used for short solo tunes
which are fast and dry. The
marimba is a kind
of xylophone which has a softer
sound and more bars, especially
low notes.

26. Why is it called a glockenspiel?
This portable version of
the glockenspiel was developed
for marching bands and was
already widespread in Germany
in the 19th century. Today the
instrument is used in many
countries, especially the USA.
The instrument is
so called because its frame is
shaped like a lyre, a stringed
instrument of antiquity.

27. What is Tubular Bells instrument?
Tubular bells (also known
as chimes) are
musical instruments in the
percussion family. Their sound
resembles that of
church bells, carillon, or
a bell tower; the
original tubular bells were
made to duplicate the sound
of church bells within an
ensemble.

28. UNPITCHED PERCUSSION
What is the bass drum used for?
The bass drum is used to give
orders to the band; one stroke
signifies to start marching while
two strokes mean to stop
marching. In different genres of
music, the bass drum marks
time; it produces the low and
boom sound when the stick
strikes the drumhead.

29. What is a snare drum used for?
Snare drums are often used
in orchestras, concert bands,
marching bands, parades,
drumlines, drum corps, and
more. It is one of the central
pieces in a drum set, a
collection of percussion
instruments designed to be
played by a
seated drummer and used
in many genres of music.

30. What is the use of cymbals?
Cymbals are used in many
ensembles ranging from the
orchestra, percussion
ensembles, jazz bands, heavy
metal bands, and marching
groups. Drum kits usually
incorporate at least a crash,
ride, or crash/ride, and a pair of
hi-hat cymbals. A player
of cymbals is known as a
cymbalist.

31. What are castanets made of?
Castanets are clicked together
in rhythm with music and
dance. This plural noun is the
name of a percussion instrument
consisting of round pieces of
shell, wood, or bone held in the
fingers. Castanets were
originally made from chestnuts
and get their name from the
Spanish diminutive for chestnut.

32. What is the purpose of a gong?
Sculptural gongs (also known
as Gong Sculptures) are
gongs which serve the
dual purpose of being a
musical instrument and a
work of visual art. They are
generally not disc shaped,
but instead take more
complex, even abstract
forms.

33. What is a tambourine used for?
Tambourines are often used
with regular percussion sets.
They can be mounted, for
example on a stand as part
of a drum kit (and played
with drum sticks), or they
can be held in the hand and
played by tapping or hitting
the
instrument. Tambourines co
me in many shapes with the
most common being circular.

34. What is a maraca made out of?
The maracas is a percussion
instrument usually played in
pairs, one in each hand by
holding it from the edges so
as not to inhibit the vibration
of the shell. Maracas are
made from hollowed gourds
tied to a handle for shaking
and inside the gourd there
are stones, beans or seeds.

35. How does a musical triangle work?
Triangle. Triangle, percussion
instrument consisting of a steel
rod bent into a triangle with
one corner left open. It is
suspended by a gut or nylon
loop and struck with a steel rod.
It is theoretically an instrument
of indefinite pitch, for its
fundamental pitch is obscured
by its nonharmonic overtones.

36. END