This document provides descriptions of various woodwind, brass, string, and percussion instruments that are commonly found in orchestras and bands. It describes the basic construction and playing technique for instruments in each family such as flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, violin, cello, piano, xylophone and drum set.

2.  FLUTE
 OBOE
 CLARINET
 BASSOON
 SAXOPHONE

3.  The flute is the instrument that serves as the soprano
voice in most bands, orchestras, and woodwind
groups. Most flutes are made of metal and consist
chiefly of a tube with a mouthpiece near one end.
The musician holds the flute horizontally and blows
across an oval shaped hole in the mouthpiece. At
the same time, the musician presses levers on the
flute, called keys. The keys, when depressed and
released, open and close tone holes on the flute to
produce different notes. The concert flute, which is
tuned in the key of C, is the most popular flute and
has a three octave range. Other members of the
flute family include the piccolo, the alto flute, and
the bass flute.

4.  The oboe is the smallest and highest
pitched double reed instrument. It has a
cylindrical wooden body with keys along
the length of its body. The oboe has a
range of about three octaves but is
extremely difficult to play. The oboe
requires alot of air to play, and the
musician must learn proper breathing
techniques.

5.  The clarinet, a member of the woodwind family,
usually consists of a long tube with a mouthpiece at
one end and a bell-shaped opening at the other
end. Usually made of wood, the clarinet has tone
holes that are covered by small metal levers. To
create sound, the musician blows on a flat cane reed
that is attached to the mouthpiece. As the reed
vibrates, a full, rich tone is produced. By pushing the
keys to close and open the tone holes on the
instrument, the pitches of the tone can be changed.
Clarinets are manufactured in four keys; the most
common band instrument is the B-flat clarinet. This
clarinet has a range of about three-and-one-half
octaves.

6.  The bassoon is a double reed instrument. It is
made up of about eight feet of cylidrical wood
tubing. There are four joints in the bassoon: the
bass joint, the tenor join, the double joint, and
the bell joint. The bell joint is slightly flared and is
attactched at the bottom to the bass joint. This is
set in turn to the tenor joint which is then set into
the double joint. The double reed mouthpiece is
attached to a crook in the tenor joint. The
bassoon usually has about ten key controlled
holes on the body as well has eight finger holes.
The musician plays the basson by putting his or
her lips on the double reed, blowing through the
instrument, and changing fingerings on the keys
and holes to create different tones

7.  The saxophone is a member of the reed-sounded wind
instruments. In its construction, it combines the single reed
and mouthpiece of the clarinet, a metal body, and a
widened version of the conical bore of the oboe. Most
saxophones are curved at the bottom so they resemble
the bass clarinet. A few, however, such as the soprano
saxophone, are straight and look very similar to a clarinet.
The saxophone body contains twenty openings that are
covered by keys. These keys can be opened or closed in
groups by the musician by depressing and releasing six
studs, or finger plates. Two additional holes are located on
the body of the instrument to produce notes an octave
above or below the normal range of the instrument. The
most common saxophones, the soprano, the alto, and the
tenor, have a range of about two and a half octaves

9.  TRUMPET
 FRENCH HORN
 TROMBONE
 TUBA

10.  The trumpet is a popular brass instrument
that is played in both bands and orchestras.
The trumpet player produces tones by
vibrating his or her lips and blowing into a
cup-shaped mouthpiece. Notes on the
trumpet can be changed by changing
fingerings on the trumpet's three valves and
by changing lip tension. Most modern
bands use trumpets that are pitched in the
key of B flat and have a tube of four and a
half feet. This tube makes up the majority of
the instrument

11.  The French horn, or the orchestral horn, is a member
of the brass family, and consists of a metal tube that
is about twelve feet long. The tube is coiled into a
circular shape which flares into a bell at the base of
the instrument. A musician plays the French horn by
vibrating his or her lips in funnel shaped mouthpiece.
The musician can then change the pitch of the
instrument by moving the three valves and by
changing his or her lip tension. The valves are usually
fingered with the musician's left hand while the
musician places his or her right hand in the bell of the
instrument to create additional pitches and variations
in tone qualities

12.  The trombone is a brass-wind instrument
that is most typically used as the tenor
voice in a brass section. It has a cup-
shaped mouthpiece, a slide mechanism,
and a nine foot tube that is folded to
overlap in the center. Most trombones are
made out of brass though some are
sometimes nickel-plated. With the slide
closed, the trombone produces the third B-
flat below middle C as its fundamental
note. Some orchestras also use bass
trombones which have a lower
fundamental note

13.  Tuba is the general name for several musical instruments
which are the newest additions to the brass family. Tubas
are the largest instruments in the brass family and also
have the lowest pitch. The tuba, unlike most other brass
instruments is held vertically when it is played. Sound is
produced when the musician vibrates his or her lips into a
cup shaped mouthpiece. Notes can then be changed
when the musician changes his or her lip tension or
fingering on the instrument's valves. The most popular type
of tube is the baritone tuba, also known as the
euphonium. This type of tuba usually has three or four
valves and is most common in concert and marching
bands. The upright tuba is usually used in symphony
orchestras. This tuba has three to five valves and is
generally larger than the baritone tuba.

14.  VIOLIN
 VIOLA
 CELLO
 DOUBLE BASS
 HARP
 GUITAR
 PIANO

15.  The violin, which is probably the best known orchestral
instrument, is a stringed instrument that is played with a bow. The
violin is the highest pitched member of the violin family, which
also includes the viola, the cello, and the double bass. The violin
consists of several main parts: the front, the ribs, the neck, the
fingerboard, the peg box, the scroll, the bridge, the tailpiece,
and the f-holes. The front, also known as the top, belly, or
soundboard is usually made of well-seasoned spruce, while the
back is made of well-seasoned maple.
 When a violin is made, the front, back, and ribs are joined
together to create a hollow sound box. The four strings of the
violin are fastened to the tailpiece, rest on the bridge of the
violin, are suspended over the fingerboard, and run to the peg
box. At the peg box, they are attached to tuning pegs which
can be turned to alter the pitch of the string. By changing the
position of his or her fingers on the fingerboard, different pitches
are made. Then the player draws a bow across the strings at a
right angle to produce a tone. It is about 75 cm. long and has a
band of horse hair strung from one end to the other.

16.  The viola is the second highest pitched
member of the violin family. It has four
strings tuned to the notes c, g, d, and a.
Music for the viola is written in the alto
clef. Violas vary in size, although they are
always larger and tuned lower than
violins.

17.  The cello, also known as violoncello, is a stringed
instrument which is part of the violin family. It is
played with a bow much like the violin. It is also
shaped liked a violin but is much larger. The cello is
about four feet long and one and a half feet across
at its widest part and, therefore, this member of the
violin family is played sitting down. Supported by an
end pin which is placed on the floor, the cello is then
placed between the knees of the musician and
played with a large bow. The cello, like a violin, also
has four strings and notes are changed on the
instrument when the musician changes his or her
fingerings on the neck of the instrument. The cello's
range can, therefore, extend over more than four
octaves.

18.  The double bass (also known as the string
bass, bass viol, or contrabass) is the largest
and lowest pitched string instrument of the
violin family. It is usually six feet high and has
four strings. Some basses have an optional
mechanism that allows the player to
lengthen one string, thereby lowering the
pitch. To create sound, the player's left
hand sets the pitch on the neck of the bass
while the right hand either plucks the strings
or uses a bow across them.

19.  The harp is a stringed instrument and
produces a sound by plucking the strings
which are perpendicular to the body of
the instrument. The strings themselves run
between a neck and a sound box also
known as the body or resonator.
 The modern orchestral harp has forty-six
strings. The instrument has six and a half
octaves with no accidentals. To produce
sharp or flat notes, pedals which control
strings in each octave are depressed to
certain degrees thereby creating different
steps.

20.  The guitar is a string instrument constructed
from wood and strung with either nylon or
steel strings. The modern guitar was
preceded by the lute, vihuela, four-course
renaissance guitar and five-course baroque
guitar; all of which contributed to the
development of the modern six-string
instrument.
 There are three main types of modern
guitar: the classical guitar (nylon-string
guitar), the acoustic guitar, and the electric
guitar

21.  The piano is a musical instrument played mainly by
means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular
instruments in the world. Although not portable and
often expensive, the piano's versatility and ubiquity
have made it one of the world's most familiar musical
instruments.
 Pressing a key on the piano's keyboard causes a felt-
covered hammer to strike steel strings. The hammers
rebound, allowing the strings to continue vibrating at
their resonant frequency. These vibrations are
transmitted through a bridge to a sounding board
that more efficiently couples the acoustic energy to
the air. The sound would otherwise be no louder than
that directly produced by the strings. When the key is
released, a damper stops the string's vibration.

22.  XYLOPHONE
 DRUM SET
 TIMPANI
 CYMBALS
 TRIANGLE
 GONG
 MARACAS
 TAMBOURINE

23.  The xylophone is a mallet percussion
instrument. It consists of a set of
graduated wooden bars which are hit
with mallets to produce a tone.
Xylophones were used in Southeast Asia
during the 1300s and spread to Africa,
Latin America, and Europe.

24.  The first drum sets were put together in the late
1800s sometime after the invention of the bass
drum pedal. This invention made it possible for
one person to play several percussion
instruments at one time.
 The drum set, also commonly referred to as
drum kit, is a collection of percussion
instruments which is played by one musician. It
usually includes a bass drum, a snare
drum, several cymbals, and tom toms. Other
percussion instruments such as cowbells and
woodblocks are sometimes included.

25.  The timpani is often called a kettledrum
because it is shaped like a kettle. The timpani
has a large copper or fiberglass shell with a
single drumhead. It also has a pedal
mechanism which allows the musician to adjust
the tension of the drumhead, thereby tuning
the drum to different pitches. This makes the
timpani the only drum which can produce
definite musical notes. To produce the deep
tone of the timpani, its drumheads are hit with
mallets. Mallets are made of soft and hard felt
or wood and will produce different tones on
the timpani. Timpani are most often played in
pairs or groups of four.

26.  Cymbals, thin round concave plates
(usually made from copper-tin
alloy), have been known since the
Middle Ages. Often used in religious
ceremonies, they became part of the
orchestra around the 18th century and
are played by dashing two together or
by being struck separately by beaters.

27.  TRIANGLE : The triangle is another commonly used
percussion instrument. The instrument is made by
bending a steel rod into a triangle shape with an
opening at one corner. It is suspended by a string
and struck with a steel beater to produce a tone. The
instrument has been used in Europe since the 14th
century.
 GONG: The gong is a bronze disk which, when struck
by a beater, produces a rich ringing sound. Many
gongs have a central dome and a turned down
outside rim. The gong has obscure origins in the
Middle East or South East Asia and by the 9th century
had migrated to Indonesia. The gong then made its
way to Europe by the 18th century

28.  MARACAS: Maracas are egg-shaped musical
rattles that are played in pairs. They originated
in South America and were first made from
dried gourd shells that were filled with beans or
beads. A handle was attached so the gourd
shells could be shaken. Today maracas are
made from plastic or wood. They are often
used in Latin American music.
 TAMBOURINE: A tambourine is a single-headed
frame drum that has jingling metal disks set in
its frame. It can be struck, shaken, or rubbed to
produce a tone.