The document provides information about instruments in the woodwind, brass, and percussion sections of an orchestra. It describes each instrument's construction, how sound is produced, and includes brief histories. The woodwind instruments covered are the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. Brass instruments discussed are the trumpet, trombone, tuba, and French horn. Percussion instruments mentioned include the snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, triangle, timpani.

2. SectionsSections
WoodwindsWoodwinds
BrassBrass
PercussionPercussion

3. Woodwinds
• The three branches of the woodwind family have different
sources of sound.
• Wind instruments were originally made of wood but are
now also made of plastic or metal.
• They are cylindrical pipes with holes cut on the side and
played by blowing air into the mouthpiece.
• Vibrations begin when air is blown across the top of an
instrument, across a single reed, or across two reeds.
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4. FluteFlute
The fluteflute is made from silver or gold and is about 2 feet in
length. It looks like a narrow tube with a row of holes
covered by keys along one side. The player blows air across
the small hole in the mouthpiece to produce a sound that
can be either soft and mellow or high and piercing.
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5. Oboe
The oboeoboe is similar to the clarinet
in many ways. Both are made from
wood and have metal keys that can
produce many notes rapidly. The
oboe does not have a mouthpiece,
but has two reeds tied together. By
placing them between one's lips
and blowing air through them, the
reeds vibrate and produce a sound.
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6. Clarinet
Made from wood, the clarinetclarinet
produces a fluid sound when air is
blown between a single reed and
the mouthpiece. By pressing metal
keys with the fingers of both hands,
the player has the ability to play
many different notes very quickly.
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7. BassoonBassoon
The bassoonbassoon is a large double reed
instrument with a lower sound than
the other woodwind instruments.
When the player blows air between
the reeds, the vibrating column of
air inside the instrument travels
over nine feet to the bottom of the
instrument, then up to the top
where the sound comes out.
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8. Brass
• Brass Family instruments produce their unique sound by
the player buzzing his/her lips while blowing air through a
cup- or funnel-shaped mouthpiece.
• The mouthpiece connects to a length of brass tubing
ending in a bell. The shorter the tubing length, the smaller
the instrument, and the higher the sound; and the longer
the tubing length, the larger the instrument, and the lower
the sound.
• To change the pitch, the slides and pistons are either
shortened or lengthened.

9. TrumpetTrumpet
The trumpettrumpet is the highest sounding member of the
brass family. The brilliant tone of the trumpet travels
through about 6 - ½ feet of tubing bent into an oblong
shape. The player presses the three valves in various
combinations with the fingers of the right hand to
obtain various pitches.
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10. TromboneTrombone
The mouthpiece of the trombonetrombone is
larger than that of a trumpet, and
gives the instrument a more mellow
sound. Instead of valves, the
trombone has a slide which changes
the length of its approximately 9 feet
of tubing to reach different pitches.
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11. TubaTuba
Made of about 16 feet of tubing, the
tubatuba is the lowest sounding member
of the brass family. The tuba has
four to five valves and is held
upright in the player’s lap.
•
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12. French HornFrench Horn
The French HornFrench Horn consists of about
12 feet of narrow tubing wound into
a circle. The player obtains different
notes on the horn with a clear
mellow sound by pressing valves
with the left hand and by moving the
right hand inside of the bell.
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13. Percussion
• With a name that means, "the hitting of one body
against another," instruments in the percussion
family are played by being struck, shaken, or
scraped.

14. Snare Drum
The snare drumsnare drum has two calfskin or plastic drumheads
stretched tightly over a hollow metal frame. The top
head is struck with wooden drumsticks, and is called the
batter-head. The bottom head, or snare-head has catgut
or metal wires called snares stretched tightly across it.
When this drum is struck on the top head, the snares
produce a characteristic sharp rattling sound as they
vibrate against the bottom head.
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15. CymbalsCymbals
Made from two large, slightly concave brass plates,
cymbalscymbals are fitted with leather hand straps and are
shaped so that when they are crashed together, only the
edges touch. Different sized cymbals produce a wide
range of sound effects. Cymbals are also played by being
struck with drumsticks or mallets while suspended on a
string or stand.
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16. Bass DrumBass Drum
The composer Mozart added the deep,
booming, sound of the bass drumbass drum to the
orchestra in 1782. Constructed like a snare
drum, but without snares, the bass drum is
much larger and is played on its side, so
that either head may be struck. The beater
or mallet for a bass drum is large with a
soft material such as sheep's wool covering
the end.
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17. TriangleTriangle
The triangletriangle is made from a small
round steel tube, and is played by
striking it with a steel beater. Its bright
shimmering sound is untuned and
resembles that of a bell. The triangle
first joined the orchestra in the late
1700s.
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18. TimpaniTimpani
TimpaniTimpani are constructed of a large
copper bowl with a drumhead made of
calfskin or plastic stretched across the
top. When struck with felt-tipped
wooden sticks, or mallets, timpani
produce a specific pitch that is
determined by the drum's size. That
pitch is fine-tuned by tightening the
drumhead with keys and foot pedals.
Most orchestras use three or four
timpani of varying sizes.
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19. Seventy- Six Trombones

20. The End