Roughly divided into four groups, namely the percussion, woodwinds, strings, and brass families, some selected musical instruments are put here, with their descriptions.
Trumpet
A brass instrument with a ringing tone. This instrument used crooks to get certain harmonic series. Due to the taking up of too much time and the lack of flexibility, in the 19th century, the instrument used valves instead. There are three valves altogether on the trumpet, with different combination of these pistons, you get different harmonic series. By using valves the trumpet then succeeded to produce all the notes of the chromatic scale.
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Trombone
On of the oldest instrument among those in an orchestra. This instrument tunes itself by means of slide mechanism. Its design has remained unchanged since the 15th century. A player must judge with acurracy the length to slide in order to get a correct note. There are seven basic positions each a semi-tone apart.
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Tuba
This instrument also uses valves. Its range is about three octaves and more. Uses the bass clef. This instrument has a second name ---bombardon, usually used in military band music. The tuba has taken over and superseded an instrument named the ophicleide which has now become obsolette.
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French horn
The horn, like the trumpet has used crooks well into the 19th century and then changed into using valves in order to produce a sider range of pitches. This instrument uses the treble and bass clefs. Its range covers about three octaves.
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Flute
One of the earliest invented woodwinds. An instrument in th eform of a pipe with holes stopped by fingers or keys.This instrument is held sideways and the player blows into the edge of the hole, producing what are called "edge tones".
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Oboe
An instrument in the shap of a pipe with holes and padded keys and levers for the adjusting of different pitches. A double readed instrument. It's ranges extends for 2 octaves and more.
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Clarinet
The invention of the clarinet followed that of the flute, oboe and bassoon. It completed the whole woodwind section in the orchestra.
This instrument is a cylindrical -bore pipe, usually made with ebony, with 20 or more side wholes producing different pitches, some opened to be covered the player and others cover by padded keys. A single reeded instrument. This instrument has an extensive range of almost four complete octaves.
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Recorder
An inexpensive woodwind instrument. There are four commonly used sizes for this instrument :Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass, other sizes are also sometimes used.
IT is either made from wood or plastic, has eight holees for the fingers. his instrument is played like a whistle
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Piccolo
An instrument which is smaller than the flute. with a pitch one octave higher than that of the flute. Also an instrument that is held sideways and produces edgeing tones.
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Xylophone
A xylophone is a musical instrument with parallel wooden or metal bars. Each bar has a different length and makes a different note when hit with small hammers. Nowadays, an electric version of the xylophone, called a vibraphone, is sometimes used. It is used in orchestras and bands sometimes. Resonators, metal tubes below each bar, help to amplify the sound.
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Drum
A drum is a musical instrument, consisting of a hollow frame with plastic or rubber or skin stretched tightly over it. It is sounded by hitting it with sticks or hands. The Africans and the Chinese have used drums for a long time. Variations of the drum include kettledrum, side-drum, or the bass drum.
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Cymbals
A round metal plate used as a musical instrument, usually hit with a stick or two are struck together, to produce a clashing sound. Sometimes, in an orchestra, cymbals are used.
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Piano
The word Piano is short for the Italian word pianoforte, meaning soft and loud. The piano has 88 keys. When a key is struck, a felt-tipped hammer strikes a stretched wire. At the same time a damper, which normally prevents the wire from vibrating, drops back from the wire and stays back until the key is released. When the wire is vibrated, a sound is emitted. Nowadays, two kinds of pianos may be bought: the upright piano, usually stood against a wall, or a grand piano, which is used usually in concert halls and art centres.
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Harp
The harp is one of the oldest instruments with strings. They have been played for many centuries, in Wales and Ireland. Nowadays, harps have a wooden frame with strings attached between the sounding board and the top of the instrument. The player plucks the strings with his or her fingers, and steps on the pedals at the bottom of the harp to change the pitch.
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Viola
A viola is a larger version of the violin, with four strings, a member of the strings family. It is about 2 to 7 cm longer than the violin, and tuned a fifth lower. It is played the same way as the violin, by pullin a bow over some strings stretched on the surface of the viola. Most violas are resonant and mellow in the lower range and have rich, full sounds in the middle and upper ranges. The earliest surviving examples are two fairly large violas by Italian builder Gasparo da Salò.
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Violin
A violin is a musical instrument, a member of the strings family. It is played by pullin a bow over some strings stretched on the surface of the violin. The violin has four strings tuned a fifth apart.
The violin emerged in Italy in the early 1500s. Used at first to accompany dancing or vocal music, the violin became popular in the early 1600s. By the mid-18th century the violin was one of the most popular solo instruments in European music. In modern orchestras the violin family accounts for more than half the instruments.
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Cello
A cello is large member of the violin family. The performer has to sit down and hold the cello between his or her knees. It has four strings and a range over more than four octaves. The cello was primarily a supporting instrument until the late 18th century, when it gained the attention of numerous composers who began exploring its solo capabilities.
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Double-bass
The Double Bass is the largest and lowest-pitched member of the violin family. Also known as the contrabass, the double bass usually has four strings, though three-stringed basses were common in the 18th and 19th centuries. Played in the same fashion as the cello, the player has to sit down and hold the double bass between his or her knees. The bow is held horizontally over the vertical strings and pull the bow from one side to the other to produce a sound.
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