MUSHL- Instruments & Voices

Instruments and Voices

• Symphony orchestra: large group of instruments, usually including woodwind, brass, percussion, and violin/string families.

Orchestral Instruments:

• String Family: usually made of wood, and have a hollow center. Strings stretched across the body, and sound is created when the string vibrates.

  • violin, viola, guitar, cello, double bass, harp (guitar usually not included in an orchestra)

  • smaller instrument = higher pitch (violin has highest pitch, double bass has lowest pitch)

• Woodwind Family: produce sound when air is blown either across an edge or through a reed/hole.

  • piccolo, flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone, recorder

• Brass Family: made of brass or some other metal, blow through them to create sound. Compared to woodwind, brass instruments don't had reeds, instead they have mouthpieces

  • trumpet, trombone, tuba, french horn

  • blow through your lips and create a buzz to play and create sound.

• Percussion Family: hit them all in some way to create sound

  • xylophone, claves, triangle, snare drum, cymbals, tambourine, maracas, piano, timpani, bass drum, castanets

• Voice Types for Choir: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass

• Voice Types for Opera (fach):

  • Soprano (coloratura soprano, dramatic soprano, lyric soprano, soubrette)

  • Mezzo-soprano (lyric, coloratura, dramatic)

  • Contralto (dramatic, low)

  • Countertenor (uses "falsetto")

  • Tenor (lyric, Helden, character tenor, etc.)

  • Baritone (lyric, dramatic, Helden, bass-baritone, etc.)

  • Bass (basso profundo, basso buffo, lyric bass, etc.)