Instruments

It is useful for you to know some basic info abt the instruments of the orchestra. These are the orchestral families to which the main instruments belong.

Strings: violin, viola, cello, double bass

Woodwind: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon

Brass: horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba

Percussion: timpani (kettle drums), side drum, bass drum, cymbals (only timpani produce notes of definite pitch)

There are some signs and directions that refer only to particular instruments. You can read about these in the ‘performance directions’ section below.

Clefs

It is important to know abt the clefs that these instruments use:

Treble Clef: violin, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn (sometimes bass clef), trumpet

Alto clef: viola (sometimes treble clef)

Bass clef: cello(sometimes treble or tenor clef), double bass, bassoon, trombone (sometimes tenor clef), tuba, and timpani

String instruments can sometimes play two notes simultaneously (or even three or four). Wind instruments, however, can play only one at a time

Terms and Signs apply only to certain instruments.

Strings & Bass: con sordini (con sord.) with mutes; senza sordini (without mutes)

Strings: arco - play with the bow (a direction after pizzicato)

pizzicato - plucked

sul G - play on the G string

sul ponticello - play near the bridge

Piano: una corda (literally ‘one string;) - press the left pedal

tre corde (literally ‘three strings’) - release the left pedal

mano - hand: mano sinistra or m.s. (left hand); mano destra or m.d. (right hand)