ORCHESTRA
What is an orchestra?
An orchestra is a large group of musicians (usually about
70 performers) that is led by a conductor.
What is a symphony orchestra?
A symphony (or philharmonic) orchestra is an orchestra of 70 - 100 players, who are divided into strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.
Who is a conductor?
A conductor is the leader of an orchestra or band.
He or she helps all the musicians not only stay together and play on the same
beat, but the conductor also leads the musicians to play with the same musical
expression (dynamics and tempo). The conductor stands in front of the orchestra
and directs then using a stick about the size of a pencil called a baton. The score is the music the conductor reads
off and it has all the parts for all the instruments listed on it.
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| CONDUCTOR |
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| BATON |
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| SCORE |
FAMILIES
OF THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
There are four (4) families of the orchestra. They
are string, woodwind, brass and percussion.
STRINGS
Most of the instruments in the string section look
alike. The main difference between them is their size, as they are all played
in very much the same way; their strings can be plucked (this is called
“pizzicato”) or made to “sound” with a bow. The string section is the largest
section of the orchestra. In the string section there are 5 groups of players 1st
violin, 2nd violin, violas, cellos and double basses – as well as
the harp.
WOODWIND
Wood and wind are what makes this family of
instruments special. Long ago, all the instruments in this family were made of
wood, but now some are made of wood or metal or a combination of materials. All
of the instruments in the woodwind section are played with “wind” (the musician
blows air into them). For the most part they look like sticks, though some are
longer than others, but they have very different shapes. The different shape
and materials of each instrument help create its unique sound. The woodwind
tone carries well and can be easily heard when there are lots of other
instruments playing. This section is located in the center of the orchestra.
There are usually about 10-15 instruments in this section. Woodwind instruments
include: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and saxophone.
BRASS
Brass instruments are usually made of metal, often
brass. They can play the loudest of all the instruments in the orchestra and is
placed at the back of the orchestra. Brass instruments are basically very long
tubes with flared ends called “bells”. The brass tubes have been curved and
shaped to make them easier to hold. A brass instrument is played by putting
your lips into a cup-shaped mouthpiece and buzzing. This buzzing makes air
vibrate down the long metal tubes and creates sound. Many brass instruments
have valves that look like buttons. When you press the valves, they open and
close parts of the tubes. You change the sound by pressing different valves and
buzzing harder or softer. Examples of brass instruments include: trumpet,
French horn, trombone and tuba.
PERCUSSION
This section has the greatest variety of
instruments. Instruments in this family are banged, tapped, or shaken. All
percussion instruments do not usually play at the same time, so very often a
percussionist may play many different instruments during a concert. Examples
include: snare drums, bass drums, cymbals, tambourine, timpani, steel pans, xylophone,
glockenspiel, gong, tam-tam, tubular bells, triangle and celesta. There are two (2) groups of percussion instruments: untuned and tuned percussion.
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| Tuned Percussion - Steelpan |
LAYOUT OF THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
