Sound and Timbre - The Orchestra

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.

CONDUCTOR

BATON

SCORE

FAMILIES OF THE  SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

There are four (4) families of the orchestra. They are string, woodwind, brass and percussion.

Play "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra". Take detailed notes about each instrument and family as you play through the game.

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 1^st violin, 2^nd 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.

Tuned Percussion - Steelpan

Listen to the families of the orchestra: Classics for Kids
Play the Orchestra Game: Listening Adventures

LAYOUT OF THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA