LashunaG

toc =Overview and Instructions=

** Research basic facts about instruments of the orchestra. **

1. Names of the families 2. Names of the instruments in each family. 3. Picture of each instrument. 4. What each instrument is made of. 5. How each is played. 6. Describe what each instrument sounds like and find an audio or video clip of each. 7. At least 2 interesting facts about each instrument.

May create a web page, wiki page, knowledge map, Ebook, Powerpoint presentation, paper notebook, or complete instrument study books.

**Use these websites to research each instrument.**

[|The Music Room] [|San Francisco Kids] [|NY Philharmonic Kids] [|Learn About Instruments] [|DSO Kids] [|Oregon Symphony] [|Play Music] [|BSO Kids] [|Simple English Wikipedia] [|Wikipedia] [|FlickrCC (free, legal pictures)]

**Answer the questions below for each instrument.**

**Violin**

 * Picture:** [[image:http://stringproject.music.utexas.edu/images/family_400w.jpg width="256" height="236" link="http://stringproject.music.utexas.edu/images/family_400w.jpg"]]

**What is it made of?** The shape of the violin has stayed pretty much the same ever since the 1500s. That's almost 500 years! The modern violin has four strings, but the earliest ones had only three.
 * How is it played?**  **If** you look at Chris, our violinist, you can see how the violin is played. He rests the instrument on one shoulder, and holds it in place using his chin and his left hand. He holds the bow in his right hand, and draws it across the strings. He changes the pitch in two ways: by drawing the bow across different strings, and by pressing on the strings with the fingers of his left hand
 * At least 2 interesting facts.**  There are more violins in the orchestra than any other single instrument. The violins play in two different groups, with the first violins playing the highest-pitched part and the second violins playing the second-highest

**Describe its sound.****ts** .here are more violins in the orchestra than any other single instrument. The violins play in two different groups, with the first violins playing the highest-pitched part and the second violins playing the second-highest. []
 * Web address where it can be heard.**

**Viola**

 * Picture:**[[image:http://www.musicwithease.com/viola-iS-2.jpg width="313" height="210" link="http://425%20x%20283%20-%2034k%20-%20jpg%20-%20www.musicwithease.com/viola-iS-2.jpg"]]

**What is it made of?** The **body** of the viola is made of wood, and is hollow so it can vibrate to create sound. The shape of the body gives the viola its distinctive tone. The body of the viola is usually about 16 inches long.he instrument under the chin.
 * How is it played?** **Look** at Susie, our violist, and you can see how she plays. She rests her viola on one shoulder, and holds it in place using her chin and her left hand. She holds the bow in her right hand, and draws it

**At least 2 interesting fac**t  **The** viola is an important member of the orchestra, but is not often heard by itself. Because it is bigger than the violin, with longer strings, it makes a rich, warm sound that is lower in pitch. It's a little heavier, and its shape is slightly different, too. But it is still played on the violist's left arm, just like the violin. **describe its sound.** The viola plays a beautiful "middle" part in the orchestra's harmony.  []
 * Web address where it can be heard.**

**Cello**

 * Picture:** [[image:http://www.courtneyandwalker.co.uk/acatalog/cello_pa602_front_sm.jpg width="146" height="269" link="http://www.courtneyandwalker.co.uk/acatalog/cello_pa602_front_sm.jpg"]]

**What is it made of?**  **Jennifer,** our cellist, is holding the cello between her knees. The endpin pops out of the bottom of the cello, and sticks into the floor to balance the instrument. **The** cello plays even lower than the viola - a whole octave lower **Web address where it can be heard.** []
 * How is it played?** . She can change the pitch in two ways: by drawing the bow across different strings, and by pressing on the strings with the fingers of her left hand.
 * At least 2 interesting facts.**  It's heavy, too. So cellists sit down, resting the instrument upright against their bodies. They use a end pin and their knees to keep it in place.
 * Describe its sound**

**Bass**

 * Picture:** [[image:http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/images/dblbass.gif width="128" height="272" link="http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/images/dblbass.gif"]]

**What is it made of?** **The body** **of the double bass is made of wood, and is hollow so it can vibrate to create sound. The shape and size of the body gives the double bass its distinctive tone. The body of the double bass is just over six feet long.**


 * How is it played?** A jazz bass player will usually pluck the instrument instead of bowing it. Otherwise, the double bass plays a role in the jazz band very like its role in the orchestra.
 * At least 2 interesting facts.** The largest double bass that ever existed was almost 16 feet tall! A man named Paul de Wit built it to celebrate the Cincinnati Music Festival in 1889


 * Describe its sound.** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**The** double bass is the orchestra's foundation. These big, deep instruments add weight to the orchestra sound. They are the largest of all the stringed instruments, and play the lowest notes. Sometimes the lowest, longest string of the double bass is extended so it can play even lower!
 * Web address where it can be heard** []

**Flute[[image:http://www.freefoto.com/images/05/24/05_24_53---Flute_web.jpg width="210" height="313" link="http://www.freefoto.com/images/05/24/05_24_53---Flute_web.jpg"]]**

 * Picture:**
 * What is it made of?** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">The **body** of the flute is the center portion, joining the head and foot joints and containing most of the keys.
 * How is it played** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;"> **Look** at Tiffany, our flutist, and you will see that she holds the flute up and to the side when she plays. She blows across a hole at one end of the flute. If you have ever tried to "play" a glass soda bottle, you've had your first flute lesson! The flute has many keys, and by pressing them with her fingers, Tiffany can play different pitches.
 * At least 2 interesting facts.**flutes are some of the highest instrument in the orchestra.flutes are very good at playing fast.

[]
 * Describe its sound.** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**Flutes** are usually made of metal, but sometimes you will see flutes made of wood. Flutes are some of the highest instruments in the orchestra, and they are very good at playing fast, detailed music.
 * Web address where it can be heard**

**Oboe**

 * Picture:** [[image:http://www.yamaha.co.jp/english/product/winds/product/wood/oboe/img/oboe.jpg width="168" height="192" link="http://www.yamaha.co.jp/english/product/winds/product/wood/oboe/img/oboe.jpg"]]

**What is it made of?** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;"> The **reed** is made from a piece of cane attached to a metal tube called a **staple**. To make a double reed, first a strip of cane is cut, folded over, and tied onto the staple with twine. The end is sliced off, leaving an open slit. The upper end of the reed is carefully scraped away with a knife until the two "blades" vibrate freely when you blow.
 * How is it played?** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">Oboes are made of wood, and their sound is produced by blowing air through a thin double reed at the upper end of the instrument. The strong sound of the oboe is easy to pick out even when many of the orchestra's instruments are playing. The oboe plays the tuning note at the beginning of orchestra rehearsals and concerts.
 * At least 2 interesting facts** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;"> **The oboe** **was invented in the 17th century by Jean Hotteterre and Michel Philidor. The range of the modern oboe extends two and a half octaves from the B below middle C. Oboes are found in a variety of forms throughout the world.** **.**


 * Describe its sound** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">The oboe and the English horn are often used to play sad or emotional melodies, but they can sound playful, too. One of the most difficult parts of playing them is making the reeds. Karen, like many oboists, makes her own so that they exactly match her instrument and her way of playing
 * Web address where it can be heard** []

**Clarinet**

 * Picture:** [[image:http://wolfswiki.pbworks.com/f/1197228041/clarinet1.jpg width="127" height="167" link="http://wolfswiki.pbworks.com/f/1197228041/clarinet1.jpg"]]

**What is it made of** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">Clarinets are made of wood or molded plastic, and can be found in different sizes, each playing a different range of notes. The standard "B-flat" clarinet is a little more than two feet long.


 * How is it played** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**To** play his clarinet, Zack blows into a single reed that is clipped to the mouthpiece at the upper end of the instrument. The reed is made out of cane. Zack plays different pitches by pressing on the clarinet's many keys. The bottom of the clarinet flares out into a bell shape.

<span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">The **little finger keys** are very important on woodwind instruments. Pressing down one of these keys opens or closes a pad further down the instrument, beyond reach of the hands. The **thumb rest** is a small metal plate, attached to the back of the clarinet, that helps the clarinetist support the weight of the instrument with the right thumb. One technique clarinetists often use is called "bending" notes. This means varying the air pressure on the reed and partly covering tone holes to change pitch. This is especially useful in jazz solos! In fact, clarinets are as common in jazz bands as in orchestras.
 * At least 2 interesting facts**


 * Describe its sound** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;"> Its **bell** is also curved around so that it faces up, and its **neck** has a bend in it to accommodate the extra length of the tube. A bass clarinet would be very awkward to play if its long tube were completely straight!


 * Web address where it can be heard** []

Bassoon

 * Picture:** [[image:http://www.playmusic.org/woodwinds/img/bassoonP.gif width="181" height="95" link="http://www.playmusic.org/woodwinds/index.html"]]

**What is it made of** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">The bassoon **reed** is made from a piece of cane which fits on the end of the curved metal tube, which is called a **bocal**. To make the reed, a strip of cane is cut and shaped, then folded over and tied with twine. The tip is sliced off, leaving an open slit, and the cane at the upper end of the reed is carefully scraped away with a knife until the two blades vibrate freely when you blow. Like all woodwind instruments, the bassoon has an intricate system of **keywork** to control pitches. The keys cover holes in the body of the bassoon. A bassoonist controls [|**no fewer than 13 keys with the thumbs alone!**] They are called **thumb keys**. Many of them are linked by rods to pads positioned elsewhere on the instrument. Two parallel tubes form the **boot joint**. These are joined at the base by a u-shaped metal tube. This tube is often concealed by a metal end cap.


 * How is it played** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**Playing** the bottom notes of woodwind chords is one of the most important jobs of the bassoon. Bassoons have a rich and mellow sound. One poet compared the bassoon's deep, dark tone to the sound of a sea-god speaking
 * At least 2 interesting facts** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**The bassoon** is a double-reed woodwind instrument. It has almost 8 feet of wooden tubing, bent into a narrow U-shape. The reed is secured in a curved metal tube. Bassoons are the largest woodwind instruments in the orchestra - except for the **contrabassoon**, which is even bigger and plays a whole octave lower than the bassoon!


 * Describe its sound** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**Take** a look at our bassoonist, Sammy, and how he holds the instrument. Because his bassoon is so long, he has to hold it to one side, next to his knee. He blows into the reed in the same way an oboe player does. The weight of the bassoon is usually supported by a seat strap, which the player hooks on to the lower end of the bassoon and sits on - so you can't see it here!


 * Web address where it can be heard** []

**Saxophone**

 * Picture:** [[image:http://www.playmusic.org/woodwinds/img/saxophoneP.gif width="198" height="99" link="http://www.playmusic.org/woodwinds/index.html"]]

**What is it made of. Wood**


 * How is it played you. Blow thought the mouth piece and us the hole to make the sound**


 * At least 2 interesting facts.** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**Today,** **the saxophone is most often associated with jazz, even though every now and then you'll find one in an orchestra. Charlie Parker was a famous jazz saxophonist. Jazz players often switch among the different ranges of saxophone, from a soprano - which is shaped like a clarinet - all the way down to a big baritone sax.**


 * Describe its sound IT IS THE HIGHEST IN THE WOODWIND OF THE** FAMILY


 * Web address where it can be heard** []

**Trumpet**

 * Picture [[image:http://www.playmusic.org/brass/img/trumpetP.gif width="174" height="59" link="http://www.playmusic.org/brass/index.html"]]**

**What is it made of bras** Trumpets didn't have valves until the 1800s. Up until then, trumpet players could vary their pitch only by changing the shape of their lips against the mouthpiece. Valves make this much easier! They also make it possible for trumpet players to produce an excellent trill, just by flicking a finger up and down on one of the valves. The third valve tube is sometimes used for notes which are hard to keep in tune. To make fine tuning easier, the pitch of the note being played can be adjusted by a special tuning slide just for the third valve.
 * How is it played** **When** **played full blast, the trumpet makes a bold, bright, exciting sound that can be heard over the entire orchestra. In the orchestra, the standard trumpet is most often used. But there are trumpets of all different sizes and lengths, the smallest being the piccolo trumpet, and the largest being the bass trumpet! It's so big that often trombone players might play it, instead of trumpet players. The trumpet is also used in popular music and jazz.**

**At least 2 interesting facts** Trumpets were once used to frighten enemies in battle, and to celebrate big ceremonies with blazing fanfares.The tone of the modern trumpet is produced by its distinctive shape: a cup-shaped mouthpiece, narrow metal tube, and flaring bell. []
 * Describe its sound** **Danny** is playing our trumpet. He "buzzes" his lips into the trumpet's cup-shaped mouthpiece. There are two ways he can play different pitches: he can press down on the keys that control the trumpet's three valves, and he can change the shape of his lips against the mouthpiece.
 * Web address where it can be heard**

**French Horn**

 * Picture**

**What is it made of** **The horn** has a velvety, round tone color that projects well across other instruments without overpowering them. It is sometimes called the French horn. Its long tube is wound in a circle, and flares out into a big bell. The valves and their extra tubing are in the center of the circle. When you unwind a horn, the tubing can be as long as twelve feet! []
 * How is it played** **Our** horn player, Courtney, shows you how to hold the horn. It's balanced on her leg, but she holds it up between her two hands. Her left hand works the valves that help to change the horn's pitch, and her right hand is held inside the bell. She can vary the volume, pitch and tone of the horn by how she moves her right hand inside the bell.
 * At least 2 interesting facts** The very first horns were made from the horns of animals. By breaking off the horn's tip and blowing down the hole, you could sound a note. These horns were used during hunts, to give directions to the hunters. Later, horns were made of metal. But they didn't have valves and were just one long piece of tubing coiled around in a circle.
 * Describe its sound** **The** **tone of the horn can vary from bold and brassy to soft and round. The horn sounds rich and mellow in solo passages. This tone is due in part to its //conical// tubing -- the tube becomes gradually wider through the whole length of the instrument, finally flaring out as it approaches the bell. Early horns were used for hunting. The horn has been a regular member of the orchestra for more than 200 years. At first, it was used especially to remind listeners of hunting. Then when valves were invented in the 1800s, the horn became more versatile.**
 * Web address where it can be heard.**

**Trombone**

 * Picture** [[image:http://www.playmusic.org/brass/img/tromboneP.gif width="170" height="101" link="http://www.playmusic.org/brass/img/tromboneP.gif"]]

**What is it made of brass** The **mouthpiece** of a trombone has a deep cup-shape. The sound of the trombone is produced by the vibration of the player's lips when pressed against the rim of the mouthpiece. Varying the tightness of the lips and air pressure while moving the slide in and out produces different notes. The trombone **slide** is two feet long and fits over a stationary inner tube. Holding the trombone with the left hand, a trombonist moves the slide back and forth with the right hand. Lengthening the trombone using the slide allows a trombonist to play lower notes. Pulling the slide back shortens the trombone and produces a higher note.


 * How is it played** When you blow into the trombone, your breath condenses inside the tube. This leaves tiny droplets of water that can cause a gurgly, bubbling sound when you play. Holding open the **water key** and blowing into the trombone forces the condensation out. (The pros still refer to it as "spit" and they sometimes call the water key the "spit valve.")
 * At least 2 interesting facts.** **trombones** form the middle of the orchestral brass section. They fill out the harmonies between the trumpets and the horns on top, and the low tuba below. They've been around a while. While Columbus was busy discovering America 500 years ago, King Henry VII had a band of four trombones. They were called //sackbuts// back then, but they were very like today's trombones. The modern trombone has a rich tenor voice.
 * Describe its sound** **Most** brass instruments use valves to produce different pitches. But the trombone uses a slide instead. Look at our trombonist, Frida, and you'll see how it works. She pushes and pulls the slide back and forth to change the length of tubing - which changes the pitch. She can play individual pitches, or gradually change the pitch by buzzing air continuously through the mouthpiece as she moves the trombone slide.
 * Web address where it can be heard;** []

**Tuba**

 * Picture** [[image:http://www.playmusic.org/brass/img/tubaP.gif width="147" height="83" link="http://www.playmusic.org/brass/img/tromboneP.gif"]]

**What is it made of brass t** he **mouthpiece** of the tuba is very big and deep! Sound is produced by the vibration of the tuba player's lips, pressed against the mouthpiece. It takes a lot of breath to play the tuba, but you do not need to have tight lips or to force your breath. You keep your lips in a loose, relaxed position, cushioning them against the deep, cup-shaped mouthpiece. The **mouthpipe** is the beginning of the tuba's tube. Tubas can have between three and six **valves**. Pressing down on a valve directs the air through a small length of extra tubing. This lengthens the distance the air has to travel through the tuba and lowers the pitch of the note. Pressing down different combinations of valves gives you the whole range of different notes.


 * How is it played you blow thought the mouth piece and try to make a buzz with your lips**


 * At least 2 interesting facts** **The tuba** is the largest member of the brass family and plays the lowest notes. It's also the youngest brass instrument. It was first used in military bands in the 1800s and joined the orchestra about a hundred years ago. The tuba, like double basses and bassoons, is crucial in an orchestra because it provides the lowest notes for the brass section.
 * Describe its sound it is a dip buzz**

[]
 * Web address where it can be heard**

Snare Drum

 * Picture:** [[image:http://www.playmusic.org/percussion/img/snareD.gif width="133" height="166" link="http://www.playmusic.org/percussion/img/snareD.gif"]]

**What is it made of** <span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">The snare drum is shaped like a cylinder, with skin stretched over its top. The "snare"is a set of wires or strings strung across the bottom of the drum. This rattling helps to produce the snare drum's special sound.
 * How is it played** <span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**Snare drums** <span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;"> are especially good at playing "rolls." They also play lots of other fancy rhythms. Sometimes the snare is turned off, to make a dull thud sound. Snare drums, like bass drums, do not have a definite pitch.
 * At least 2 interesting facts** <span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**The snare drum** <span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;"> was originally called the side drum, because the player would carry it around his waist and played off to the side. The snare drum is shaped like a cylinder, with skin stretched over its top. The "snare"is a set of wires or strings strung across the bottom of the drum. This rattling helps to produce the snare drum's special sound
 * Describe its sound it sound like a rat ta ta ta**


 * Web address where it can be heard.**http://www.playmusic.org/percussion/img/snareD.gif

**Bass**
**Picture:**
 * What is it made of brass** and platek


 * How is it played you have some big stick and you hit it all together**


 * At least 2 interesting facts** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**The** Bass Drum is used in both orchestras and bands. The drum is played upright, with the drum heads on the sides. In an orchestra, it is placed on a stand. In a marching band, it hangs from a harness that the player wears while marching. It is usually played with a soft beater.
 * Describe its sound it sounds like a big** bang


 * Web address where it can be heard.**[]

**Timpani**

 * Picture** [[image:http://www.playmusic.org/percussion/img/timpaniD.gif width="143" height="179" link="ttp://www.playmusic.org/percussion/index.html"]]

**What is it made of brass** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;"> The big, bowl-shaped main chamber is called the **resonator**. The **drum head** is the flexible skin stretched across the top of the drum. The timpanist uses two **beaters** to strike the drum head.
 * Here's what the timpani look like.**

**How is it played** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**Take** a look at Tom playing one of his timpani. He strikes the drum head with sticks called beaters, hitting about three inches from the rim of the drum. Timpanists carry many different pairs of beaters to produce different tone qualities. []
 * At least 2 interesting facts** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**Timpani,** are sometimes called kettledrums because they are shaped like big copper kettles. In fact they are often made of copper. They have a piece of calfskin or thin plastic stretched over their opening. This is called a drum head. Timpani are very important in the orchestra because they "underline" important chords. They are usually played in pairs - sometimes in threes or fours - because each drum is tuned to a different pitch.
 * Describe its sound** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">A good timpanist can tune the drums very quietly and quickly while the rest of the orchestra is playing. Then, when it's time for the timpani to play their part, the timpanist can make a very loud noise.

**Cymbals**
**What is it made of percussion and** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**Cymbals** are made of curved bronze disks. They have a //concave// shape. This means that each cymbal curves slightly inwards
 * Picture**
 * How is it is played by using your hands and you bang them together**


 * At least 2 interesting facts** <span style="color: #330000; font-family: Comic Sans MS,New York,Arial;">**Cymbals** are thin metal disks that are clashed together or struck with sticks to produce a sound. They come in many sizes. There are tiny finger cymbals, and there are the large and deafening orchestral cymbals. Cymbals can sound soft and delicate, or loud and harsh. They are used in almost every type of music, from orchestral music to rock.
 * Describe its sound it sounds like it is to pans danging together**


 * Web address where it can be heard** []