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=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.



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 * 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.

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 * 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** []


 * Picture:** SAXOPHONE

**What is it made of?**A SAXOPHONE IS MADE OF WOOD.


 * How is it played?**YOU PUT THE REED ON YOUR MOUTH AND BLOW THROUGH IT.


 * At least 2 interesting facts.**THE SAXOPHONE IS NAME AFTER A MAN NAME.ALPHONSE.SAX AND IT SOUND LIKE A WOOD WIND.


 * Describe its sound.**IT SOUNDS LIKE A WOOD WIND.

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 * Web address where it can be heard**

**Trumpet[[image:http://www.8notes.com/pictures/Trumpet/tn_trumpet4_jpg.jpg link="YessicaW"]]**

 * Picture:** TRUMPET

**What is it made of?**most of the instrument is name implies,made of brass.


 * How is it played?**buzzing into the lips part.


 * At least 2 interesting facts.**the trumpet is the highest and smallest member in the brass familiy


 * Describe its sound.**the faster you blow into the pipe the higher the note will go.

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 * Web address where it can be heard.**

**French Horn**
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 * Picture:** .[[image:http://www.trevorjonesltd.co.uk/images/Holton178H178FrenchHorn.jpg width="208" height="256"]]


 * What is it made of?**brass


 * How is it played?**they buzzing their lips through funnel shape mouth pices.


 * At least 2 interesting facts.**the brass familiy can trace its ancestry back to herald french horns.


 * Describe its sound.**the shorter the tubing length the higher the pitch.


 * Web address where it can be heard.**

**Trombone**

 * Picture:**trombone


 * What is it made of?**brass


 * How is it played?**with lips.


 * At least 2 interesting facts.**trombone is one of the biggest instrument in the brass familiy.


 * Describe its sound.**verry low

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 * Web address where it can be heard.**

**Tuba**

 * Picture:**


 * What is it made of?**


 * How is it played?**


 * At least 2 interesting facts.**


 * Describe its sound.**

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 * Web address where it can be heard**

Snare Drum

 * Picture:**


 * What is it made of?**


 * How is it played?**


 * At least 2 interesting facts.**


 * Describe its sound.**


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

**Bass**
**Picture:**
 * What is it made of?**


 * How is it played?**


 * At least 2 interesting facts.**


 * Describe its sound.**


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

**Timpani**

 * Picture**


 * What is it made of?**


 * How is it played?**


 * At least 2 interesting facts.**


 * Describe its sound.**

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 * Web address where it can be heard.**

**Cymbals**

 * Picture**


 * What is it made of?**


 * How is it played?**


 * At least 2 interesting facts.**


 * Describe its sound.**

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 * Web address where it can be heard**