Instruments of the Orchestra

    Sites to Whet your Whistle

      Instrumental information and sound clips:

 

      Learn about and hear the instruments

      This site  developed by Capistrano School in California which has line drawings, information and synthesized sound clips of instruments of the orchestra.

      Play Music has more information about any instrument that you’d like

      Instruments Music and Sound - sound files, fun facts, wave forms, projects

      Virtual Orchestra  - see and hear the instruments. Great site. I highly recommend a visit here.

      Northeast Pennsylvania Philharmonic meet the instruments of the orchestra.

 

 

 

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     Professional Orchestras’ Educational and Fun pages:

     San Francisco Orchestra Kids Page

     Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids

     New York Philharmonic Kidzone

     Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

     Boston Symphony Orchestra Left menu click on links under interactive for real fun!

 

 

     Other Professional Orchestra Homepages:

     Chicago Symphony Orchestra

     Houston Symphony

     The Philadelphia Orchestra

     Allentown Symphony

     Minnesota Orchestra

     Northeast Pennsylvania Philharmonic

 

 

     Exercise your brain:

     Test your instrument sound identification

     Printable PDF  that will test your knowledge of orchestral seating

 

 

     Homemade Instruments

     Make your own instrument - a good start

     Great resources for instrument making

     Homeschool Homemade

     RhythmWeb More Percussion Instruments  plus sound samples

     FamilyFun projects

 

 

 

 

 

 

The orchestra consists of many different instruments.  These instruments are classified into  families by the way they produce sound.

String instruments pluck, or draw a bow on a string to make the string vibrate. This family would include violin, viola, 'cello, double bass and harp. Other string instruments that are not generally found in the orchestra are guitar, ukelele, banjo.

 

Woodwind instruments have something inherent (most often a reed) that causes the players air column to vibrate. This family group includes piccolo, flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. Some woodwinds that are sometimes but not typically found in an orchestra are English horn, saxophone, bass clarinet.

 

 

 

The player must cause the air to vibrate in a brass instrument by buzzing his or her lips whle blowing. This family includes trumpet, french horn, trombone, baritone horn and tuba. A brass instrument not typically included in a standard orchestra is piccolo trumpet.

 

Percussion instruments make their sound by being struck, scraped or shaken. This family of instruments includes snare drum, bass drum, timpani, woodblock, triangle, cymbals, xylophone, orchestra bells, glockenspiel. Of course there are many percussion instruments that are found in the orchestra. Actually too numerous to mention here.

 

If you would like more information about the percussion section, click on the appropriate links below.

 

Tuned Percussion

Untuned Percussion

Historical Information about Percussion Instruments

 

 

 

 

 

made on a Mac by Carole Burkhardt

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