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Posts Tagged ‘Musical Instruments’

The sound created from the families of brass and woodwind instruments depend on the length. The longer the instrument, the lower the sound. The sound you hear is created when air vibrates inside. The first woodwind instruments were created from wood. Today wood is still primary but some are made from metal. Brass instruments are just that, created from brass.
When listening to an orchestra, you will hear many instruments from the brass and woodwind group. The brass section of the orchestra has trumpets, tubas, trombones and French horns. The woodwind section is comprised of clarinets, flutes, bassoons, oboes and at times saxophones.
A great variety of music is played with the brass and woodwind musical instruments including folk music, pop, jazz and rock.
The French Horn
If you pulled a French horn straight out, it would be nearly 30 feet long. It is made from metal tubing which is coiled with a wide cone shaped bell at one end. The French horn plays a very important role in brass bands and orchestras. The French horn player puts one hand inside the bell to play. They blow into to mouthpiece and make the different sounds by changing the shape of their lips. There are three levers that the players push to create different sounds.
The Trumpet
Bronze and silver trumpets were played thousands of years ago by the ancient Egyptians. Since that time, trumpets have been played all over the world. Today they are tightly coiled metal tubes with a cone bell at one end and a mouthpiece at the other. The player of the trumpet pushes down the small valves to make the different notes.
The Trombone
The metal tube of the trombone is curled twice. It has a section which moves in and out to create the different notes. This section is called the slide The trombone plays lower notes than the trumpet as the tube is longer. It was first played approximately 600 years ago.
The Tuba
Widely known as the granddaddy of all brass instruments, the tuba plays the lowest notes. It is so large that whoever plays it must sit down and rest this large musical instrument on his or her knee. The biggest tuba is eight feet high and when uncoiled is nearly forty-five feed long.
The Sousaphone
John Philip Sousa, an American, invented the sousaphone approximately 100 years ago. He wanted to create a low sounding brass instrument for marching bands. The sousaphone does indeed have a very low deep sound. The size of this musical instrument is so large that the player has to carry it looped over their body and resting on their shoulder. Small button valves close and open to make the different sounds.
The Oboe
Beautiful sweet notes come from the long thin shape of the oboe. Oboe players blow through a double reed which is made from two small slices of cane which are tied together tightly. The player covers the finger holes and presses the small metal caps, called keys, to create the different notes. Oboes are used in orchestras and ensembles main for classical music.
The Clarinet
First heard in the 1700s the sound of the clarinet is sweet and shrill. It is also played through a reed made of cane and the player can change the sound by moving his or her mouth changing the vibrations made by the reed. There are finger holes and metals keys on the clarinet. These create the different notes. The soprano clarinet is the most common, but there are several types.
The Bassoon
The bassoon is a doubled up wooden tube with a curved metal crook. This crook holds the reed. The crook makes it much easier for the player to blow through the mouthpiece and to press the keys at the same time. The bassoonists wear their musical instrument on a neck strap when they play.
The Saxophone
The metal saxophone is actually a woodwind instrument and was invented about one hundred and fifty years ago. The saxophone is a tube of thin metal that widens at one end into a cone shape. There are 18-21 finger holes which are covered by small keys. A reed, made again of cane, is attached to the mouthpiece. The saxophone produces a rich smooth sound. The smallest saxophone plays the highest notes. The contrabass is the largest saxophone and the most popular are the alto and tenor.
The Harmonica
A small metal box with a row of reeds inside, the harmonica is played when the person blows or sucks on it. Harmonicas were first created about one hundred and fifty years ago and are also called mouth organs. Many people play the harmonica at the same time as the guitar and can be held in place by a metal frame around the singer’s neck.
The Sheng
The Chinese sheng was invented thousands of years ago. It is made from 17 bamboo pipes and a gourd. A metal ban holds the pipes together and each has a finger hole and a reed that vibrates when the finger covers the hole. This musical instrument is played often in Chinese orchestras.
Bagpipes
The bagpipes are just that, a bag of air with several pipes sticking out of it at various angles. The bagpipes are played in many countries, including Scotland, Ireland, England, Italy, France, Greece, India and Eastern European countries. The bagpipes make a loud wailing sound that carries a great distance. The bagpiper blows into a long pipe called a blowpipe. This fills the bag with air. The air escapes through the other pipes. A small pipe called the chanter has finger holes that the piper covers to make different notes.

The piano or keyboard is an instrument that can be played in a solo performance or it can be part of a band. Jazz bands make heavy use of pianos since jazz began. The reason for this is that pianos along with guitars are some of the few instruments in a jazz band that can play chords in addition to a melody or counter melody.

In the past, a jazz pianists main role was to keep tempo with a combination of repetitive chords, but in recent years this has changed. Jazz pianists now days are able to select from a multitude of styles and techniques that they will use to accompany a band or singer. Short and sustained chordal or melodic fragments are used.

Experienced jazz pianists are not only great at sight-reading, but can also improvise chord symbols and adapt to the various playing styles of jazz bands. A jazz pianist must balance this improvisation and interpretation with the music style of the band.

The extended range that the piano provides also helps a jazz pianist with creating unique sounds that other instruments in the jazz band can not create.

Jazz pianists have 3 goals that they aim to achieve while they are playing. The first is to provide a clear rhythm and swing. The second is to play a melody or improvised solo with the right hand. Jazz pianists are also expected to help guide the band into chord changes with the help of notes leading up to the chord change.

It is quite a challenge for pianists to meet these 3 demands at the same time. Most jazz pianists are quite skilled in this art and are able to maintain this while planning unique improvisations.

If the intend to be great at playing the piano in a jazz band, you need to master these styles and techniques.

You will hear keyboards in music throughout the world.
All types of concerts feature keyboard players including classical music where the piano usually accompanies solo musical instruments and singers. The piano is often a solo instrument and an example would be called a piano concerto. Classical composers who are considered to be brilliant pianists are Liszt, Beethoven and Mozart.
The piano often plays a big part in jazz bands. The music of jazz originated in America from work songs and traditional spirituals. In jazz music each instrument plays its own tune and often musicians will add or create additional notes as they go. During the 1900s jazz music spread throughout America and the rest of the world.
The Harpsichord
The harpsichord creates a powerful sound which has a clear and crisp tone. It is a beautiful musical instrument which looks a bit like a slender grand piano. It is triangular in shape with four thin legs. The harpsichord may have more than one keyboard. The sound the notes keys are pressed and a small quill called a plectrum plucks the strings inside. The quills inside a harpsichord are made from the tail and wing feathers of a variety of birds. Today, most quills are made of plastic. There are two and sometimes more strings for each key.
The Spinet
This musical instrument is considered the little sister to the harpsichord. People played the spinet at home over three hundred years ago because it was a small musical instrument and could easily fit into homes. The shape of the spinet is triangular and has a keyboard on the shortest side of the triangle. When you press the spinet keys, a tiny quill plucks the inside string to create the note sound. The music sound created is tinkling and quiet. If the lid of the spinet is propped up while being played, the sound grows louder.
The Foretepiano
Invented approximately three hundred years ago, by an Italian named Bartolomeo Cristofori, the fortepiano is an early version of the piano. Cristofori also built the harpsichord and the foretepiano looked like the harpsichord. The main difference between the two was the sound made. When the keys of the fortepiano were pressed, the strings were hit by small hammers, not plucked by quills. This produced a much different sound and was much louder than the harpsichord.
The Grand Piano
The grand piano are the largest pianos manufactured today and can be nearly ten feet long. They are called concert grands while the smaller version is called baby grands. The grand pianos have a sturdy iron frame holding the inside strings and the exterior is made of wood. During the playing of a concert, the lid covering the strings, is propped up to allow the louder sound. A small hammer strikes a string inside the grand piano to create the note. The grand piano also has pedals for the pianist’s feet to change the sound of the notes. The left pedal is used to make the sounds quieter and softer. The right pedal keeps the dampers away from the strings making the sound of the piano richer and fuller.
The Upright Piano
This piano is named for the shape. If you are learning to play the piano, you are most likely learning on the upright piano. It is named for the shape and because it sits against the wall, taking up significantly less space than the grand piano. A small hammer hits a string inside the piano when a key is pressed.
The Melodica
The melodica is a mouth organ that sounds very similar to an organ, but is played through a mouthpiece. The piano melodica has keys along the length of the instrument with a mouthpiece at one end. When air is blown into the mouthpiece you press the keys down to play a tune with the fingers of one hand. Inside the melodica there are reeds which are very slender pieces of metal. The reeds vibrate and produce the notes.
The Accordion
The accordion is a complex musical instrument. You must be physically strong as the accordion needs t o be squeezed in and out in the middle. This section of the accordion is called the bellows. When squeezing the accordion in and out, air is pushed over a set of reeds making the note sounds. The left hand of the accordionist is used to press finger buttons. The right hand is used to play the keys. Invented nearly two hundred years ago in Germany, you can hear the accordion played in folk music in Europe, North and South America.
The Dulcitone
The dulcitone produces a sound that is bell-like and very soft. This musical instrument is small and wooden with four slender legs. Inside the dulcitone is a row of metal bars of various sizes. When a key is pressed, a small hammer hits one of the metal bars to produce a note. A Frenchman named Auguste Mustel invented the dulcitone in the 1800s. The original name for the dulcitone was the tuning fork piano.
The Celeste
The celeste looks slightly similar to the upright piano but produces a very different bell-like sound. Inside the celeste is a row of slender steel bars and the outer case is wood similar to the upright piano. Then the keys are pressed, a tiny felt covered hammer strikes the metal bars. A small hollow box is underneath each of the metal bars. This makes the sound louder. The celeste also has a foot medal, called the sustaining pedal, which makes the notes longer when pressed.
The Organ
The organ is one of the loudest and oldest musical instruments in the world. A row of pipes sounds the notes when air is pushed through. The longest organ is more than sixty feet and the smallest is just a few inches in length. There are two types of organs and each makes a different sound. The flue pipes are open pipes played with a mouthpiece. They can be closed at one end or open. The stopped pipe makes lower notes than the open pipe. Other pipes are called reed pipes and have the slender metal reeds inside making the sounds as air passes over them. Today the biggest organs are played in churches and cathedrals.
The Electronic Organ
The electronic organ does not have pipes. The notes are created from signals produced by electricity. These signals are amplified through speakers. The electronic organ have two keyboards called manuals. They organs also have stops that are switches the player presses making a range of sounds. Percussion and drum sounds are built in to the organ to accompany the player. Electronic organs are played in many pop and rock bands.

Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, Western art, or ecclesiastical and concert music, in the period from the 9th century to the 21st century. The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900, which is known as the common practice period.
Classic music is still played by many of today’s musicians. European classical music is largely distinguished from many other non-European and popular musical forms by its system of staff notation, in use since about the 16th century.
Classical and popular music are often distinguished by their choice of instruments. The instruments used in classical music were mostly invented before the middle of the 19th century. Some of them had been designed even earlier, and codified in the 18th and 19th centuries. They consist of the instruments found in an orchestra, together with a few other solo instruments such as the piano, harp, accordion, and organ.
The great majority of classical music gear fall into six major categories – bowed strings, woodwind, brass, percussion, keyboard, and the guitar family. The first four form the basis of the modern symphony orchestra.
The classical guitar was originally a Spanish-derived, six-stringed instrument. It is played using a plectrum or the finger-nails, with frets set into the fingerboard. Popular music tends to use amplification for both the six-stringed instruments and the four-string bass guitar. The guitar family gradually supplanted the lute which had come to prominence during the Renaissance.
The piano is widely used in Western music for solo performance, chamber music, and accompaniment. It is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal. Although not portable and often expensive, the piano’s versatility and ubiquity have made it one of the most familiar musical instruments.
The piano is sometimes classified as both a percussion and a string instrument. In the period from about 1790 to 1860, during the Mozart-era, piano underwent tremendous changes, which led to the modern form of the instrument. Early technological progress owed much to the English firm of Broadwood, which already had a reputation for the splendor and powerful tone of its harpsichords.
The accordion is played by compression and expansion of a bellows, which generates air flow across reeds. A keyboard or buttons control which reeds receive air flow and therefore determine the tones produced. The accordion’s basic form was invented in Berlin in 1822 by Friedrich Buschmann. The accordion is one of several European inventions of the early 19th century that used free reeds driven by a bellows.
The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the family of string instruments, which also include the viola and cello. The oldest documented violin to have four strings, like the modern violin, was made in 1555.
Significant changes occurred in the shape and structure of the violin in the 18th century, particularly in the length and angle of the neck, as well as in the bass bar. Most of the old violins have undergone these modifications, and hence are in a significantly different shape than their forerunners, undoubtedlys with differences in sound and response.