The tambourine is a common percussion instrument. It consists of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called “zills”. Tambourines come in many shapes with the most common being circular. The tambourine is usually held in the hand. The jingles can be made to sound by hitting the frame … Read more
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. It is characterized by its striking, triumphal sound and by the fact that it boasts the highest register of all the brass instruments. Its powerful tone is made by blowing air through nearly-closed lips, producing a sound that starts a standing wave vibration … Read more
The oboe is a woodwind instrument with a double reed. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin or hybrid composites. The oboe has four parts: the bell, lower joint, upper joint, and the reed. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano … Read more
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike other woodwind instruments a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument. The sound is produced by a stream of air directed against a sharp edge, upon which the air breaks up into eddies that alternate regularly above and below the edge, setting into … Read more
The harp is a stringed musical instrument. It has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard. The strings are plucked with the fingers. Each string produces one note, the gradation of string length from short to long corresponding to that from high to low pitch. Harps vary globally in many … Read more
The double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra. It is also known by many other names including contrabass, string bass, bass, bass viol, bass fiddle, or bull fiddle. The double bass is a standard member of the orchestra’s string section, as well as the concert band, and … Read more
The clarinet is a family of woodwind instruments. The clarinet body is made up of a single-reed mouthpiece, barrel, upper joint, pads, keys, ring key, rod, lower joint, and bell. Making a sound with the clarinet is easier than making a sound with many other wind instruments. Blowing through the reed makes the reed vibrate, … Read more
The cello or violoncello is a string instrument of the violin family. It produces a deep, rich, and vibrant sound. The strings are usually tuned to the notes C2, G2, D3 and A3. Each string is an octave lower than the viola’s four strings. In modern symphony orchestras, it is the second largest stringed instrument … Read more