Instruments and their families

Families

• Instruments can be split up into different groups, or families.
• These relate to the way an instrument is played, the sound it makes or the material it is made from.
• The main five groups are: Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Keyboards, and Percussion.

Strings

• Stringed instruments are "chordophones" which means they make sound by vibration of their strings.
• This family includes:
  • Violin
  • Viola
  • Cello
  • Double Bass
  • Harp
  • Guitar (electric and acoustic)
• All except guitars are found in symphony orchestras

Brass

• Brass instruments are - surprisingly enough - usually made of brass.
• They are "aerophones" so produce sound as the air blown through them vibrates in the tubes.
• They use a series of valves (or a slide) to produce the required pitch, passing the air through a longer or shorter distance of tubes.
• The longer the distance, the lower the note.
• Some Brass instruments include:
  • Trumpet
  • Trombone
  • Tuba
  • French Horn
  • Cornet
  • Tenor Horn
  • Euphonium
• The first four are found in symphony orchestras

Woodwind

• Woodwind instruments are, as their name suggests, usually made from wood, and create sound with the aid of wind.
• They are "aerophones", and produce a note in most cases by air passing across a reed, which causes air inside the instrument to vibrate before being amplified.
• The exceptions to this are flute and picollo.
• These instruments can be single- or double-reeded. Some examples are:
  • Flute
  • Oboe
  • Clarinet
  • Bassoon
  • Piccolo
  • Cor Anglais
  • Bass Clarinet
  • Contra Bassoon
• The first four are found in symphony orchestras, the others only occasionally.

Keyboards

• Keyboard instruments have a keyboard, like a piano, that you play and which then produces the given note for you.
• This family includes:
  • Piano
  • Harpsichord
  • Organ
  • Electric organ
  • Electric keyboard
  • Clavichord

Percussion

• Most percussion instruments are "idiophones" - make sound when hit - or "membranophones" - make a sound through the vibration of a stretched skin.
• The percussion family is very large, and includes:
  • Timpani (kettle drums)
  • Drums
  • Cymbals
  • Maracas
  • Bongos
  • Woodblocks
• The list goes on and on...