Instrument Families

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Instrument Families
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String Family

• The Violin
• Highest sounding from all of the string
  instruments
• Has the strings E, A, D, G
• Is played by plucking the string with the finger,
  or using a bow across the strings
• The violin reads treble clef

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• The Viola
• Bigger in size than the violin
• Has a lower string, C
• Unlike the violin, it does not have an E string
• Viola reads alto clef

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• The Cello
• Strings are tuned just like the viola, but one
  octave lower
• Has an end-pin on which it stands on the floor
• Deeper sounding than the violin and viola
• Reads bass clef

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• The Bass
• Lowest sounding of all the string instruments
• Tuned like the violin, but the sound of the
  strings are opposite (E is the lowest string, G
  is the highest string)
• Performers stand up or sit on a stool
• Like the cello, the bass reads bass clef

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Woodwind Family

• The Flute
• A reed-less wind instrument
• Sound is produced by the flow of air across the
  embouchure
• It is held to the performers right, parallel with
  the ground

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• The Clarinet
• Comes in a dozen sizes
• Is a single reed instrument
• The most common is the B-flat soprano clarinet

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• The Saxophone
• A single reed instrument
• Invented by Adolphe Sax in 1841
• The E-flat soprano sax and the B-flat tenor sax
  are the most common ones
• Particularly associated with jazz music

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• The Oboe
• A double reed instrument
• A large range of timbre and dynamics can be
  produced
• The oboe tunes the orchestra, giving the
  musicians the reference pitch of concert A

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• The Bassoon
• A double reed instrument
• Generally plays in the bass and tenor registers
• Has a warm and dark sound