Instruments of the

Orchestra

Orchestral landscape

Instrument families
When we talk about musical instruments,
we often talk about them as being part of a
family. That's because, just like in human
families, the instruments in a particular
family are related to each other. They are
often made of the same types of materials,
usually look similar to one another, and
produce sound in comparable ways. Some
are larger and some are smaller, just as
parents are bigger than children.

The String Family

The strings are the largest family in
the orchestra and they come in four
sizes.

String Facts
Made of wood
Bodies are hollow to allow the sound to
vibrate
The strings are normally made of nylon,
steel, or gut.
Sound is produced by drawing a bow
across them
The strings of the bow are made of
horsehair from horses tails

The violin

Violin Facts
The smallest of the string family and
produces the highest sounds.
There are more violins in the orchestra
than any other instrument
They are divided into 2 groups, First and
second.
First violins often play the melody
Second violins alternate between
melody and harmony.

The Viola

Viola Facts
The viola is the older sister or
brother of the violin. It is slightly
larger, just over two feet long, and
has thicker strings, which produce a
richer, warmer sound than the violin.
There are usually 10 to 14 violas in
an orchestra and they almost always
play the harmony.

The Cello

Cello Facts
Of all the string instruments, the cello sounds
most like a human voice, and it can make a
wide variety of tones, from warm low pitches
to bright higher notes.
There are usually 8 to 12 cellos in an orchestra
and they play both harmony and melody.
Since the cello is too large to put under your
chin, you play it sitting down with the body of
the cello between your knees, and the neck on
your left shoulder.

The Double Bass

(Contrabass)

Double Bass Facts

This is the grandfather of the string family.
At over 6 feet long, the double bass is the
biggest member of the string family, with
the longest strings, which allow it to play
very low notes.
The 6 to 8 double basses of the orchestra
are almost always playing the harmony.
They are so big that you have to stand up or
sit on a very tall stool to play them, and it
helps if you have long arms and big hands.

The Harp

Harp Facts
It's tall, about six feet, shaped a little
like the number 7, and has 47 strings
of varying lengths, which are tuned
to the notes of the white keys of the
piano.
Attached to the bottom of the harp
are seven foot pedals, which change
the pitch of each string and allow
them to sound the pitches of the
black keys on the piano