House Of Performance

Reading Music
Rading Music
• Anything set up to create sound vibration
can become a musical instrument.

• Of all the instruments, the “human

voice” is the oldest and most popular.
The voice as a medium of musical
expression is so intimate, personal
and direct.

• It is the most ideal exponent of lyric

melody and has been the model of
instrumentalist in expressing musical
impulses.
 Musical Instruments
are divided into 4
families:
• String
• Woodwind
• Brass
• Percussion
String
• The stringed section includes the
violin, viola, cello, guitar, and
double bass.
• These instruments have four strings
which are played by means of a
“bow”. They can also be played by
plucking called “pizzicato”.
 GUITAR
• Is a plucked (pizzicato)
instrument, with a flat
black and inward
curving sides somewhat
six strings and is said to
be of oriental origin.
Revival of interest in
guitar music was done
by the Spanish
Composer, Francisco
Tarrega (1852-1909).
 VIOLIN
• Has an extremely
wide range, admired
for its singing tone
which is the
instrument closest
to the human voice.
The greatest violin
maker was Antonio
Stradivari an Italian
of origin.
VIOLA
• Is bigger than a
violin. Its strings are
longer, thicker and
heavier and is lower
in range. It is an
ideal instrument to
express mournful
and passionate
nature and
situation.
 CELLO
(VIOLONCELLO
)
• Is popularly known as
“cello”. It has lower
range than the viola,
notable for its lyric
quality and dark
resonance in the lower
range. In the orchestra,
the cellos can perform
functions similar to the
violins and violas.
DOUBLE BASS
• Is so large that it is
played standing. It
has the lowest
range in the string
section. It plays the
bass part, the
foundation of the
harmony.
Woodwind
Instrumen
• The woodwind of the orchestra
consists of members of four different
families:
• Piccolo
• Flute
• Oboe
• Clarinet (an English Horn)

• The tone of the woodwind instrument

is produced by a column of air
vibrating within a pipe that has little
holes at the sides.
PICCOLO
• Means “little flute”.
It has a piercing
tone that produces
the highest note in
the orchestra. The
tone is shrill in the
upper register that
sounds like a
birdcall.
 FLUTE
• It is the orchestra
soprano of the
woodwind choir. It is
one of the oldest
instruments. Its tone
color ranges from the
poetic to the brilliant,
cool and velvety in the
lower register and
smooth in the middle.
OBOE
• Is made up of wood; the
double reed in the
mouthpiece consists of
two slips of cane so
shaped as to leave
between them a small
passage for air. This
instrument is associated
with pastoral scenes and
nostalgic melodies. It
sounds mysterious and
peculiar.
 CLARINET
• Is a single reed
instrument. The tone is
beautiful, clear and
powerful in the higher
register, relax in the
middle and cool and
almost expectral in the
low register. This is
considered the alto of
the woodwind family.
BASS
CLARINET
• It has a rich,
flexible, wide and
dynamic tone,
making it an
invaluable member
of an orchestra. The
range is one octave
lower than that of
the clarinet.
 THE
• It BASSOON
has a heavy, thick
tone in the low register,
dry and sonorous in the
middle, reedy, intense
and somewhat funny in
the upper register. It is
called the “clown of the
orchestra”.
THE
CONTRABASSOON
• Also known as the
“double bassoon” ,
produces the lowest
tone in the orchestra. In
the woodwind section it
is compared to the
double bass among the
strings and that it
supplies the foundation
for the harmony of the
section.
ENGLISH HORN
• It has a heavy, thick
tone in the low register,
dry and sonorous in the
middle, reedy, intense
and somewhat funny in
the upper register. It is
called the “clown of the
orchestra”.
 Brass
Instrumen
• The brass family consists of the
trumpet, cornet, trombone, horn and
tuba.
• This section can be utilized in playing
melodies, sustaining harmony, rhythmic
accent for massed tone and sonority that
contributes to the climax of the music.

• These instruments have cup-shaped

mouthpieces, except for the French horn,
whose mouthpiece is shaped like a funnel.
TRUMPET
• It is associated with
martial music. The
tone is firm, brilliant
that gives radiance
to the orchestral
mass.
 TROMBONE
• It is an Italian word
which means “large
trumpet”. It has its
sonorous tone that
combines the
2 types: brilliance of the
trumpet and the
• The slide majesty of the horn.
• The valve
HORN
• It is generally called
“French Horn”, has 4
valves played by the
left hand instead of the
right hand like the
trumpet and cornet.
This instrument was
first developed by the
French kings for
elaborate hunting calls.
 TUBA
• It is the bass of the
brass choir. It furnishes
the harmonic
foundation of the
section. It is made of
metal and has three
valves, but some tube
has a fourth valve thus
expanding the range of
the instrument.
2 types:
• Upright
• Bell front
CORNET
• It is very similar to the
trumpet. It has 3
valves, the same cup-
shaped mouthpiece,
but partly cylindrical
and partly conical in
bore; the tone is more
mellow, less piercing
and shorter in length
than the trumpet.
Percussion
Instrument
s
• The term percuss means, “to strike” so that
all instruments whose manner of playing is
either by striking, plucking, or strumming,
directly or indirectly, fall under the
Percussion section.
• The percussion of the orchestra is
divided into two:

a. Percussion with definite pitch

b. Percussion without definite pitch
Percussion with definite
pitch
TIMPANI
• (Kettle drum) are used
in sets of two, four or
six drums. It is a
hemisphere copper
shell across which is
stretched head of
calfskin held by a metal
ring. It is played with
two padded sticks
which may be either
soft or hard.
 XYLOPHONE
• Is consists of tuned
blocks of wood
which produce a dry
crisp timbre when
struck. It is
frequently used in
primitive cultures
particularly in Africa.
CELESTA
• It resembles a small
upright piano. It is
operated by a
keyboard, the steel
plates when struck by a
small hammer produces
an ethereal sound. It is
best adapted to light
and graceful effects.
 PIANOFORTE
• Popularly known as
“piano”. It is the most
popular instrument
used in the home as
well as in the concert
stage. Its strings, inside
the body of the piano,
are struck with little
hammers controlled by
a keyboard mechanism.
HARP
• It is said to be the
oldest musical
instruments. It was the
traditional instrument
of the bands of the
ancient Britain and
Ireland. Its strings are
played by plucking and
produce a crystalline
tone that blends well
with the orchestra
timbre.
 CHIMES
• Are bell-like sounds. It
is a set of metal tubes,
suspended from a
metal frame,
chromatically tuned
and struck with a
wooden hammer. They
are employed to
produce the effect of
church bells, hence the
alternative name
“tubular bells”.
Percussion without definite
pitch
SNARE DRUM
• Also known as “side
drum”. It is a small
drum with two heads
stretched over a shell of
metal. The upper head,
which is struck by the
player with his two
drumsticks is called
batterhead. The lower
is called the snare-head
which is equipped with
snares.
 CASTANETS
• Consist of cup-shaped
wooden clappers
clicked rhythmically
together by Spanish
dancers to whose
hands they are
attached. In orchestral
use, they are mounted
in a handle which is
shaken.
BASS DRUM
• With its Italian name a
“gran cassa”. A large
drum which varies in
size both in depth and
diameter, the heads are
thicker and the tension
is much less than with
smaller drums, which
produces a deep
sonorous sound like
that of a cannon.
 CYMBALS
• It consists of two large
circular brass plates of
equal size, made
slightly convex so that
only the edges will
touch together. They
are struck together with
a sliding motion to
create a crashing
sound.
GONGS
• Also called “tam-tam”
of Chinese origin. A
broad circular disc of
metal slightly convex
with the edges turned
giving it the
appearance of a
shallow plate with low
vertical sides. It is
suspended on a frame
so as to hand freely and
is struck with a heavy
bass drum.
 TRIANGLE
• It is a small round bar
of steel bent in shape of
a triangle, open at the
upper end, struck with
a beater of the same
material. The tone is
penetrating and should
be used sparingly. It
can play single strokes,
rhythmic, sparingly and
rolls.
TAMBOURINE
• It is a small single-
headed drum, the shell
of which is pierced at
intervals to allow the
insertion of loosely-
hanging jingles made of
circular metal plates,
usually in pairs
connected by a metal
wire which passes
through the holes of the
shell.
END!!