What Are the Major Instruments Involved in Orchestral Events?

Have you ever been mesmerized by an opera or adored orchestral events so much that you keep wondering about the instruments used in the event?

Usually, orchestral events are performed at an orchestra pit with large, different, and unique instruments playing together in a theatre specifically designed for musicians.

The instruments in an orchestra are classified into five main groups based on how they appear and sound: the string family, the woodwind family, the brass family, the percussion family, and the keyboard family.

Depending on the size of the orchestra and the demands of the musical score, each sort of group includes a variety of various instruments.

Hence, the instruments may differ from one event to another, but major instruments will remain the same.

Read on to learn about the different instruments involved in the five instrumental families of the orchestra.

The Instruments Involved in Orchestras Event

Unlike previous times, large orchestras with several instruments can be seen performing in massive stadiums at open-air concerts.

Let’s look at the instruments of each five main groups.

1. Strings

Did you know that the string family of any orchestra occupies the biggest section but has only five different instruments?

The string groups are responsible for forming the music’s basic playing for most of the part.

The instrument bodies that are hollow inside to allow sound to vibrate within them are made of wood, whereas the part that makes the sound strings is usually made from animal intestines or steel.

The strings are the most prominent instruments in the orchestra, and they come in four sizes.

· Violin: Violins are pretty small in the string family, with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. A high pitch is one of its main characteristics.

· Viola: It is slightly larger, about two feet long, and has thicker strings, which produces a more prosperous, warmer sound than the violin.

· Cello: The cello resembles the violin and viola, but it is somewhat larger and has thicker strings. It has four strings and is held between the knees.

· Double Bass: The head of the string family is over 6 feet long. The double bass is the largest member of the string family, with the longest strings, which allow it to play low notes.

· Harp: Unlike other stringed instruments, the harp is different. It is tall, about six feet, and has 47 strings of varying lengths, which are tuned to the notes of the piano’s white keys.

String instruments are essential for an orchestra because they are the most common instruments used in classical music pieces.

The string instruments are positioned in a fan shape at the front of the orchestra. They sit directly in front of the conductor in a set order.

2. Woodwinds

The term “woodwind” refers to the wood used to make these instruments and the requirement to blow air or wind into them to make a sound.

Initially, the orchestra’s woodwind instruments were constructed using wood; but nowadays, metal and plastic are also used.

The main woodwind family instruments in an orchestra are:

· Flute: The flute is the oldest instrument that produces pitched sounds and was initially made from wood, bamboo, stone, and clay. Modern flutes are made of silver, gold, or platinum.

· Piccolo: It is a shorter version of the flute, an half the size of a standard flute. It plays the highest notes of all the woodwinds. A solo flute player can play piccolo in the orchestra if that instrument is required.

· Oboe: It is a 2-foot black cylinder with metal keys covering its holes and a double-reed mouthpiece that vibrates as you blow into it, creating sound.

· Bassoon: The bassoon is a long, doubled-in-half pipe constructed of wood with many keys. The bend in the pipe allows players to play it more comfortably.

· Contrabassoon: The contrabassoon is the large instrument that plays the lowest notes in the wind section, and its tube is doubled over twice to allow the musician to grasp it. To make sound come out of such a long pipe takes a lot of breath.

· Saxophone: The saxophone is a standard woodwind instrument in symphonic bands but rare in an orchestra.

The woodwind section follows the string family and is positioned behind them in the middle.

3. Brass

Brass instruments have been used in historical military campaigns and religious ceremonies for thousands of years.

These instruments have a huge effect on the development of music that produces tones by the lip’s vibration as the player blows into a tubular resonator.

The shape of the mouthpiece depends on the instrument.

During symphonies and film scores, the brass section rests a lot, but they usually dominate the melody when they start to play.

From the highest to lowest pitch, the brass section of an orchestra consists of:

· Trumpet: The trumpet has been a part of human culture for a long time and was made of a conch shell, animal horn, wood, or metal. It plays the highest pitches with its bright and vibrant sound.

· Trombone: The trombone plays a vital role in balancing the trumpet’s high sounds with the rest of the musicians in modern orchestras.

· Horn: It is 18 feet of tubing rolled up into a circular shape, with a large bell at its end. It creates a wide range of sounds, from extremely loud to extremely soft and from harsh and blaring to mellow and pleasant.

· Tuba: A tuba is easily recognizable due to its distinctive silhouette of a long metal tube curved into an oblong shape. It produces a beautifully warm and rich sound.

Brass instruments are fairly loused and disruptive, so they are positioned towards the back of the orchestra, just in front of the percussion instruments.

4. Percussion

The percussion instrument is the oldest group of instruments that create sound by striking the instruments producing a loud sound.

This can be played with the player’s hands or with sticks, mallets, or beaters.

Percussion instruments are responsible for maintaining the rhythm of a piece of music.

· Timpani: It is also known as Kettledrums. It is a drum with a flexible membrane called head stretched over a large copper bowl. The player uses a mallet to strike the drumhead.

· Keyboard Percussion: Keyboard percussion gets its name from the arrangement of their tuned bars, which are arranged like the keys of a piano. These instruments use bars that are made of wood like the marimba and the xylophone, and some have bars made of metal like the vibraphone and the glockenspiel.

· Chimes: It is another type of keyboard percussion made of metal tubes that sound like church bells.

· Triangle: It is a piece of metal bent into a triangular shape and played with a small rod called a beater. They can be of any size and can be made to produce a single clear tone or a collection of contrasting tones.

· Cymbals: Cymbals are made from two thin metal plates that produce a loud, metallic sound when struck. Cymbals can also be played by hitting them with drumsticks or mallets while hanging from a rope or stand.

· Snare Drum: It is constructed of a hollow cylinder of metal or wood with two drumheads stretched over it. It is beaten with two drumsticks, held on each hand.

· Bass Drum: The bass drum consists of a cylindrical soundbox made of wood or metal. Because of its huge size, it produces low rumbling tones that emphasize the music’s rhythm.

· Tam-Tams and Gongs: These are metal plates hammered to a certain thickness to allow them to resonate. Gongs and Tam-Tams have varying tones and come in various forms and sizes.

Percussion instruments can be incredibly loud, and they are positioned at the very back of the orchestra.

5. Keyboard

Keyboard instruments play a rhythmic role in music.

Even though keyboards are not included in every orchestral score, they are a common part of the developed orchestra.

They exist to provide melodic support, harmonic reinforcement, and even solo lines and duets with other orchestral instruments.

· Piano: It was first created in the early 1700s and is one of the most commonly played and well-known instruments. It covers the full spectrum of the pitch by striking metal strings with a felt hammer that is operated by the keyboard.

· Celesta: The celesta looks like a small upright piano, but its sound is made by keys striking hammers that then strike metal plates suspended over resonators. It has a lovely, ethereal tone.

· Harpsichord: It is the direct precursor to the piano used extensively in the Baroque era. Unlike the piano, harpsichords do not have pedals, and many have two keyboards instead of one. They also have ornately decorated bodies and lids.

· Pipe Organ: It is the largest instrument in symphonic music and has 33,114 pipes. Pipe organs are huge and expensive, so most orchestras do not have one in their concert hall. Instead, they use an electronic synthesizer or a smaller portable organ.

· Continuo Organs: A continuo organ was usually used for baroque and early music as a part of a continuo group of instruments.

These are portable, self-contained organs with a smaller set of pipes that are often used as accompanying instruments in smaller orchestras or solo music.

Keyboard instruments are placed towards the back near the percussion section.

Conclusion

Different forms of music require different types of instruments and can shift the scenery of the orchestra around the core string players.

Depending on the composer’s demands in the instrumentation, each instrument has its role and is played as needed.

If you want to learn more, get in touch with Rick Perdian, Best Orchestras Events in the USA.