Bell Central School Center

The string section is made up of four main instruments - the violins, violas, cellos and double basses. In an orchestra, the violins are usually split into two sections, playing different parts. Sometimes the double basses share the same music as the cello, and sometimes they each play their own parts. The string instruments all share the same design. Four strings are stretched across a hollow, wooden body. These strings are usually made of nylon, metal or gut. The strings are attached to the tuning-peg at one end and lay across the bridge, where they are attached to the tail-piece at the other end of the instrument. The bow used in string instruments is made of more than two hundred strands of horsehair being stretched tight across a wooden stick. There are three ways that sound can be created on a string instrument - arco, which is drawing the bow across the strings; pizzicato, where the player plucks the strings with his fingertips; and col legno, where the player taps the strings with the wood of the bow. The pitch of a note depends on the length, thickness and tension of the vibrating section of the string. The player shortens the strings by pressing his fingers down on the strings, so that only the length of the string from the tail-piece to his fingertip will vibrate.

The instrument family known as woodwinds got their name originally because the first instruments were made of wood. Today, these instruments are also made up of more modern materials such as plastic and metal. In the modern orchestra, the woodwind section is usually made up of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets and two bassoons to which are sometimes added a piccolo, cor anglais, double bassoon and bass clarinet. All of these instruments share basically the same design, which is a hollow tube along which there are a series of holes covered by keys. These holes can be closed or opened by a system of springs and levers. Sound is produced in these instruments by the vibration of the air column inside the instrument. This is done in three different ways: 1). Edge-tone: This method is used by flutes and piccolos only. The player directs a stream of air edgewise across a hole, and the stream is split by the tapered further edge, causing the air column in the instrument to vibrate. (This is basically the same type of method used when someone blows air across the top of a glass bottle, producing a sound!) 2). Single reed: This is found only in the clarinet. The single reed is made of cane that is shaved thin at one end. This reed fits over a rectangular hole at the mouthpiece, and drives the vibration of the air column when triggered by the breath of the player. 3). Double reed: The rest of the woodwinds have a double reed, which is simply two thin strips of cane attached tightly together. When the player blows into the reeds, they vibrate against each other, causing the air column to vibrate. The woodwind section is placed in the center of the orchestra, since these instruments are given many solos. This is due to the fact that the sound woodwind instruments produce tends to stand out from the other instruments.

The percussion section is the one section in the orchestra with the greatest variety of instruments. Percussion instruments can either be pitched, such as a piano, or non-pitched, such as a wood block. Percussion instruments can be played in many different ways, from being struck with a pair of mallets to being shaken or banged together. Pitched percussion instruments range in size from the tympani to the xylophone, and are many times struck with different kinds and sizes of mallets. Their pitch makes it possible for these instruments to play melodies at times in certain pieces of music. The sound of these pitched percussion instruments ranges from loud, thunderous noises, to quiet, gentle tones depending on the instrument. A piano is considered part of the pitched percussion instruments section because when a piano key is pressed, hammers inside the piano strike metal strings, causing them to vibrate and make a sound.