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Instrument Families

There are four families of instrument. Each family is defined by the way the instruments produce sound. 

  • Instruments which use strings are called string instruments.
  • Instruments which produce sound when they are hit or shaken are called percussion.
  • Instruments which use air are divided into two groups – those that are always made of metal and which are played with a funnel-shaped mouthpiece are brass instruments, and those which can be made of wood are called woodwind. (Woodwind instruments include some instruments that are usually made of metal, such as the flute or saxophone, and also instruments that are sometimes made from plastic.)

Reed Instruments 

In the woodwind family, the clarinet, oboe and bassoon all produce sound using a reed. The clarinet is a single-reed instrument, and the oboe and bassoon are double-reed instruments. A double reed is simply two reeds bound together at one end.

Instruments of Indefinite Pitch

The instruments in the strings, woodwind and brass families are all pitched instruments. This means they play notes which have a definite pitch, which you can write on a stave. In the percussion family, some instruments are pitched, and others are unpitched. Unpitched instruments make a “sound” but not a “note”. This is also called “indefinite pitch”. Here are some examples.

Pitched Percussion  Indefinite Pitch Percussion  
Xylophone (made of wood)
Glockenspiel (made of metal)
Timpani (or “kettle drums”)  
A kettle drum can only be tuned to play one note at a time, so usually you find two or three in an orchestra, each tuned to play different notes (e.g. the tonic and dominant).  
Gong
Triangle
Cymbals
Castanets
Bass drum
Snare drum
 

Members of Instrument Families

In each family the instruments are listed in order from the smallest (=highest) to the biggest (=lowest).

Family Instrument Picture Clef Transposing?  Sound
 String Violin violin treble clef No audio
Viola Viola alto clef No audio
Cello cello

bass clef

alto clef

treble clef

No audio
Double bass double bass bass clef 8ve down audio
 Woodwind Flute flute treble clef No audio
Oboe oboe treble clef No audio
Clarinet clarinet treble clef Yes (Bb/A) audio
Bassoon bassoon

bass clef

alto clef

treble clef

No audio
 Brass Trumpet trumpet treble clef Yes (Bb) audio
French horn french horn

treble clef

bass clef

Yes (F) audio
Trombone trombone

bass clef

alto clef

treble clef

No audio
Tuba tuba bass clef No audio
Percussion

The percussion family is very big. Click this link to learn more about some of the more common instruments: 

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussion