The Brass Instrument

The trumpet is the smallest and has the highest pitchin the brass
family.It is played by blowing air in its cup shaped mouthpiece and pressing the valves
to change the pitch.

The trombone has a pitch that is a little lower than the trumpet. It
produces a brassy sound when blown from its mouthpiece. It is the only sliding
instrument that shifts pitch in any key.
 The French horn has a long length of tubing coiled into a circular shape with
flares into a bell at the end. It produces a mellow sound and is played by blowing air into
its funnel shaped mouthpiece.

The tuba is the biggest and has the lowest pitch in the brass family. Sound is
produced by vibrating lips into its cup shaped mouthpiece.
 The Woodwind Instrument

The piccolo is the smallest woodwind instrument. It produces

pitches that are an octave higher than the flute.

The flute can produce high pitch sounds and in rapid succession. Orchestral flutes are
usually made of metal although some are made of wood. Flute is an aerophone or
reedless also known as edge blown wind instrument.

The oboe has two reeds in the mouthpiece. It is considered the most expressive
woodwind instrument.
 The clarinet is a woodwind instrument with only one reed. It can
produce a wide range of low to high notes with versatile sound.

The bassoon is the biggest and has the lowest pitch in the
woodwind family. It can produce a comic and unique sound that is why musicians call it
as the clown of the orchestra.

Saxophone is a woodwind instrument but made of brass played

with a single reed mouthpiece. Its sound is in the middle of the woodwind and brass
sections.
 The Percussion Family

A snare drum or side drum is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato
sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires
held under tension against the lower skin.

The timpani is a single drum head that has a definite

pitch. It is usually played in pairs and its sound is produced by striking its drum head
with a mallet. It is often called as “kettledrum” because of its shape.
 Cymbals are pairs of round plate like
instruments clashed together, or played by striking them with a
beater.
The String Family
 Keyboard

a large keyboard musical instrument with a wooden case enclosing a

soundboard and metal strings, which are struck by hammers when the keys are depressed. The
strings' vibration is stopped by dampers when the keys are released and can be regulated for
length and volume by two or three pedals.