The Families of Instruments

1
The Families of Instruments

• Brass, Woodwinds, Strings, Percussion and
  Keyboards

2
BRASS

• Includes the Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone,
  Baritone, and Tuba.
• Player buzzes lips to make a sound.
• All have valves except the Slide trombone.

3
WOODWINDS

• Includes the Piccolo, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet,
  Saxaphone, Bassoon, and recorder.
• All require reeds except the flute, piccolo and
  recorder.
• Woodwinds were originally made of wood and have
  lots of keys.

4
STRINGS

• Includes the Violin, Viola, Cello, String Bass,
  and Guitar.
• Sound is produced by drawing a bow across the
  strings, or by plucking the strings.
• The bow is made of horsehair and wood.
• The body is made of wood.

5
Percussion

• Includes instruments played by being struck with
  sticks, hammers, or hands, or by being shaken.
  (Drums, woodblocks, xylophone, and cymbals)
• Most percussion instruments are unpitched,
  however, the timpani and xylophone are two
  exceptions.

6
Keyboards

• Includes the Piano, Organ, Harpsichord, and
  Electric Keyboard.
• Pianos have 88 keys, and organs can have many
  more!
• There is a huge variety of keyboard instruments!