Musical Instruments
A musical instrument is simply a device or object that is used to create music. These instruments produce sound by vibrating strings, membranes or air columns, which are then amplified or modified to produce specific pitches, tones or timbres.
What is an Orchestra?
An orchestra is a large ensemble of musicians who play various musical instruments together. They are typically led by a conductor and consist of four main sections:
- Strings. This section includes instruments such as violins, violas, cellos and double basses. They produce sound by vibrating strings, either bowed or plucked, and form the core of the orchestra.
- Woodwinds. The woodwind section comprises instruments like flutes, saxophones, clarinets, oboes and bassoons. These instruments produce sound by blowing air across or through a reed.
- Brass. The brass section includes instruments like trumpets, trombones, French horns and tubas. Brass instruments produce sound by buzzing lips into a mouthpiece, with the resulting vibrations amplified through a metal tube.
- Percussion. The percussion section encompasses a wide range of instruments, including drums, cymbals, timpani and xylophones. They produce sound by striking, shaking or scraping the instrument.
These days it’s not difficult to create a full orchestra from the comfort of your home. Musical notation software such as Sibelius and DAWs (digital audio workstations) such as Logic Pro make it easy to digitally compose and produce realistic orchestral music tracks.
In this ‘Musical Instruments’ section, the talented musicians at Awakened Soul Productions will explain the use of various orchestral instruments (and provide some helpful tips along the way).