Instruments of the Orchestra: The Brass Family If you think the brass family got its name because the instruments are made of brass, you're right! This family of instruments can play louder than any other in the orchestra and can also be heard from far away. Although their early ancestors are known to have been made of wood, tusks, animal horns or shells, today's modern instruments are made entirely of brass. Brass instruments are essentially very long pipes that widen at their ends into a bell-like shape. The pipes have been curved and twisted into different shapes to make them easier to hold and play. Like the woodwind family, brass players use their breath to produce sound, but instead of blowing into a reed, you vibrate your own lips by buzzing them against a metal cup-shaped mouthpiece.
Instruments of the Orchestra: The Percussion Family The percussion family is the largest in the orchestra. Percussion instruments include any instrument that makes a sound when it is hit, shaken, or scraped. It's not easy to be a percussionist because it takes a lot of practice to hit an instrument with the right amount of strength, in the right place and at the right time. Toledo Symphony Orchestra - Musicians Pat is from the suburban Cleveland area. She received her BachelorsDegree in Violin Performance from Bowling Green State University (studied with Young Nam Kim). Honors there included sharing concertmaster duties in the University Orchestra, participating in all Honors music courses, and being selected to the Board of Tutors.Additional summer study was done in Boston (with Louis Krasner) and in San Fransisco (with member of San Fransisco Symphony).Pat has been section violinist with the Toledo Symphony since the fall of 1974. During the past 20 years, her responsibilities have also included, on an occasional basis, serving as Assistant Concertmaster. After joining the Toledo Symphony in September 2000, Merwin Siu has plunged gleefully into all aspects of Toledo’s musical soundscape. Increasingly recognized as a narrator and public speaker, Merwin regularly interacts with audience members on numerous TSO series, as well as presenting pre-concert lectures and discussions. But wait! Mr.
Music for Kids: How Brass Instruments Work Making the Sound Brass instruments get their sound from the vibrations of the musician's lips. This works by the player putting their lips tightly into the mouthpiece and blowing. The vibration between the lips and mouthpiece causes the air to vibrate down the long brass tube. Musicians can vary the notes they play, the tone of the music, and the loudness by controlling the vibration of their lips. Valves and Slides Brass instruments that are a fixed length can only make a few notes. Valves When you look at all those tubes and curves in a trumpet, French horn, or tuba it can look almost like a mess of spaghetti. Valves on a Trumpet The air that is blown into the mouthpiece eventually goes to the end, or bell, of the brass instrument. Slide Another way to change the length of the tube is by using a slide. Bore and Bell The tube of the instrument is called the bore. Bells on brass instruments Fun Facts about How Brass Instruments Work More on Brass Instruments: Back to Kids Music Home Page