An Educational Guide to Musical Instruments
Music as an art form produces various sounds that stimulate all physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of human growth. Music has existed since the dawn of mankind and has evolved to include many different types of genres and sub genres. Music varies according to culture and social context. Music consists of several elements, including pitch, rhythm, dynamics, timbre, and texture. People use musical instruments to create sound and to halt it in order to create silence. Musicians may record or play live instruments to entertain a crowd. Each musical instrument demands a certain skill level to create beautifully composed symphonies.
Musical instruments fall into one of several categories, including percussion, wind, woodwind, and stringed. Percussion instruments produce sound when somebody strikes or scrapes a beater, such as the bass drum, castanet, chime, cymbal, Glockenspiel, gong, guiro, snare, drum, tambourine, timpani, triangle, and xylophone. Percussion instruments typically come in one of two classifications, including pitched and unpitched.Brass instruments produce sound when somebody blows air into a mouthpiece and then vibrates in its air column. Common wind instruments include the trombone, trumpet, French horn, and tuba. Woodwind instruments produce sound when a player blows air against a reed, or a sharp edge, which causes the air to vibrate within its resonator. Woodwind instruments fall into one of two categories, including flutes and reed instruments. Common woodwind instruments include the bassoon, saxophone, clarinet, contrabassoon, bass clarinet, flute, oboe, English horn, piccolo, and recorder. String instruments produce sounds when a player vibrates strings. Common stringed instruments include the cello, double bass, harp, viola, violin, guitar, sitar, rabab, electric bass, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, and bouzouki.
Many different types of musical instruments exist that create unique sounds. Some of these musical instruments can entertain large crowds on their own, whereas others sound better when playing in harmony with other instruments. Cultures from all over the world have introduced their own musical instruments for various reasons, ranging from traditional celebrations to religious and ceremonial rites. Students who learn a musical instrument early in their lives can grow up to play in a band or orchestra. Professional orchestra players entertain large crowds by playing in sync with other musicians.
Students interested in playing a musical instrument should research the types of sound each one produces. Choosing an instrument may prove difficult, because of the sheer amount of instruments available. Students should research each musical instrument to see which one resonates with them before randomly choosing one. Not every student can play the drums, clarinet, or piccolo. Listen to various midi files, look over fingering charts, watch a live orchestra, and talk with an established player before making a formal decision. Students who choose an instrument they love will find it easier to learn than an instrument they have no desire to play. Teachers can guide students to learning all of the basic, intermediate, and advanced concepts of playing a musical instrument. Students who follow their instructor and practice away from the classroom will learn to develop solid skills while playing their instrument.
Follow these resource to learn more about musical instruments:
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The Physics of Music: Percussion, Wind, Stringed Instruments WebQuest
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Learn About All Different Kinds of Musical Instruments WebQuest
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A Virtual Instruments Museum from Collections Around the World
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Listen by Instrument: Strings, Percussion, Woodwinds, Brass, and Keyboards
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Scheherazade and the Music of Rimsky-Korsakov: Learning About Symphonic Music: Teacher Resources
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eve Hullett
With years of experience in the field of non-profit education, Eve has done it all. From teaching to tutoring, Eve has worked with hundreds of students to help them succeed in their pursuit of a college education. Today, when Eve is not enjoying a day of hiking, she spends her time writing articles on the strategies and methods of being a good student and fulfilling your goals for a college education.
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