Groups

Orchestra

There are four main sections to an orchestra: strings woodwind, brass and percussion. Here is a dramatic excerpt from the start of a final movement of the Symphony No. 4 by Tchaikovsky in which all four sections of the orchestra make a significant contribution to the overall sound. 

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Strings

1st & 2nd violins, violas, cellos and double basses. Listen to an example of a string orchestra playing an excerpt from the Romantic period. Notice the strings parts imitate one another, use both sequence, crescendo and the excerpt ends with both a diminuendo and rallentando, slowing down towards the end of the phrase.

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Woodwind

Flutes ( including piccolo), oboes, cor anglais, clarinets, bassoons, bass clarinet and contra(double) bassoons. Listen to an example of a woodwind section playing an excerpt from the Romantic period with four pizzicato chords from the string section at the beginning.

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Brass

French horns, trumpets, trombones and tubas. Here is the continuation of the excerpt above with staccato chords played by the brass with interjections from woodwind instruments, first a clarinet and secondly a piccolo.

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Percussion

Timpani (kettle drums) and other instruments which are hit eg snare drum, bass drum, xylophone and glockenspiel. Listen to an example of a xylophone. Very often the percussion section is used to increase the dramatic effect of a piece of music. Listen to the excerpt from the 20th Century in which various percussion instruments are used to make the music more dramatic. The piano is used in a percussive way with short chords and the pizzicato effects of the strings and the added percussion instruments, give an overall feeling of everything being hit.  

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