What’s the definition of orchestra?

ORCHESTRA

An orchestra is a large group of instrumental musicians playing together under the direction of a conductor. Orchestras usually include four sections: percussion, brass, woodwinds, and strings. Players of similar instruments sit together, with the conductor keeping time up front.

  1. PERCUSSION: These instruments make sounds when struck, and include items that can be tuned to different notes (glockenspiels and xylophones) as well as those which cannot (drums, cymbals, and triangles).
  2. BRASS: Blowing air through hollow brass tubes produces sound in instruments such as trumpets and French horns. The note is changed by pressing down valves.
  3. LOW BRASS: Trombones, bass trombones, and tubas play the middle to lower brass notes in the orchestra. The trombone has a slide that moves up and down to change the note. The tuba plays the lowest notes, which boom out from its bell-shaped end.
  4. WOODWINDS: This section of the orchestra includes piccolos, flutes, clarinets, bass clarinets, oboes, English horns, bassoons, and contrabassoons. Players blow air over a hole or through a reed to make notes.
  5. TIMPANI: These percussion instruments are giant copper bowls with skin-like heads struck by wool-topped sticks. They are also called kettledrums.
  6. HARP: A harp has a triangle-shaped wooden frame with 47 strings attached. The harpist plays the high notes on thin strings and the low notes on thicker ones.
  7. VIOLIN: There are more violins than any other instrument in the orchestra, and it is the smallest member of the string section. Players make notes by moving a bow across its strings.
  8. STRINGS: The strings often carry the melody (tune), and there are more string instruments than any other type in the orchestra. The section includes violins, violas, cellos, double bass, and harps.
  9. CONDUCTOR: The conductor stands on a raised platform in front of the players. The conductor’s main tasks are to lead the orchestra and keep everyone in time by waving a baton to the beat of the music.

Picture Credit : Google

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