Timbre A description of the actual sounds that you hear. “Tone color” or “quality”

Timbre Timbre can be a list of the instruments or voices that you hear. Timbre can also refer to the variations in tone color of a specific instrument (a bright guitar or dark voice).

Timbre 6 Families of Instruments

Family An instrument is grouped into a family based on how it PRODUCES sound (not how it sounds, what it looks like, what material it’s made from, etc).

6 Families String Woodwind Brass Percussion Keyboard Electronic

Rule of Thumb The smaller/shorter the vibrating element (string, pipe, air tube, etc.), the HIGHER the pitch. The larger/longer the vibrating element, the LOWER the pitch.

String Bowed Strings –Violin –Viola –Violoncello (cello) –Double bass The nucleus of an orchestra consists of bowed strings.

String Plucked Strings –Guitar –Banjo –Mandolin –Bass Guitar –Balalaika –Lute

Woodwinds Single reed (clarinet and saxophone) Double reed (oboe, bassoon and English horn) No reed (flute and piccolo)

Brass Trumpet Trombone French Horn Tuba

Percussion Definite pitch (marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, chimes, bells, timpani) Indefinite pitch (bass drum, snare drum, woodblocks, cymbal)

Keyboard Piano Pipe organ (king of instruments) Harpsichord

What is the proper name of the piano?

pianoforte

Electronic Electronic keyboards Computer Synthesizer MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)

Orchestra A group of (usually more than 20) instruments which has bowed strings as its nucleus. To that, you may add any number or type of instruments.

Dave Matthews Band The instruments in his band include guitar, bass guitar, drums, and violin. Just because it has a violin, it is not an orchestra!

Seating plan of an Orchestra Softest instruments in front (bowed strings) Woodwinds behind Brass behind Percussion in back Loudest instruments are in the back.

Conductor Stands in front of orchestra Keeps time and keeps them together Listens to sound and shapes the music as it’s being played

Conductor The music directors of the "Big Five" orchestras of the United States each made over $1,000,000 per year, with the music director of the New York Philharmonic making the most, at $2,777,753 during the season. Music directors of smaller full-time orchestras, like in Atlanta, Minnesota, St. Louis, and Baltimore made from $400,000 to $977,000 per year.

Concertmaster First chair first violin Responsible for bowings in the section Plays all passages written for solo violin Tunes up the orchestra Is expected to “stand in” for the conductor if necessary

Concertmaster The concertmaster for the Atlanta Symphony set a new all time high compensation level at $578,436. The average compensation for the Top 10 highest paid concertmasters is $418,324.

Voices

SATB

Voices Female: Soprano (high) Alto / Contralto (low) Male: Tenor (high) Bass (low)

Voices – Most Common Female: Mezzo Soprano Male: Baritone

A cappella Unaccompanied voices Literally, “as in the chapel” – i.e., no instruments.