Crescendo | Diminuendo | Orchestra | Strings | Woodwind | Brass | Percussion | Keyboards | Folk instruments | String instruments | Rock and Pop | Recorder | Pan pipes | Soprano voice | Alto voice | Tenor Voice | Bass Voice | Distortion | Reverb | Delay | Electronic drums | Latin American percussion ensemble
| When the music becomes gradually louder in this example played by a Military Band. | ||
| When the music becomes gradually softer in this example played by an Orchestra. | ||
| There are four main sections to an orchestra: strings woodwind, brass and percussion. The example is played by an Orchestra. | ||
1st & 2nd violins, violas, cellos and double basses. The example is of a string Orchestra playing an excerpt from the Romantic period. |
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| Flutes (including piccolo), oboes, cor anglais, clarinets, bassoons, bass clarinet and contra(double) bassoons. The example is of a woodwind section playing an excerpt from the Romantic period with four pizzicato chords from the string section at the beginning. | ||
| French horns, trumpets, trombones and tubas. Listen to an example of a Brass group playing some renaissance music. | ||
timpani (kettle drums) and other instruments which are hit e.g. snare drum, bass drum, xylophone and glockenspiel with this example played on a Xylophone. |
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| Instrument whose sound is made by pressing down keys e.g. piano,organ, electronic keyboard, and synthesiser. The example is from a Concerto played by a Piano and Orchestra. | ||
Any instrument used in folk music. In Scotland these might include fiddle, clarsach, accordion, pipes, penny whistle and guitar and many others. |
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| Types of instruments whose sounds are produced by making strings vibrate. Orchestra and other string instruments such as guitar, harp, banjo, mandolin and lute, with this example of two harps playing together. | ||
| Mainly electric guitars, bass guitar, drum kit, keyboards and whatever other instruments are added for further backing. | ||
| There are four main types, descant, treble, tenor and bass. The instruments originate from the Renaissance period. Listen to an example from the baroque period, accompanied by orchestra | ||
Pipes which are graded in size and are bound together. The sound is made by blowing across the top of the pipes. One of the oldest wind instruemnts from South America. Listen to an example |
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| The highest range of female voice. The excerpt is of a soprano solo accompanied by a choir. | ||
| The lowest female voice. This example is from the baroque period. | ||
| A high adult male voice. This example is a tenor solo accompanied by a choir. | ||
| The lowest male voice. This is an example from a musical. | ||
An electronic effect used in rock music to colour the sound of an electric guitar. |
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| An electronic effect which give the impression of different hall acoustics. with this example a Gaelic song with reverb on the voice. | ||
| An electronic effect which repeats a note or phrase. | ||
| A machine which electronically recreates the same sounds as a drum kit or other percussion instruments. | ||
A set of percussion instruments playing music from Latin America, especially Brazil and Cuba. Rhythm is the most important element. This example is of Salsa with lots of percussion, singer and piano. |
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A very fast repetition of a note on a percussion instrument, e.g. on a snare drum on timpani. |
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Changing the pitch of a note,e.g. by pushing a guitar string upwards. |
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A band which plays music for people to dance to. The instruments may include fiddle, accordion, piano, bass and drumkit as well as modern accompanying instruments such as electric guitar and keyboards. |
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Music written for a small instrumental ensemble with one player to a part . |