Instruments of the orchestra: the four families
The orchestra has four main families: strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. Harp and keyboard instruments join as needed. Each family makes sound in its own way, and each has instruments from high to low.
A symphony orchestra is a large group of musicians who play together under a conductor. It usually has between 60 and 100 players. To make sense of so many instruments, musicians sort them into four families: strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. Two more instruments, the harp and the keyboard instruments, join in when a piece needs them.
Instruments in the same family make sound in a similar way and blend well together. Within each family there are high instruments and low instruments, like the soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices in a choir. This page walks through each family, then shows how the whole group sits on the stage.
What are the four families?
| Family | How the sound is made | Main instruments |
|---|---|---|
| Strings | A string vibrates when bowed or plucked | Violin, viola, cello, double bass |
| Woodwinds | Air vibrates in a tube, split on an edge or through a reed | Flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon |
| Brass | The player's buzzing lips vibrate in a metal tube | Trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba |
| Percussion | A surface or bar is struck or shaken | Timpani, snare drum, cymbals, xylophone |
What do the string instruments do?
The string family is the heart of the orchestra and usually makes up more than half of the players. Sound starts when a string vibrates, and the hollow wooden body of the instrument amplifies it. Players most often draw a bow across the strings. They can also pluck them, which is called pizzicato.
- Violin: the smallest and highest. It plays melodies and is split into two groups, first and second violins.
- Viola: slightly larger and lower. Its warm, darker tone fills the middle of the harmony. It reads alto clef, which you can learn at alto clef.
- Cello: held between the knees. Its range covers the male voice and it can sing lyrical melodies or play the bass.
- Double bass: the largest and lowest. It supports the whole orchestra from below and often plays the same notes as the cellos, an octave lower.
Longer strings and bigger bodies make lower pitches, which is true of all string instruments. Shortening a string with a finger makes the pitch go up.
How do woodwind instruments make sound?
Woodwinds are tubes with holes. Closing or opening the holes changes the length of the vibrating column of air and so the pitch. They get their name from being made of wood in the past, though the flute is now usually metal. The family divides by how the sound begins.
- Flute and piccolo: the player blows across an edge, like blowing across a bottle. The piccolo is a small flute that sounds an octave higher.
- Oboe and English horn: a double reed, two thin blades of cane that buzz against each other. The tone is nasal and expressive. The oboe usually gives the note A for the orchestra to tune to.
- Clarinet: a single reed that vibrates against the mouthpiece. It has a very wide range and a smooth, woody sound.
- Bassoon and contrabassoon: double reed instruments with a long folded tube. They play the low woodwind parts.
Some woodwinds, such as the clarinet, are transposing instruments. The written note is not the sound that comes out. This is so that players can switch between family members without learning new fingerings.
What do brass instruments do?
Brass players press their lips against a cup-shaped mouthpiece and buzz. The metal tube amplifies the buzz into a loud, brilliant tone. Valves or a slide change the length of the tube, which changes the pitch.
- Trumpet: the highest brass, bright and piercing. It plays fanfares and melodies.
- Horn (French horn): a coiled tube with a wide bell. Its mellow tone blends with both woodwinds and brass.
- Trombone: uses a slide instead of valves. It plays in the tenor and bass range.
- Tuba: the largest and lowest brass, providing the foundation of the brass section.
What are the percussion instruments?
Percussion is the biggest family by number of different instruments. Sound comes from hitting, shaking or scraping something. There are two kinds. Pitched percussion plays specific notes, and unpitched percussion makes sounds without a definite note.
| Type | Instruments |
|---|---|
| Pitched | Timpani, xylophone, glockenspiel, marimba, tubular bells |
| Unpitched | Snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tambourine, castanets |
The timpani, or kettledrums, are large drums with a pedal that changes their pitch. A player often uses four or so at once. Percussionists in an orchestra typically play many different instruments in one piece, moving between them.
Where do the harp and keyboards fit?
The orchestral harp has 47 strings and seven pedals that change the pitch of each note name. Its sound is made by plucking, and it often plays sweeping glissandos and arpeggios. The piano is used as a solo instrument with the orchestra in a concerto, and sometimes as part of the group. The celesta, a keyboard that strikes metal bars, has a delicate bell-like tone, and the pipe organ is used in some large works.
How is the orchestra seated?
Seating plans vary between orchestras and between pieces, but a typical layout goes like this. The conductor stands at the front, facing the players. The strings sit in a fan shape in the front rows: first violins to the conductor's left, second violins next to them, then violas, and cellos on the right, with double basses behind the cellos. Woodwinds sit in the middle behind the strings, in pairs. Brass sit behind the woodwinds, and percussion sits at the very back. The harp is often on the left side.
The idea is balance. Loud instruments sit toward the back so that quieter ones in front can still be heard, and instruments that play together sit near each other.
What is the range of each family?
Every family covers a wide range of pitch, from high to low, much like a choir. The piccolo and the violin are among the highest instruments, while the double bass, tuba, contrabassoon and timpani are among the lowest. A range is the span from the lowest to the highest note an instrument can play, and you can check the notes on the piano keys chart or the grand staff.
| Pitch region | Instruments |
|---|---|
| High | Piccolo, flute, violin, trumpet, oboe |
| Middle | Clarinet, viola, horn, English horn, harp |
| Low | Cello, trombone, bassoon |
| Very low | Double bass, tuba, contrabassoon, timpani |
How can students learn the instruments?
- Listen to a piece that features different families, then point out which family you hear.
- Learn to tell a violin from a viola from a cello by the size and by the sound.
- Look at a seating plan and match each section to a family.
- Try identifying one instrument at a time as it enters, and see how the conductor shapes the balance.
Memory trick: think of how the sound begins. Strings are bowed or plucked, woodwinds are blown over an edge or reed, brass are buzzed, and percussion is struck.
Check yourself
1. Which family makes sound by buzzing lips into a mouthpiece?
Answer: Brass. Brass players buzz their lips, and the metal tube amplifies the sound.
2. Which is the lowest string instrument?
Answer: Double bass. The double bass is the largest and lowest of the orchestral strings.
3. Which instrument usually gives the tuning note to an orchestra?
Answer: Oboe. The oboe plays the note A, and the other players tune to it.
4. Which of these is pitched percussion?
Answer: Timpani. Timpani can be tuned to specific notes, unlike the snare drum or the triangle.
5. Where do the first violins usually sit?
Answer: Front left, next to the conductor. The string family sits at the front, with first violins to the conductor's left.