Chapter 10 Flashcards
A slightly curved stick with hair or fibers attached at both ends, drawn over the strings of an instrument to set them in motion
bow
To sound the strings of an instrument using fingers or a plectrum or pick.
pluck
Soprano, or highest-ranged, member of the bowed-string instrument family.
violin
Bowed-string instrument of middle range; the second-highest member of the violin family
viola
To perform the same notes with more than one voice or instrument, either at the same pitch level or an octave higher or lower.
double
Bowed-string instrument with a middle-to-low range and dark, rich sonority; lower than a viola. Also violoncello.
cello
Largest and lowest-pitched member of the bowed string family. Also contrabass or bass viol.
double bass
Smooth and connected; opposite of staccato
legato
Short, detached notes, marked with a dot above them.
staccato
Performance direction to pluck a string of a bowed instrument with the finger.
pizzicato
A rapid slide through pitches of a scale.
glissando
Rapid repetition of a note; can be achieved instrumentally or vocally.
tremolo
Ornament consisting of the rapid alternation between one note and the next.
trill
Playing two notes simultaneously on a string instrument.
double-stop
Mechanical device used to muffle the sound of an instrument.
mute
Individual, pure sounds that are part of any musical tone; in string instruments, crystalline pitches in the very high register, produced by lightly touching a vibrating string at a certain point.
harmonics
Plucked-string instrument, triangular in shape with strings perpendicular to the soundboard.
harp
Broken chord in which the individual pitches are sounded one after another instead of simultaneously.
arpeggio
Plucked-string instrument originally made of wood with a hollow, resonating body and a fretted fingerboard; types include acoustic and electric.
guitar
A guitar designed for performance without electronic amplification.
acoustic guitar
A guitar designed for electronic amplification
electric guitar
Plucked-string instrument with round body in the form of a single-headed drum and a long, fretted neck; brought to the Americas by African slaves.
banjo
Plucked-string instrument with a rounded body and fingerboard; used in some traditional musics and in country-western music.
mandolin
Soprano-range woodwind instrument, usually made of metal and held horizontally.
flute
Smallest woodwind instrument, similar to the flute but sounding an octave higher
piccolo
soprano-range, double-reed woodwind instrument.
oboe
Double-reed woodwind instrument, larger and lower in range than the oboe
English horn
The wide or bulbed opening at the end of a wind instrument.
bell
Single-reed woodwind instrument with a wide range of sizes.
clarinet
Woodwind instrument, with the lowest range, of the clarinet family.
bass clarinet
Double-reed woodwind instrument with a low range
bassoon
Double-reed woodwind instrument with the lowest range in the woodwind family. Also double bassoon.
contrabassoon
Family of single-reed woodwind instruments commonly used in wind and jazz bands.
saxophone
The placement of the lips, lower facial muscles, and jaws in playing a wind instrument.
embouchure
Highest-pitched brass instrument that changes pitch by means of valves.
trumpet
Tenor-range brass instrument that changes pitch by means of valves.
trombone
Bass-range brass instrument that changes pitch by means of valves.
tuba
Valved brass instrument similar to the trumpet but more mellow in sound
cornet
Brass instrument that evolved from the earlier military, or field, trumpet.
bugle
Valved brass instrument resembling a bugle with a wide bell, used in jazz and commercial music.
fluegelhorn
Tenor-range brass instrument resembling the tuba
euphonium
Brass instrument adapted from the tuba with a forward bell that is coiled to rest over the player’s shoulder for ease of carrying while marching
sousaphone
Percussion instrument consisting of a hemispheric copper shell with a head of plastic or calfskin, held in place by a metal ring and played with soft or hard padded sticks. A pedal mechanism changes the tension of the head, and with it the pitch. Also kettledrums.
timpani
Percussion instrument with tuned blocks of wood suspended on a frame, laid out in the shape of a keyboard and struck with hard mallets
xylophone
Percussion instrument, a mellower version of the xylophone; of African origin.
marimba
A percussion instrument with metal bars and electrically driven rotating propellers under each bar that produces a vibrato sound, much used in jazz.
vibraphone
Percussion instrument with horizontal, tuned steel bars of various sizes that are struck with mallets and produce a bright metallic sound.
glockenspiel
Percussion instrument resembling a miniature upright piano, with tuned metal plates struck by hammers that are operated by a keyboard
celesta
Percussion instrument of definite pitch consisting of a set of tuned metal tubes of various lengths suspended from a frame and struck with a hammer.
chimes
Small cylindrical drum with two heads
snare drum
Percussion instrument played with a large, soft-headed stick; the largest orchestral drum.
bass drum
Cylindrical drum without snares.
tom-tom
Percussion instrument consisting of a small round drum with metal plates inserted in its rim; played by striking or shaking.
tambourine
Percussion instruments consisting of small wooden clappers that are struck together; widely used to accompany Spanish dancing.
castanets
Percussion instrument consisting of a slender rod of steel bent in the shape of a triangle, struck with a steel beater.
triangle
Percussion instruments consisting of two large circular brass plates of equal size that are struck sideways against each other.
cymbals
Percussion instrument consisting of a broad, circular metal disk suspended on a frame and struck with a heavy mallet; produces a definite pitch. See also tam-tam
gong
A flat gong of indefinite pitch. See also gong.
tam-tam
Musical ensemble of Java or Bali, made up of gongs, chimes, metallophones, and drums, among other instruments.
gamelan
Keyboard instrument whose strings are struck with hammers controlled by a keyboard mechanism; pedals control dampers in the strings that stop the sound when the finger releases the key.
piano
Wind instrument in which air is fed to the pipes by mechanical means; the pipes are controlled by two or more keyboards and a set of pedals.
organ
Early Baroque keyboard instrument in which the strings are plucked by quills instead of being struck with hammers like the piano.
harpsichord
A pizzicato effect is created on a string instrument when
the strings are plucked.
All of the following are indefinite pitch percussion instruments EXCEPT the triangle. snare drum. chimes. bass drum.
chimes
Which brass instrument dates back to ancient times and was used for religious ceremonies and military signals?
trumpet
Which keyboard instrument is also a wind instrument?
organ
On bowed string instruments, sliding the hand along the string while bowing it produces a ________ effect.
glissando
T/F: Percussion instruments are divided into two categories: definite or indefinite pitch.
True
Playing a series of notes smoothly and with connection is called
legato
The string family includes which types of instruments?
bowed and plucked
The “heart” of the orchestra is the _____ section.
string
The bowed string instrument with the highest range is the
violin
The instruments of the Western orchestra are categorized into which groups?
strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion
The opposite of legato is
staccato
The sousaphone is the marching-band adaptation of which instrument?
tuba
The term arpeggio, meaning “broken chord,” is derived from the name of what instrument?
harp
Which brass instrument descended from the ancient hunting horn?
French horn
Which instrument derives its name from the Italian word meaning “loud-soft”?
piano
Which is an example of pitched percussion? xylophone cymbal snare drum bass drum
xylophone
Which keyboard instrument produces sound with quills that pluck metal strings?
harpsichord
Which of the following is a double-reed instrument? saxophone flute clarinet oboe
oboe
Which instruments are members of the woodwind family?
oboe, piccolo, contrabassoon, guitar
clarinet, piano, saxophone
flute, oboe, bassoon, English horn, saxophone
bass clarinet, English horn, trumpet
flute, oboe, bassoon, English horn, saxophone
