Concert Band Instruments 101
It’s time to enter the wonderful world of concert band instruments. For those of you who are thinking about playing a band instrument, this post will provide you with all you need to know about brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. This is going to be a long one, so get comfy and grab a snack before you keep reading.
A Brief History
Band instruments cover a large category of instruments that have been around for thousands of years. The first instruments of this kind were found in ancient places like Egypt and were typically made of animal bones or other natural materials. As time moved forward, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments became an important part of society. They were used in military bands starting in the 15th century and eventually in parades and events of all kinds. This is what helped concert band instruments evolve into the instruments we know and love today.
Brass Instruments
Brass instruments create sound when a musician buzzes their lips against a funnel-shaped mouthpiece. The sound made by the musician vibrates throughout the instrument, giving it a smooth, metallic sound. Let’s go over the different kinds of brass instruments.
Trumpet
The trumpet is the highest pitched brass instrument, so it is known for its bold and penetrating sound. Used in diverse musical genres, the trumpet is a versatile instrument that can take part in ensembles from military to jazz. Different notes are played on the trumpet using tuning slide and the valves that are located on the top of the instrument between the mouthpiece and the bell. To allow greater sound projection, a trumpet player will hold their instrument directly in front of their mouth with the bell facing forward.
French Horn
The French horn is a round instrument known for its rich and mellow sound. Rotary valves towards the middle of the instrument combined with a high degree of lip coordination help musicians play different notes. This instrument is held in front of the musician’s abdomen with the horn facing away from the audience. Fun fact: the French horn has the widest tonal range of all the brass instruments making it one of the most challenging to play.
Trombone
The trombone stands out on our list of brass instruments because it uses a slide to change pitch instead of valves. The slide allows musicians to have complete control of what notes they play. The trombone is a larger instrument that is positioned with the mouthpiece in front of the musician’s mouth and the rest of the instrument in front of them and over their shoulder. Trombones add brightness and clarity to the ensembles they’re apart of, which gives them the task of contrasting with instruments of a richer sound.
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched instrument in the brass family, so its role in any ensemble is to add bass and depth to musical pieces by playing harmonies. Because of its size, the tuba is played in the lap of musicians who use valves to play different notes and has a noticeably larger mouthpiece than the other brass instruments. The tuba as we know it today is actually one of the newer additions to brass ensembles since it was only patented in 1835.
Euphonium
The euphonium is a middle-low pitched instrument that is known for its rich, mellow, and warm sound. Ancient Greeks thought this instrument made such beautiful music that they gave it its name which translates to “sweet-voiced” in English. A euphonium player holds this instrument in their lap while using harmonies and countermelodies to blend the music from the brighter trumpets and the deep tubas. As you can see, euphoniums look like mini tubas.
Woodwind Instruments
Woodwind instruments produce sound by splitting a stream of air blown into them, which causes the air column inside to vibrate. Different notes are played on these instruments by opening and closing holes along the body of the instrument with a musician’s fingers or keys on the instrument. Woodwind instruments are categorized by the number of reeds necessary to play them. Let’s take a closer look.
Flute
The flute uses no reeds to create sound and is a metal instrument known for its high, clear, and melodious tone. Flutes are played by blowing into the mouthpiece on one end of the instrument, and notes are changed using the keys that cover holes along the instrument’s body, known as the Boehm system. The younger sister of the flute is the piccolo, which is the highest pitched woodwind instrument.
Clarinet
The clarinet is a single-reed woodwind instrument known for its wide tonal range and expressive sound. The reed is what gives woodwind instruments (minus the flute) that unmistakable texture to their sound. Clarinets are typically made of wood and held vertically in front of musicians so they have complete access to the instrument. The clarinet is a uniquely versatile instrument because of its distinct tonal characteristics and various registers.
Saxophone
The saxophone is a versatile and expressive single-reed instrument that was invented in the early 19th century. Consisting of a brass body and a reed, the saxophone exists to bridge the gap between the brass section and the woodwind section. Saxophones are held with the reed near the musician’s mouth and the rest of the instrument positioned vertically along their body so the bell is facing up. Because of the different sizes of saxophones, the musicians that play them attach a neck strap to the instrument that makes playing more comfortable.
Oboe
The oboe is a soprano-ranged double-reed instrument known for its highly emotional and expressive sound. A double-reed is made of two pieces of cane tied together around a small metal tube called a staple. Air can then travel between the two reeds, creating the vibration that gives the instrument its unique sound. The oboe is a primary melodic instrument and is typically tasked with playing solos that are meant to provoke deep emotion in listeners.
Bassoon
As our second double-reed instrument, the bassoon is pitched in the middle and low ranges and is a foundational voice in musical ensembles. The bassoon is a long cylinder-shaped instrument that is made of wood and metal along with its reeds. It provides harmonic depth and bass for the ensembles that feature it. Some compare the sound of a bassoon to an orchestral double bass or a baritone man’s voice.
Percussion Instruments
The percussion section of a concert band consists of a wide variety of different instruments that provide the rhythmic foundation to an ensemble. The instruments in the percussion family are split into two sections: pitched and unpitched. These sections get their name from whether the instruments can change their pitch or not.
Pitched
Timpani
Timpani are large, bowl-shaped tunable drums that provide the essential pitched bass voice to any ensemble. They are known for their powerful sound and dramatic accents. The hollow bowl of timpani is typically made of copper, which is what gives the drums such a powerful and big sound. Tuning is possible by pedals at the base of the drum that allow the player to increase or decrease the tension of the drumhead, which is between 23 and 32 inches in diameter.
Xylophone
As the second pitched percussion instrument on our list, the xylophone consists of tuned wooden bars that are struck with mallets to produce a bright, sharp, and dry sound. The tune of each bar is determined by its size, and each bar is placed in a sequence similar to a piano, which makes this instrument an easy addition to your repertoire if you already play the piano.
Marimba
The marimba is like a giant xylophone with a few additions that make it unique. Its large size and the PVC or metal resonators that sit under each wooden bar are why it’s known for its rich and mellow sound. At its largest, the marimba can play in five octaves, making it a versatile instrument. It also can be played with a variety of different mallets that produce different sounds. Softer mallets create a soft and dark sound and harder mallets create a harsh sound.
Chimes
Commonly referred to as the tubular bells, chimes were designed to sound like big church bells. They are known for their emotional and melodic sound because the metal tubes create such powerful resonance. The chimes are played with a hammer that strikes the top edge of the metal tubes, and the sound can be altered by the damper pedals at the base of the instrument. The chimes ring freely when the pedal is down, and the ringing comes to a harsh stop when the pedal is released.
Vibraphone
The vibraphone looks like a marimba or xylophone with two rows of bars that reflect a piano, but it consists of metal bars that give it a unique sound. The metal bars are arched on the underside, which is what creates its mellow, rich tone, unlike the brighter xylophone. Vibraphones have metal resonator tubes under each bar that contain motor-operated fans that produce a tremolo effect when on. At the base of this instrument is a sustainer pedal that gives the player more control of the music they make.
Unpitched
Snare Drum
The first instrument in our unpitched list is the snare drum, which is known for its distinctive sharp, rattling, or cracking sound. This drum contains snares, which are wires that are stretched across the bottom head of the drum. The snares can be adjusted to meet the needs of the drummer. Sharper sounds are produced when the snares are tighter, and rattling sounds are produced when the snares are loose.
Bass Drum
In a concert band, the bass drum provides the essential low frequencies and rhythmic foundation for the entire ensemble. These drums can range from 28 to 40 inches in diameter, making them customizable to the ensembles they’re part of. Since bass drums are unpitched, the sound they produce is completely in the hands of the drummer. We mean that pretty literally. Bass drummers use a variety of mallets, striking areas, and muffling or dampening techniques to control the sounds the drum produces.
Gong
The gong is one of the more fun instruments in our unpitched percussion section. It is a large, circular bronze disc that is known for its powerful, reverberating crash and long sustaining sound. Like the bass drum, the gong is unpitched but has a different sound depending on the size. The gong can range from a few inches to several feet in diameter, which gives musicians control over how they want their gong to sound. To play the gong, musicians will prime the gong by gentling striking the instrument a few times before a harsher strike and can dampen the sound in different ways depending on what the musical piece calls for.
Cymbals
At the base level, cymbals are round, flat metal sheets that provide dramatic accents and rhythmic drive when played. Cymbals are split into two categories: suspended and clash. Suspended cymbals are mounted horizontally on a stand and played in a variety of ways with different sticks or mallets. Clash cymbals come in pairs and are held in a musician’s hands so they can strike them together at an angle to avoid trapping air. When pulled apart, the sound can resonate or be dampened against the musicians chest. There are other kinds of cymbals like the high-hat and finger cymbals, giving musicians a variety of options to choose from when playing.
Auxiliary Instruments
The auxiliary instruments in the percussion section of a concert band contains a wide variety of instruments that have the task of adding texture and specific effects to the ensembles they take part in. Auxiliary instruments include the tambourine, triangle, wood block, temple block, clave, maraca, guiro, cowbell, sleigh bell, wind chimes, and bell tree. There is also sometimes a section of sound effects that could include the slapstick, whistles, or birdcalls depending on the necessary sound effects for a piece of music.
Congratulations! You made it to the end of this particularly long post! Drop your favorite concert band instrument in the comments if you made it this far. If any of these instruments struck your fancy, now is the time to start playing! We have a variety of music teachers that can teach you to play your dream instrument in our studio. Thanks for reading, and we will catch you next week with a new post!
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