Brainlag Music Theory
Brainlag Music TheoryThe orchestra on the page
How a full score sets out the orchestra: the four families from the top, the higher instruments first in each, the clef each instrument reads, and how the staves are joined.
Four families
An orchestra is four families of instruments:
| Family | Instruments, highest first |
|---|---|
| Woodwind | flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon |
| Brass | horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba |
| Percussion | timpani, xylophone, glockenspiel, side drum |
| Strings | violin, viola, cello, double bass |
The horn sits first in the brass although the trumpet plays higher: it is printed next to the woodwind it so often plays with.
The families in full, with the instruments a Grade 6 score may add:
- Woodwind: flute, piccolo, oboe, cor anglais, clarinet, bassoon. (The flute is made of metal but has no brass mouthpiece: it is woodwind.)
- Brass: horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba.
- Percussion: timpani, xylophone, glockenspiel, side drum.
- Strings: violin, viola, cello, double bass.
The rest of this lesson and its 7 practice questions are in Brainlag Music Theory.
Screen 1 of 5, free to read.
- 7 exam-style questions, marked as you go, each with a worked solution
- Anything you get wrong is saved to your flashcards