Instruments available to Beginning Band Students
Flute
The Flute is a woodwind instrument. (While today it’s silver-plated, the earliest flutes were made of wood.) Each note has a different fingering, and the sound is made by the player blowing over the hole in the headjoint (the part without the keys). The flute can play some of the highest notes in the band, and often gets to play the melody and some of the “flashy” parts in the music.
Video: James Galway performing Flight of the Bumble Bee |
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Clarinet
The Clarinet is similar to the flute. Both are woodwinds and both use a number of keys to reach all of the different notes. The clarinet though can play lower notes, and its sound comes from a vibrating reed attached to the mouthpiece. Reeds wear out and are replaced regularly. Because it can play high and low notes, the clarinet can do many jobs in band and can be teamed up with a variety of instruments
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Alto Saxophone
The saxophone is between the woodwinds and the brass. It uses a reed like the clarinet, but is made of brass like trumpets and trombones. That makes it louder than the other woodwinds, but it still uses a different fingering for each note. Saxophones are used in band and especially in jazz groups, but they aren’t found in orchestras very often. In band they play background parts a lot, but they are usually featured in jazz ensembles.
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Trumpet
The trumpet is a bras instrument and uses its three valves to open different tubing for its notes. Players have to “buzz” their lips to make a sound, and make their lips tighter or looser for high and low notes. That’s why the same fingering can make several notes: the player is changing muscle tension, too. Trumpets play a lot of melody parts, and often get to play the loudest parts of a song. Trumpets are used in band, orchestra and jazz ensemble
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Trombone
Euphonium
The euphonium is sometimes known as the baritone. It is a member of the brass family and players have to “buzz” their lips to make a sound. Euphoniums have three or four valves depending on the instrument to open different tubing for its notes. The Euphonium looks like a small version of a tuba and has a VERY beautiful sound. In fact, the name euphonium is based after the word EUPHORIA.
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Percussion
Percussion includes all kinds of drums (like snare drum), mallet instruments (xylophone, vibraphone, marimba, bells), and auxiliary percussion (triangle, tambourine, etc.) Most of the instruments are stuck with drumsticks, mallets or beaters. Percussion is not “drum set”. It is not part of the curriculum and students that choose to participate in percussion will learn to play ALL of the percussion instruments, not just hitting a drum.
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