Musical instrument with sticks title. What types of musical instruments are there? (photos, names)

Classification musical instruments.

Due to the fact that musical instruments have very different origins and nature, they are classified in accordance with the principles of sound formation according to the classification adopted in 1914 by Kurt Sachs and Erich Moritz von Horibostel (Systematik der Musikinstrumente: ein Versuch Zeitschrift f űr Ethnologie) which has become classic.

Percussion instruments.

Following the system proposed by the above-mentioned musicologists, the so-called idiophones and membranophones are distinguished among percussion instruments. Idiophones (from the Greek Idios - one's own, one's own and "background" - sound) are a family of instruments that reproduce sound due to vibration and radiation after striking, as in the case of bells, cymbals or cymbals, bells, castanets, rattles or the like.This is music. instruments, the source of sound of which is a material capable of sounding without additional tension (as required by the strings of a violin, guitar or piano, the membrane of a tambourine, drum or timpani). Idiophones usually consist entirely of sounding material - metal, wood, glass, stone; sometimes only a game part is made from it. According to the method of sound extraction, idiophones are divided into plucked ones - jew's harps, sans; frictional - nail harmonica and glass harmonica; percussion - xylophone, metallophone, gong, cymbals, bells, triangle, castanets, rattles, etc.

Castanets

Bells

Ratchets

Xylophone

Triangle

Percussion instruments also include membranophones, which require a membrane stretched over a reservoir that acts like a resonance box to reproduce sound. The membrane is struck with hammers or wooden sticks, as in the case of a drum or timpani, or rubbed with a stick across the drum skin. This happens with the sambomba (a type of drum), which is a “descendant” of the rommelpot of Flanders, used there during carnival celebrations already in the 14th century. V. Rommelpot is a musical instrument, something like a primitive bagpipe: a pot covered with a bull's bladder with a reed stuck into it. Rommelpot is a simple friction drum, previously popular in many European countries. It was usually made by tying the animal's bladder to a house pot; Children most often played on it, piercing the bubble with a stick, on Martin's Day and Christmas.

European friction drums. Drums made from clay pots are from Bohemia (1) and Naples (2). The sound is extracted from the Russian friction drum (3) using horsehair. The Norwegian thimble drum (4), the English mustard jar drum (5) and the French cockerel drum (6) were made as toys.

Two ways to produce sound on friction drums: pulling the stick up and down (a) or rotating it between the palms (b).

Percussion instruments, especially idiophones, are the most ancient and constitute the heritage of all cultures. Due to the simplicity of the principle of sound production, they were the very first musical instruments: blows with sticks, bone scrapers, stones, etc., always associated with certain rhythmic alternations, formed the first instrumental composition. Thus, in Egypt they used a kind of boards on which they played with one hand during the cult of the ancient Egyptian goddess of music Hathor. In Greece, the crotalon, or rattle, was common, the predecessor of castanets, which spread throughout the Mediterranean and the Latin world, calledcrotalum or crusma, associated with dancing and Bacchic celebrations. But the Egyptian sistrum, which is a metal frame in the shape of a horseshoe, partitioned with a number of slippery knitting needles with curves at the edges, was intended for funeral rites and to accompany prayers against disasters and the scourge of locusts, which destroyed the harvest.

Various types of rattles were also widely used. They are now very common, especially in Africa and Latin America, to accompany various folk dances. Many idiophones, especially metal ones - such as bells, cymbals, cymbals and small bells - have found their place sinceXVII century thanks to the fashion for music “a la Turk”. They were introduced into the orchestra by French maestros, including Jean Baptiste Lully (1632 - 1687) and Jean Fery Rebel (1666 - 1747). Some ideophones of relatively recent invention, such as trumpet-shaped bells, have been introduced into modern orchestras.

Membrane drums spread from the ancient Mesopotamian civilization to the West and East five thousand years ago. Since ancient times they have been used in military music and for signaling.

The Greeks used a tambourine-like drum called a tympanum.

A tympanum is a percussion musical instrument that resembles a small flat drum with a wide rim. The skin on the tympanum, like on the drum, was stretched on both sides (the tambourine, which was common at that time, had the skin stretched on one side). Women usually played the tympanum during bacchanalia, striking it with their right hand.

While in Rome the most popular was the membranophone, similar to the modern timpani, called the symphonie. Particularly magnificent were the festivities in honor of the goddess Cybele, the mistress of mountains, forests and animals, who regulates inexhaustible fertility. The cult of Cybele in Rome was introduced in 204 BC. e.

The festivities were accompanied by music, in which the main role was played by drums. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, percussion (especially the drum) was used to accompany knightly tournaments and dances.

The importance of drums in folk music is also great.

Gradually, drums began to be part of the professional orchestras starting from the 17th century One of the first composers to include drums in his Berenice vendicativa (1680) was Giovanni Domenico Fresco (c. 1630 - 1710). Later composers such as Christoph Willibald Gluck (in Le cadidupl, 1761) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (in The Abduction from the Seraglio, 1782) gave drums last role. This tradition was continued composers XIX and 20th century, such as Gustav Mahler and Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky. John Cage (1912 - 1992) and Morton Feldman (1926 - 1987) even wrote entire scores solely for drums.

M. Ravel - M. Bejart.1977 Bolshoi Theater. Maya Plisetskaya.

In Ravel's Bolero, the solo snare drum sounds incessantly, clearly beating the rhythm. There is also something militant in this. Drums are always an alarm, a kind of threat. Drums are the heralds of war. Our outstanding poet Nikolai Zabolotsky in 1957, almost thirty years after the creation of “Bolero,” wrote in a poem dedicated to Ravel’s masterpiece: “Turn, History, the cast millstones, be a miller in the menacing hour of the surf! Oh "Bolero" sacred dance battle!”The menacing tone of Ravel’s “Bolero” makes an incredibly strong impression - disturbing and uplifting. I believe that the “Invasion” episode in the first movement of Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony was an echo of it not only in some formal sense - this “sacred dance of battle” in Shostakovich’s symphony is mesmerizing. And it will also remain forever a sign of the spiritual tension of the human creator.The gigantic energy of Ravel's work, this growing tension, this unimaginable crescendo - lifts, purifies, spreads a light around itself that is never allowed to fade.

Unlike a drum, timpani have a hemispherical body and are capable of producing sounds of varying pitches due to the fact that their membrane is stretched using several handles, which are currently operated by a pedal. This most important quality contributed rapid growth use of timpani in instrumental ensembles. Currently, timpani are the most important percussion instrument in an orchestra. Modern timpani look like large copper cauldrons on a stand, covered with leather. The skin is pulled tightly onto the boiler using several screws. They hit the skin with two sticks with soft round felt tips.

Unlike other percussion instruments with leather, timpani produce a sound of a certain pitch. Each timpani is tuned to a specific tone, so in order to get two sounds, orchestras began to use a pair of timpani in the 17th century. The timpani can be rebuilt: to do this, the performer must tighten or loosen the skin with screws: the greater the tension, the higher the tone. However, this operation is time-consuming and risky during execution. Therefore, in the 19th century, masters invented mechanical timpani, which could be quickly adjusted using levers or pedals.

March of 8 pieces for timpani. (Spanish: Elliot Carter)

The role of timpani in an orchestra is quite varied. Their beats emphasize the rhythm of other instruments, forming either simple or intricate rhythmic figures. Fast alternation striking both sticks (tremolo) effectively builds up the sound or produces thunder. Haydn also depicted thunderclaps using timpani in The Four Seasons.

Beginning of E. Grieg's Piano Concerto. D conductor - Yuri Temirkanov. WITHOlist - Nikolai Lugansky.Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, November 10, 2010

Haydn also used timpani to depict thunderclaps in his oratorio “The Seasons.”

Shostakovich in the Ninth Symphony makes the timpani imitate cannonade. Sometimes the timpani are assigned small melodic solos, as, for example, in the first movement of Shostakovich's Eleventh Symphony.

Conducted by Gergiev,
Performed by PMF Orchestra 2004.

Already in 1650, Nikolaus Hasse (c. 1617 - 1672) used timpani in Aufzuge für 2 Clarinde und Heerpauken, and Lully in Theseus (1675). Timpani were used by Henry Purcell in The Faerie Queene (1692), Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, and Francesco Barzanti (1690 - 1772) introduced timpani in Cocerto Grosso (1743). Introduced into the classical orchestra by F. J. Haydn, W. A. ​​Mozart, L. van Beethoven, the timpani acquired during the era of romanticism decisive role in the percussion group (Hector Berlioz included eight pairs of timpani in his monumental Requiem, 1837). And today the timpani are a fundamental part of this group in the orchestra and even take on a leading role in some musical fragments, such as the glissandi in the Adagio from Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (1936) by the Hungarian composer Be ly Bartok.

Percussion is the largest family of musical instruments today. The sound from instruments of this type is extracted by striking the surface of the sounding body. The sounding body can take various shapes and be made from a variety of materials. In addition, instead of hitting, shaking is allowed - essentially, indirect blows with sticks, hammers or beaters on the same sounding body.

The history of the appearance of the first percussion instruments

Percussion instruments are among the most ancient. The first prototype of a percussion instrument appeared when primitive people, striking stone against stone, created a kind of rhythm for ritual dances or simply in everyday household chores (crushing nuts, grinding grain, etc.).

In fact, any device that produces measured noise can be called a percussion instrument. At first it was stones or sticks, planks. Later, the idea came to tap the rhythm on skin stretched over a hollow body - the first drums.

When excavating tribal settlement sites Central Africa And Far East archaeologists have discovered more similar to more modern designs Obviously, it was they who at one time served as an example for the creation of European percussion instruments.

Functional features of percussion instruments

The sound produced by percussion instruments comes from primitive rhythmic melodies. Clinking and ringing prototypes of modern percussion musical instruments were used during ritual dances by peoples Ancient Greece And Ancient Rome, Asian countries.

But representatives of the ancient Arab states used percussion instruments, in particular drums, in military campaigns. This tradition European peoples adopted much later. Poorly melodious, but loud and rhythmic, drums became an invariable accompaniment of military marches and anthems.

And in the orchestra, percussion instruments have found quite wide application. At first, he was denied access to European academic music. Gradually, drums found their use in dramatic music within the framework of opera and ballet orchestras, and only then they got into symphony orchestras. But today it is difficult to imagine an orchestra without drums, timpani, cymbals, tambourine, tambourine or triangle.

Classification of percussion instruments

The group of percussion musical instruments is not only numerous, but also very unstable. Several in different ways their classification, so one and the same instrument can belong to several subgroups at once.

The most common percussion instruments today are timpani, vibraphone, xylophone; various types of drums, tambourines, African tam-tam drum, as well as triangle, cymbals, and many others.

Percussion instruments, the names and descriptions of which are presented in this article, arose earlier than other musical instruments. They were used in ancient times by the peoples of the Middle East and the African continent to accompany warlike and religious dances and dances. Percussion instruments, the names of which are numerous, as are their types, are very common these days; not a single ensemble can do without them. These include those in which sound is produced by striking.

Classification

According to their musical qualities, that is, the possibility of extracting sounds of a particular pitch, all types of percussion instruments, the names of which are presented in this article, can be divided into 2 groups: with an indefinite pitch (cymbals, drums, etc.) and with a certain pitch ( xylophone, timpani). They are also divided depending on the type of vibrator (sounding body) into self-sounding (castanets, triangles, cymbals, etc.), plate (bells, vibraphones, xylophones, etc.) and membranous (tambourine, drums, timpani, etc.).

Now you know what types of percussion instruments there are. Let's say a few words about what determines the timbre and volume of their sound.

What determines the volume and timbre of sound?

The volume of their sound is determined by the amplitude of vibrations of the sounding body, that is, the force of the impact, as well as the size of the sounding body. Strengthening the sound in some instruments is achieved by adding resonators. The timbre that certain types of percussion instruments have depends on many factors. The main ones are the method of impact, the material from which the instrument is made, and the shape of the sounding body.

Webbed percussion instruments

The sounding body in them is a membrane or a stretched membrane. These include percussion instruments, the names of which are tambourine, drums, timpani, etc.

Timpani

Timpani is an instrument with a certain pitch, which has a metal body in the shape of a cauldron. A membrane made of tanned leather is stretched across the top of this cauldron. A special membrane made of polymer materials is currently used as a membrane. It is secured to the body using tension screws and a hoop. Screws located around the circumference loosen or tighten it. The timpani percussion instrument is tuned as follows: if you pull the membrane, the tuning becomes higher, and if you lower it, it will be lower. In order not to interfere with the membrane vibrating freely, there is a hole at the bottom for air movement. The body of this instrument is made of brass, copper or aluminum. Timpani are mounted on a tripod - a special stand.

This instrument is used in an orchestra in a set of 2, 3, 4 or more cauldrons of different sizes. The diameter of modern timpani ranges from 550 to 700 mm. There are the following types: pedal, mechanical and screw. Pedal instruments are the most common, since you can adjust the instrument to the required key without interrupting the game by pressing the pedal. Timpani have a sound volume approximately equal to a fifth. A large timpani is tuned below all the others.

Tulumbas

Tulumbas is an ancient percussion instrument (a type of timpani). It served in the 17th-18th centuries in the army, where it was used to give alarm signals. The shape is a pot-shaped resonator. This ancient percussion instrument (a type of timpani) can be made of metal, clay or wood. The top is covered with leather. This structure is hit with wooden bats. A dull sound is produced, somewhat reminiscent of a cannon shot.

Drums

We continue to describe the percussion instruments whose names were listed at the beginning of the article. Drums have an indefinite pitch. These include various percussion instruments. The names listed below all refer to reels (various varieties). There are large and small orchestral drums, large and small pop drums, as well as bongos, tom bass and tom tenor.

A large orchestral drum has a cylindrical body, covered on both sides with plastic or leather. It is characterized by a dull, low, powerful sound produced by a wooden mallet with a tip in the form of a felt or felt ball. Today, polymer film has begun to be used for drum membranes instead of parchment skin. It has better musical and acoustic properties and higher strength. The drum membranes are secured with tension screws and two rims. The body of this instrument is made of plywood or sheet steel and lined with artistic celluloid. It has dimensions 680x365 mm. The large stage drum has a design and shape similar to the orchestra drum. Its dimensions are 580x350 mm.

The small orchestral drum is a low cylinder, covered on both sides with plastic or leather. The membranes (membranes) are attached to the body using tightening screws and two rims. To give the instrument a specific sound, special strings or snares (spirals) are stretched over the lower membrane. They are driven by a reset mechanism. The use of synthetic membranes in drums has significantly improved operational reliability, musical and acoustic characteristics, marketable condition and duration of service. The small orchestra drum has dimensions of 340x170 mm. It is included in symphony and military brass bands. The small pop drum has a structure similar to the orchestra drum. Its dimensions are 356x118 mm.

Tom-tom-bass and tom-tom-tenor drums are no different in design. They are used in pop drum kits. The tenor tom is attached to the bass drum using a bracket. The tom-tom-bass is installed on a special stand on the floor.

Bongs are small drums with plastic or leather stretched on one side. They are included in the percussion stage set. The bongs are connected to each other by adapters.

As you can see, many percussion instruments are related to drums. The names listed above can be supplemented by including some less popular varieties.

Tambourine

A tambourine is a shell (hoop) with plastic or leather stretched on one side. Special slots are made in the body of the hoop. They have brass plates attached to them; they look like small orchestra cymbals. Inside the hoop, sometimes small rings and bells are strung on a spiral or on stretched strings. All this tinkles at the slightest touch of the tambourine, creating a special sound. The membrane is struck with the palm of the hand right hand(its base) or fingertips.

Tambourines are used to accompany songs and dances. In the East, the art of playing this instrument has achieved virtuosity. Solo tambourine playing is also common here. Dyaf, def or gaval is an Azerbaijani tambourine, haval or daf is Armenian, dayra is Georgian, doira is Tajik and Uzbek.

Plate percussion instruments

Let's continue to describe percussion musical instruments. Photos and names of plate drums are presented below. Such instruments that have a certain pitch include the xylophone, marimba (marimbaphone), metallophone, bells, bells, and vibraphone.

Xylophone

A xylophone is a set of wooden blocks of different sizes that correspond to sounds of different pitches. The blocks are made from rosewood, spruce, walnut, and maple. They are placed parallel in 4 rows, following the order of the chromatic scale. These blocks are attached to strong laces and are also separated by springs. A cord passes through the holes made in the blocks. The xylophone for playing is laid out on a table on rubber spacers, which are located along the cords of this instrument. It is played with two wooden sticks with a thick end. This instrument is used for playing in an orchestra or for solo playing.

Metallophone and marimba

Metallophone and marimba are also percussion instruments. Do their photos and names mean anything to you? We invite you to get to know them better.

A metallophone is a musical instrument similar to a xylophone, but its sound plates are made of metal (bronze or brass). His photo is presented below.

Marimba (marimbaphone) is an instrument whose sounding elements are wooden plates. It also has metal tubular resonators installed to enhance the sound.

Marimba has a rich, soft timbre. Its sound range is 4 octaves. The playing plates of this instrument are made of rosewood. This ensures good musical and acoustic characteristics of this instrument. The plates are located in 2 rows on the frame. In the first row there are plates of basic tones, and in the second - halftones. Resonators installed in 2 rows on the frame are tuned to the sound frequency of the corresponding plates. A photo of this instrument is presented below.

The main components of the marimba are secured to the support trolley. The frame of this cart is made of aluminum. This ensures sufficient strength and minimal weight. Marimba is used both for educational purposes and for professional playing.

Vibraphone

This instrument is a set of aluminum plates, chromatically tuned, which are arranged in 2 rows, similar to a piano keyboard. The plates are installed on a high table (bed) and secured with laces. In the center under each of them there are cylindrical resonators of a certain size. Through them pass in the upper part of the axis, on which fan fans (impellers) are fixed. This is how vibration is achieved. The damper device has this tool. It is connected under the stand to a pedal so that you can muffle the sound with your foot. The vibraphone is played using 2, 3, 4, and sometimes a large number of long sticks with rubber balls at the ends. This instrument is used in symphony orchestras, but more often in pop orchestras or as a solo instrument. His photo is presented below.

Bells

What percussion instruments can be used to play in an orchestra? bell ringing? The correct answer is bells. This is a set of percussion instruments used in symphony and opera orchestras for this purpose. The bells consist of a set (from 12 to 18 pieces) of cylindrical pipes that are tuned chromatically. Typically the pipes are chrome-plated steel or nickel-plated brass. Their diameter ranges from 25 to 38 mm. They are suspended on a special frame-rack, the height of which is about 2 m. Sound is produced by striking the pipes with a wooden hammer. The bells are equipped with a special device (pedal-damper) to dampen the sound.

Bells

This is a percussion instrument consisting of 23-25 ​​metal plates tuned chromatically. They are placed in steps in 2 rows on a flat box. Corresponds to black piano keys top row, and white - the bottom one.

Self-sounding percussion instruments

When talking about what types of percussion instruments there are (names and types), it is impossible not to mention self-sounding percussion instruments. The following instruments belong to this type: cymbals, tam-tams, triangles, rattles, maracas, castanets, etc.

Dishes

Plates are metal discs made of nickel silver or brass. A somewhat spherical shape is given to the discs of the plates. Leather straps are attached to the center. A long ringing sound is produced when they hit each other. Sometimes they use one plate. Then the sound is produced by hitting a metal brush or stick. They produce orchestral, gong and Charleston cymbals. They sound ringing and sharp.

Let's talk about what other percussion instruments there are. Photos with names and descriptions will help you get to know them better.

Orchestral triangle

An orchestra triangle (its photo is presented below) is a steel rod of an open triangular shape. When played, this instrument is hung freely and then struck with a metal stick, performing various rhythmic patterns. A triangle has a ringing, bright sound. It is used in various ensembles and orchestras. Triangles are available with two sticks made of steel.

A gong or tam-tam is a bronze disk with curved edges. Using a mallet with a felt tip, strike its center. The result is a dark, thick and deep sound, full strength reaching gradually, not immediately after impact.

Castanets and maracas

Castanets (photos of them are presented below) are a folk instrument of Spain. This ancient percussion instrument is shaped like shells tied with a cord. One of them faces the spherical (concave) side towards the other. They are made from plastic or hardwood. Castanets are produced single or double.

Maracas are balls made of plastic or wood, filled with shot (small pieces of metal) and decorated colorfully on the outside. They are equipped with a handle to make them comfortable to hold while playing. Various rhythmic patterns can be produced by shaking the maracas. They are mainly used in variety ensembles, but sometimes in orchestras.

Rattles are sets of small plates mounted on a wooden plate.

These are the main names of percussion musical instruments. Of course, there are many more of them. We talked about the most famous and popular ones.

The drum kit that the pop ensemble has

In order to have a complete understanding of this group of instruments, it is also necessary to know the composition of percussion kits (sets). The most common composition is the following: a large and small drum, a large and small single cymbal, a paired hi-hat cymbal (“Charleston”), bongos, tom-tom alto, tom-tom tenor and tom-tom bass.

A large drum is installed on the floor in front of the performer, which has support legs for stability. Tom-tom alto and tom-tom tenor drums can be mounted on the top of the drum using brackets. It also has an additional stand on which the orchestra cymbal is mounted. The brackets that attach the tom-tom alto and tom-tom tenor to the bass drum regulate their height.

The mechanical pedal is an integral part of the bass drum. The performer uses it to extract sound from this musical instrument. A small pop drum must be included in the drum kit. It is secured with three clamps on a special stand: one retractable and two folding. The stand is installed on the floor. This is a stand that is equipped with a locking device for fixing in a certain position, as well as changing the inclination of the snare drum.

The snare drum has a muffler and reset device, which are used to adjust the tone. Also, a drum set sometimes includes several tom-tom tenors, tom-tom altos and tom-tom drums of different sizes.

Also, the drum set (its photo is presented below) includes orchestral cymbals with a stand, a chair and a mechanical stand for the Charleston. Maracas, triangles, castanets and other noise instruments are the accompanying instruments of this installation.

Spare parts and accessories

Spare accessories and parts for percussion instruments include: stands for orchestral cymbals, for snare drums, for Charleston cymbals, timpani sticks, a mechanical beater for a drum (large), sticks for a snare drum, pop drumsticks, orchestral brushes, mallets and bass drum leather, straps, cases.

Percussion instruments

It is necessary to distinguish between percussion keyboards and percussion instruments. Percussion keyboards include the piano and grand piano. The strings of a piano are positioned horizontally and are struck by a hammer from bottom to top. The piano differs in that the hammer strikes the strings in a direction away from the player, forward. The strings are tensioned in a vertical plane. The grand piano and piano, thanks to the richness of sounds in terms of sound strength and height, as well as the great capabilities of these instruments, have received common name. Both instruments can be called in one word - “piano”. The piano is a stringed percussion instrument based on the way it produces sound.

The keyboard mechanism used in it is a system of levers interconnected, which serves to transfer the energy of the pianist's fingers to the strings. It consists of mechanics and keyboard. A keyboard is a set of keys, the number of which may vary depending on the sound range of a particular instrument. The keys are usually lined with plastic covers. They are then mounted using pins on the keyboard frame. Each key has lead seals, pilot, capsule and overlay. It transmits the force of the pianist to the mechanical figure as a lever of the first kind. Mechanics are hammer mechanisms that convert the musician’s force when pressing a key into a strike on the strings of the hammers. Hammers are made of hornbeam or maple, and their heads are covered with felt.

- musical instruments, the sound of which is produced by hitting (hands, sticks, hammers, etc.) on the body, becomes its source. The largest and most ancient family of all musical instruments. Sometimes percussion musical instruments are called percussion(from English percussion ).

A musician who plays percussion instruments is called drummer or percussionist, in rock and jazz groups - also drummer

1. Classification

Depending on the sound source, percussion instruments can be:

An exotic percussion instrument came from the western regions of Ukraine to other regions of the republic; it is called a bull for its specific coloring of sound. In a small cone-shaped tub, the top hole is covered with leather. A tuft of horsehair is attached to it in the center. The musician, with hands moistened in kvass, pulls the hair and produces persistent sounds of the chord.

4. Multimedia

Sources

• Brief musical dictionary, M.1966
• Hymn to the art of drumming (Russian)
• Percussion musical instruments (Russian)

Literature

• A. Andreeva. Modern percussion instruments symphony orchestra. - K.: "Musical Ukraine", 1985
• A.Panaiotov. Percussion instruments in a modern orchestra. M, 1973
• E. Denisov. Percussion instruments in a modern orchestra. M, 1982

Music surrounds us since childhood. And then we have the first musical instruments. Do you remember your first drum or tambourine? And a shiny metallophone, the records of which had to be knocked wooden stick? What about pipes with holes in the side? With some skill it was even possible to play simple melodies on them.

Toy instruments are the first step into the world real music. Now you can buy a variety of musical toys: from simple drums and harmonicas to almost real pianos and synthesizers. Do you think these are just toys? Not at all: in preparatory classes music schools From such toys, entire noise orchestras are made, in which kids selflessly blow pipes, knock on drums and tambourines, spur the rhythm with maracas and play their first songs on the xylophone... And this is their first real step into the world of music.

Types of musical instruments

The world of music has its own order and classification. Tools are divided into large groups: strings, keyboards, percussion, winds, and also reed. Which of them appeared earlier and which later is now difficult to say for sure. But already ancient people who shot from a bow noticed that a drawn bowstring sounds, reed tubes, when blown into them, make whistling sounds, and it is convenient to beat the rhythm on any surface with all available means. These objects became the ancestors of string, wind and percussion instruments, already known in Ancient Greece. Reed ones appeared just as long ago, but keyboards were invented a little later. Let's look at these main groups.

Brass

In wind instruments, sound is produced by vibrations of a column of air enclosed inside a tube. The larger the air volume, the more low sound he publishes.

Wind instruments are divided into two large groups: wooden And copper. Wooden - flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, alpine horn... - are a straight tube with side holes. By closing or opening the holes with their fingers, the musician can shorten the column of air and change the pitch of the sound. Modern instruments often made from materials other than wood, but traditionally they are called wooden.

Copper wind instruments set the tone for any orchestra, from brass to symphony. Trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba, helicon, a whole family of saxhorns (baritone, tenor, alto) - typical representatives this loudest group of instruments. Later, the saxophone appeared - the king of jazz.

The pitch of the sound in brass instruments changes due to the force of the air blown and the position of the lips. Without additional valves, such a pipe can produce only a limited number of sounds - a natural scale. To expand the range of sound and the ability to reach all sounds, a system of valves was invented - valves that change the height of the air column (like side holes on wooden ones). Too long copper pipes, unlike wooden ones, can be rolled up, giving them a more compact shape. Horn, tuba, helicon are examples of rolled pipes.

Strings

The bow string can be considered a prototype string instruments- one of the most important groups of any orchestra. The sound here is produced by a vibrating string. To amplify the sound, strings began to be pulled over a hollow body - this is how the lute and mandolin, cymbals, harp were born... and the guitar that we know well.

The string group is divided into two main subgroups: bowed And plucked tools. Bowed violins include all types of violins: violins, violas, cellos and huge double basses. The sound from them is extracted with a bow, which is drawn along the stretched strings. But for plucked bows, a bow is not needed: the musician plucks the string with his fingers, causing it to vibrate. Guitar, balalaika, lute are plucked instruments. Just like the beautiful harp, which makes such gentle cooing sounds. But is the double bass a bowed or plucked instrument? Formally, it belongs to the bowed instrument, but often, especially in jazz, it is played with plucked strings.

Keyboards

If the fingers striking the strings are replaced with hammers, and the hammers are set in motion using keys, the result will be keyboards tools. The first keyboards - clavichords and harpsichords- appeared in the Middle Ages. They sounded quite quietly, but very tender and romantic. And at the beginning of the 18th century they invented piano- an instrument that could be played both loudly (forte) and quietly (piano). Long name usually shortened to the more familiar "piano". The older brother of the piano - what's up, the brother is the king! - that’s what it’s called: piano. This is no longer an instrument for small apartments, but for concert halls.

The keyboard includes the largest one - and one of the most ancient! - musical instruments: organ. This is no longer a percussion keyboard, like a piano and grand piano, but keyboard and wind instrument: not the musician's lungs, but a blowing machine that creates air flow into a system of tubes. This huge system is controlled by a complex control panel, which has everything: from a manual (that is, manual) keyboard to pedals and register switches. And how could it be otherwise: organs consist of tens of thousands of individual tubes of the most different sizes! But their range is enormous: each tube can sound only one note, but when there are thousands of them...

Drums

The oldest musical instruments were drums. It was the tapping of the rhythm that was the first prehistoric music. The sound can be produced by a stretched membrane (drum, tambourine, oriental darbuka...) or the body of the instrument itself: triangles, cymbals, gongs, castanets and other knockers and rattles. Special group consists of percussion instruments that produce a sound of a certain pitch: timpani, bells, xylophones. You can already play a melody on them. Percussion ensembles consisting only of percussion instruments stage entire concerts!

Reed

Is there any other way to extract sound? Can. If one end of a plate made of wood or metal is fixed, and the other is left free and made to vibrate, then we get the simplest tongue - the base reed instruments. If there is only one tongue, we get Jew's harp. Reeds include harmonicas, button accordions, accordions and their miniature model - harmonica.

harmonica

You can see keys on the button accordion and accordion, so they are considered both keyboard and reed. Some wind instruments are also reeded: for example, in the already familiar clarinet and bassoon, the reed is hidden inside the pipe. Therefore, the division of tools into these types is arbitrary: there are many tools mixed type.

In the 20th century, the friendly musical family was replenished with another big family: electronic instruments. The sound in them is created artificially using electronic circuits, and the first example was the legendary theremin, created back in 1919. Electronic synthesizers can imitate the sound of any instrument and even... play themselves. If, of course, someone draws up a program. :)

Dividing instruments into these groups is just one way of classification. There are many others: for example, the Chinese grouped tools depending on the material from which they were made: wood, metal, silk and even stone... Methods of classification are not so important. It is much more important to be able to recognize tools and appearance, and by sound. This is what we will learn.