Bow
A slightly curved stick with hair or fibers attached at both ends, drawn over the strings of an instrument to set them in motion. Page 40
Pluck
To sound the strings of an instrument using fingers or a plectrum or pick. Page 40
Violin
Soprano, or highest-ranged, member of the bowed-string instrument family. Page 40
Viola
Bowed-string instrument of middle range; the second-highest member of the violin family. Page 41
Double
To perform the same notes with more than one voice or instrument, either at the same pitch level or an octave higher or lower. Page 41
Violoncello
Bowed-string instrument with a middle-to-low range and dark, rich sonority; lower than a viola. Also cello. Page 41
Cello
Bowed-string instrument with a middle-to-low range and dark, rich sonority; lower than a viola. Also violoncello. Page 41
Double Bass
Largest and lowest-pitched member of the bowed string family. Also called contrabass or bass viol. Page 41
Contrabass
Largest and lowest-pitched member of the bowed string family. Also called double bass or bass viol. Page 41
Bass Viol
Largest and lowest-pitched member of the bowed string family. Also called contrabass or double bass. Page 41
Legato
Smooth and connected; opposite of staccato. Page 42
Staccato
Short, detached notes, marked with a dot above them. Page 42
Pizzicato
Performance direction to pluck a string of a bowed instrument with the finger. Page 42
Vibrato
Small fluctuation of pitch used as an expressive device to intensify a sound. Page 42
Glissando
Rapid slide through pitches of a scale. Page 42
Tremolo
Rapid repetition of a note; can be achieved instrumentally or vocally. Page 42
Trill
Ornament consisting of the rapid alternation between one note and the next. Page 42
Double-stop
Playing two notes simultaneously on a string instrument. Page 42
Triple-stop
Playing three notes simultaneously on a string instrument. Page 42
Quadruple-stop
Playing four notes simultaneously on a string instrument. Page 42
Mute
Mechanical device used to muffle the sound of an instrument. Page 42
Harmonics
Individual pure sounds that are part of any musical tone; in string instruments, crystalline tones in the very high register, produced by lightly touching a vibrating string at a certain point. Page 42
Harp
Plucked-string instrument, triangular in shape with strings perpendicular to the soundboard. Page 42
Arpeggio
Broken chord in which the individual tones are sounded one after another instead of simultaneously. Page 43
Guitar
Plucked-string instrument originally made of wood with a hollow resonating body and fretted fingerboard; types include acoustic and electric. Page 43
Accoustic Guitar
A guitar designed for performance without electronic amplification. Page 43
Electric Guitar
A guitar designed for electronic amplification. Page 43
Banjo
Plucked-string instrument with round body in the form of a single-headed drum and a long, fretted neck; brough to the Americas by African slaves. Page 43
Mandolin
Plucked-string instrument with a rounded body and fingerboard; used in some folk musics and in country-western music. Page 43
Flute
Soprano-range woodwind instrument, usually made of metal and held horizontally. Page 43
Piccolo
Smallest woodwind instrument, similar to the flute but sounding an octave higher. Page 43
Oboe
Soprano-range, double-reed woodwind instrument. Page 43
English Horn
Double-reed woodwind instrument, larger and lower in range than the oboe. Page 44
Bell
The wide or bulbed opening at the end of a wind instrument. Page 44
Clarinet
Single-reed woodwind instrument with a wide range of sizes. Page 44
Bass Clarinet
Woodwind instrument with the lowest range of the clarinet family. Page 44
Bassoon
Double-reed woodwind instrument with a low range. Page 44
Contrabassoon
Double-reed woodwind instrument with the lowest range in the woodwind family. Page 44
Saxophone
Family of single-reed woodwind instruments commonly used in the concert and jazz band. Page 44
Embouchure
The placement of the lips, lower facial muscles, and jaws in playing a wind instrument. Page 45
Trumpet
Highest-pitched brass instrument that changes pitch through valves. Page 45
French Horn
Medium-range valved brass instrument that can be played "stopped" with the hand as well as open. Page 45
Trombone
Tenor-range brass instrument that changes pitch by means of a movable double slide; there is also a bass version. Page 46
Tuba
Bass-range brass instrument that changes pitch through valves. Page 46
Cornet
Valved brass instrument similar to the trumpet but more mellow in sound. Page 46
Bugle
Brass instrument that evolved from the earlier military, or field, trumpet. Page 46
Fluegelhorn
Valved brass instrument resembling a bugle with a wide bell, used in jazz and commercial music. Page 46
Euphonium
Tenor-range brass instrument resembling the tuba. Also baritone horn. Page 46
Sousaphone
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. Page 46
Timpani
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 ket
Kettledrums
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 tim
Xylophone
Percussion instrument consisting of tuned blocks of wood suspended on a frame, laid out in the shape of a keyboard and struck with hard mallets. Page 47
Marimba
Percussion instrument that is a mellower version of the xylophone; of African origin. Page 47
Vibraphone
A percussion instrument with metal bars and electrically driven rotating propellers under each bar that produces a vibrato sound, much used in jazz. Page 47
Glockenspiel
Percussion instrument with horizontal, tuned steel bars of various sizes that are struck with mallets and produce a bright, metallic sound. Page 47
Celestra
Percussion instrument resembling a minitature upright piano, with tuned metal plates struck by hammers that are operated by a keyboard. Page 47
Chimes
Percussion instrument of definite pitch that consists of a set of tuned metal tubes of various lengths suspended from a frame and struck with a hammer. Also tubular bells. Page 47
Tubular Bells
Percussion instrument of definite pitch that consists of a set of tuned metal tubes of various lengths suspended from a frame and struck with a hammer. Also chimes. Page 47
Snare Drums
Small cylindrical drum with two heads stretched over a metal shell, the lower head having strings across it. Also side drum. Page 47
Side Drum
Small cylindrical drum with two heads stretched over a metal shell, the lower head having strings across it. Also snare drum. Page 47
Bass Drum
Percussion instrument played with a large, soft-headed stick; the largest orchestral drum. Page 47
Tom-tom
Cylindrical drum without snares. Page 47
Tambourine
Percussion instrument consisting of a small, round drum with metal plates inserted in its rim; played by striking or shaking. Page 47
Castanets
Percussion instruments consisting of small wooden clappers that are struck together. They are widely used to accompany Spanish dancing. Page 47
Triangle
Percussion instrument consisting of a slender rod of steel bent in the shape of a triangle, struck with a steel beater. Page 47
Cymbals
Percussion instruments consisting of two large circular brass plates of equal size that are struck sidewise against each other. Page 47
Gong
Percussion instrument consisting of a broad circular disk of metal, suspended in a frame and struck with a heavy drumstick. Also tam-tam. Page 47
Tam-tam
Percussion instrument consisting of a broad circular disk of metal, suspended in a frame and struck with a heavy drumstick. Also gong. Page 47
Piano
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. Page 48
Organ
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. Page 48
Harpsichord
Early Baroque keyboard instrument in which the strings are plucked by quills instead of being struck with hammers like the piano. Also clavecin. Page 48