Music and Physics

A brief lesson in the instruments that make up a modern concert band. The Woodwind Family

• The woodwind family consists of piccolos, flutes, oboes, english horns, clarinets, bassoons, and saxophones. • With the exception of the piccolo and flute, the sound is produced by a vibrating reed. • Different pitches are produced by opening and covering holes along the instrument The Brass Family

• The brass family typically consists of trumpets, (french) horns, trombones, euphoniums, and tubas. • Sound is produced by forcing air through the mouthpiece. • With the exception of the trombone, pitches are altered by pressing or releasing valves. • All brass players also tighten or relax their lips to change pitch. The Percussion Family

• The percussion family contains the most instruments. Some of the standard instruments include the bass drum, snare drum, timpani, bells, cymbals, and the triangle. • Sound is produced by striking some part of the instrument with a mallet, stick, or hands. • Not all percussion instruments can produce multiple pitches. In most cases the pitch of the instrument is dependent on the size of the instrument. • The piccolo is the highest pitched instrument in the band.

• The tuba is the lowest pitched instrument commonly found in bands. – The contrabassoon can actually produce lower tones than the tuba, but it is not commonly found in bands. How is the pitch of instruments determined? • As was mentioned earlier, the biggest determining factor in the pitch an instrument produces is the size of the instrument. • The distance that air travels in the instrument also determines the pitch. Generally…

• The larger and longer an instrument is, the lower the pitch. • The smaller and shorter an instrument, the higher the pitch.

One of the easiest ways to see this is with the trombone.

• The higher the note is on the staff, the higher the pitch of the note. • Notice how the trombone slide gets longer as the notes get lower? Some things you can try on your own: • Hold a rubber band so that it is stretched between two fingers. Pluck the rubber band. • Now, increase the distance between your fingers, stretching the rubber band. Pluck the rubber band again. • What do you notice about the sound? Does it sound lower or higher than before? • Try the same thing with rubber bands of different widths. What do you notice? Music References

• Beethoven, Ludwig Van. Horn Sonata, Op. 17. III. Allegro Moderato. Albert Linder, horn. Naxos: BIS-CD-47. Compact disc.

• Donizetti, Gaetano. Concertino for Cor Anglais and Orchestra in G minor. Andante con Variationi. Budapest Camerata conducted by Laszlo Kovacs. Marco Polo: Donizetti: Instrumental Concertos. Compact disc.

• Handel, George Frideric. Trumpet Concerto in D minor. II Furioso. Miroslav Kejmar, trumpet. Naxos: Famous Trumpet Concerti. Compact disc.

• Holst, Gustav. Second Suite in F for Military Band. I. March, IV. Fantasia on the Dargason.. Edmonton Wind Ensemble conducted by Harry Pinchin. CBC Records: Snake Fence Country. Compact disc.

• Marcello, Benedetto. Cello Sonata in F major (arr. for tuba). II. Allegro. Michael Lind, tuba. Naxos: BIS-CD-95. Compact disc.

• Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, K. 191. I. Allegro. Stephan Turnovsky, bassoon. Naxos: 8.550345. Compact disc.

• Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622. III. Rondo: Allegro. Ernst Ottensamer, clarinet. Naxos: 8.550345. Compact disc.

• Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Oboe Concerto in C major, K. 271k/ K. 314. I. Allegro aperto. Martin Gabriel, oboe. Naxos: 8.550345. Compact disc.

• Taffanel, Paul. Fantasy on Der Freischutz. Robert Aitken, flute. Naxos: BIS-CD-166. Compact disc.

• Tubin, Eduard. Alto Saxophone Sonata. III. Allegro vivace. Pekka Savijoki, alto saxophone. Compact disc.

• Vivaldi, Antonio. Cello Sonata No. 1 in B flat major, RV 47 (arr. for trombone). IV. Allegro. Christer Torge, trombone. Naxos: BIS-CD-95. Compact disc.

• Vivaldi, Antonio. Piccolo Concerto in C major, RV 445. Gunilla von Bahr, piccolo. Naxos: BIS-CD-21. Compact disc.

Picture References

• Brass Section. Adamson Military Band. “Brass Section”. 1 October, 2006. .

• Percussion. Hyper Music. Hyper Music- Musical Instruments. “Percussion”. 13 October, 2006. .

• Piccolo. Grahm Nasby’s Online Resources. “Concert Band Instrumentation”. 13 October, 2006. .

• Rubber band. Micron. “Amplifying Sound”. 23 October, 2006. .

• Trombone Positions. Sandi. “Trombone Slide Position Chart”. 13 October, 2006. .

• Tuba. Grahm Nasby’s Online Resources. “Concert Band Instrumentation”. 13 October, 2006. .

• Woodwind Section. Adamson Military Band. “Woodwind Section”. 1 October, 2006. .