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The Strings Family Flashcards

1
Q

What is an orchestra?

A

An orchestra is a huge team of players who are organised into four families or sections

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2
Q

What are the four families in an orchestra?

A

Strings, woodwind, brass and percussion

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3
Q

How are the orchestra led?

A

The orchestra is led by a conductor who stands in front of the players

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4
Q

What is an orchestra made up of?

A

An orchestra is made up of a large group of musicians who play together to make music

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5
Q

How many players do some orchestras have?

A

Some orchestras have as few as 20 players but other orchestras have more than 100

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6
Q

What is the string section of the orchestra made up of?

A

The string section of the orchestra is made up of violins, violas, cellos and double basses which all have to be plucked or bowed to make a sound. The harp also sits with the string players and it’s played by plucking the strings.

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7
Q

Name the five string instruments?

A

Double bass, viola, harp, violin, cello

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8
Q

What is the string section?

A

The engine room of the orchestra. They work harder and play more notes than anyone else.

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9
Q

What do the strings give the orchestra?

A

Its sound or its soul

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10
Q

How many different instruments are there in the strings family?

A

5

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11
Q

In an orchestra how many groups do the strings sit in?

A

6

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12
Q

How are the violins split?

A

The violins are split in two, the first violins and the seconds

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13
Q

What is the split of the violins a bit like?

A

Centre forwards and midfielders, their all brilliant but have slightly different jobs to do

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14
Q

Why is the viola a little bit bigger than a viola?

A

So it makes a deeper sound

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15
Q

Why is the chello bigger or smaller?

A

Bigger

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16
Q

Where does the cello rest?

A

Between the players legs, rather than under the chin

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17
Q

What kind of a sound does the cello make?

A

A deep heroic sound

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18
Q

Is the double base lower or higher?

A

Lower

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19
Q

What kind of a sound does the double bass make?

A

It has a sound that you can feel as well as hear

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20
Q

How does the double bass make a sound?

A

Plucking with the fingers or drawing a bow across the strings

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21
Q

What is the 5th member of the strings family?

A

Harp

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22
Q

Does a harp use a bow?

A

No

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23
Q

How many strings does a harp have?

A

47

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24
Q

What kind of work does a harp need?

A

A harp needs some fancy footwork

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25
How many pedals does a harp have?
7
26
What is the violin?
The violin is the smallest instrument in the string family and is made with more than 70 pieces of wood!
27
How many hairs from a horse's tail are used to make a violin bow?
150-200
28
What did violin strings used to be made from?
Violin strings used to be made from 'catgut'which wasn't actually made from cats' guts, but was in fact the gut of a sheep
29
How big is the smallest violin in the world?
Half a centimeter long
30
What is the violin?
The violin is the smallest member of the string family, in order of size: violin, viola, cello, double bass and if you look at an orchestra to the conductors left you will see the violins. The violins are divided in two sections, first violins and second violins. The second violins are just a little bit further into the orchestra
31
What is the violin basically?
An exotically shaped box
32
What do you use to adjust a violin?
An adjuster to change the tension
33
What is it called when you pluck the strings?
Pitsicatto
34
What is the viola?
The viola is slightly larger than the violin is and is played with a bow or by plucking the strings.
35
Where and when were violas invented?
In Italy in 1500s
36
What were Beethoven and Mozart both players of?
Viola
37
What did the Beatles use in some of their songs?
Viola
38
How many violas are there normally in a symphony orchestra?
10-14
39
What family is the viola from?
Viola
40
How many strings does a viola have?
4, like the violin, cello and double bass
41
What are the chords of the viola?
C, G, D, A
42
What is the viola deeper in sound than?
Violin
43
What is the viola much more darker in sound than?
Violin
44
What is it called when you pluck?
Pitsicatto
45
What do you put on the bow?
Rosen which comes from tree sap. This creates grip between the string and the bow hair
46
Which hand do you use to change the pitches of the notes?
Left
47
How are the notes high and low?
If the notes are shorter they are higher if they are longer they are lower
48
What is ?Vibrato
Vibrating on a note
49
What is the cello's full name?
The cello’s full name is violoncello but it’s known as the cello
50
How is a cello pronounced?
Cello is pronounced 'chello' because it' an Italian word
51
How many cellos does a symphony orchestra normally have?
Between 8 and 12
52
What do cellos have to take the weight of the instrument?
Cellos have an endpin or spike that rests on the floor to take the weight of the instrument
53
What family is the cello part of?
Strings
54
What is the cello bigger than?
The violin and viola
55
How does the cello sound?
Lower
56
How does it make a lower sound?
The string length is longer
57
What is the cello made of?
Wood. Usually the top piece of wood is made of spruce. The ribs and the back are usually made of maple, a much softer wood. These all make the body of the cello which is hollow.
58
Why is the cello hollow?
So the vibrations of the strings can travel into the belly of the instrument. The sound then escapes through the air holes.
59
What would happen if the air holes weren't there?
You wouldn't be able to hear the instrumentproperly
60
What is the range of a cello?
About 4 or 5 oktas
61
How is the double bass used?
The double bass is used in many different styles of music including pop, jazz and orchestral.
62
Is the double bass big or small and is it high or low?
Even though the double bass is a very big instrument, it's not very loud because it is so low.
63
What can a double bass also be called?
The double bass can also be called a contrabass
64
How many strings do double basses have?
Double basses usually have 4 strings like violins, violas and cellos but they are also often are with 5 strings
65
What is the largest string instrument?
The double bass
66
Where do you find the double bass in the orchestra?
At the back of the orchestra, behind the cellos, next to the brass.
67
What kind of a sound does the double bass make?
The lowest sound in the string instrument family
68
What do you call the holes in an instrument?
F holes
69
What does a typical harp weigh?
A typical concert harp weighs about 36kg - roughly the same as an average 10 year old child!
70
What do harp players never use to play the harp?
Harp players never use their little fingers to play the harp strings as they are too short and week
71
How many pedals does a concert harp have?
A concert harp has 7 pedals that allow the player to change the length of the strings
72
Why are harp strings coloured?
Hap strings are coloured to help the player find the right string quickly
73
What family is the harp part of in the orchestra?
Strings
74
Do you use a bow to play the harp?
No
75
Does a harp have more strings than all the violins put together?
Probably
76
How do you play the harp?
You pluck the harp with your finger
77
How do you make a really nice sound with the harp?
Squeeze the string
78
Can anybody sit behind the harp and make a nice sound?
Yes
79
What is a glissando?
It's when you run your fingers over the strings
80
What happens if you really press the strings?
It makes the sound much more beautiful
81
How many strings does a harp have?
47 strings which is 6 1/2 octaves
82
What does the harp have the longest range in?
The strings section
83
What is the harp basically?
The harp is basically a tringle of wood
84
Name the three parts of a harp?
Column, neck sound board
85
What does the sound board do?
It vibrates when you pluck a sound ring and amplifies the sound of the string
86
What are the string basically tuned like?
The white notes on a keyboard but in order to get the black notes you use the pedals
87
What happens when you press a pedal?
Hen you press a pedal, a lever goes up the column of the harp where there are lots of little pins which shorten the string making it sharper

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