VPMA93H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: String Vibration, Sympathetic String, String Instrument
17 May 2018
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VPMA LEC 2 MAY 16
HORNBOSTEL SACHS SYSTEM OF INSTRUMENT CLASSIFICATION
• Idiophone: vibrations produced by striking one end of the instrument on another object against
the instrument (EX: maracas, triangle, vibraphone, marimba, xylophone)
➢ Standard
➢ Vibrato
➢ Damper
• Indefinite pitch: one fixed sound
• Definite: different sounds
• Membranophone: sound produced through stretched membrane that is struck or rubbed (EX:
drus, tipai’s, kettle drus)
• Chordophones: sound is produced by a vibrating string activated by striking, plucking, or bowing
(EX: harps, pianos, violins)
• Zither: string runs body of instrument
• Appalachian dulcimer: plucked zither from Appalachian Mountains; string near the player is the
melody and is stopped by a finger or wooden bar, remaining strings are drones
• Drone: continuous sound on one or more fixed pitches
• Frets: where to place fingers on strings
• Sympathetic string: a string that is not normally played upon directly but that is set in motion by
the acoustical phenomenon of resonance
• Sitar: a long-necked string instrument with a wide fingerboard with movable frets, a gourd-
shaped body and resonator, 7 principal strings (4 melody and 3 drones) and 12-20 sympathetic
strings
• Aerophone: sound from a vibrating column of air is activated from a blow hole, a reed, or
buzzing lips (EX: trumpet, trombone)
• Tonguing: the use of the tongue for articulation in the playing of wind instruments; the
tongue releases the wind stream for an initial attack and interrupts it for successive notes
that are separately articulated
• Flutter tonguing: the tongue is fluttered or trilled against the roof of the moth, just behind
the front teeth
• Electrophone: sound is produced or modified by electronic means
• musique concrète – music in which the composer works directly with both natural and
electronically produced sounds recorded on magnetic tape
• Orchestration: the art of employing instruments in various combinations; orchestration
includes the concept of instrumentation – the study of properties and capabilities of
individual instruments
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Idiophone: vibrations produced by striking one end of the instrument on another object against the instrument (ex: maracas, triangle, vibraphone, marimba, xylophone) Week 2 reading: musical instruments: bowed strings. 4 strings arranged in order of pitch, and are played by means of a bow or plucked. Violin and viola played in placement of chin vs cello which is between knees, and double bass is standing up while musician is on a stool: woodwind: Flute: held horizontally under mouth, wooden, activated by blowing aperture at end of instrument. Oboe: held vertically, activated by blowing into 2 reeds causing vibration. Clarinet: same as oboe, but with one reed, played in a/b flat or e,c, b flat bass, saxophone is concert cousin. Bassoon: largest, double reed, bass, cousin is baroque serpent: brass: Trombone: operates without key/valves, 7 positions/ keys. French horn: basic tube, conical bell shape, outward, valves series, french horn is separate from brass in orchestra.
