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Importance of musical instruments
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As I settled on the worn wooden bench for my first organ lesson, a mix of emotions rushed through my mind. I looked down at the familiar black and white keys beneath my fingers with relief, but when I glanced up at a second keyboard and a row of switches, I cringed. My teacher flipped the power switch and the organ began to hum. Tentatively, I tested out a simple melody. The blast of sound that came from the pipes behind me caught me off-guard. This was nothing like the piano I knew so well. Yes, the organ features a set of black and white keys and produces beautiful music, but the similarities end there. The piano and pipe organ, two common keyboard instruments, differ greatly in structure, sound, and use.
Simply structured instruments are cost effective and space efficient. Musicians prefer affordable instruments that fit in small performance spaces over extravagant, expensive versions. A simply structured, comprehensible keyboard instrument will best suit the average musician.
The piano, one of the most well-known keyboard instruments, comes in several sizes. Upright pianos range from three to five feet tall, nearly five feet long, and serve as the best option for a home piano. Grand pianos average three feet tall and four to nine feet long. Wealthy, professional musicians and large organizations tend to buy grand pianos. Pianos cost anywhere from $2,000 to $200,000 new, but many buyers turn to used upright pianos for cheaper options.
No matter the size or cost, all pianos contain the same basic elements. The instrument's outer mechanisms do not present great challenges for musicians. Pianists only need an understanding of a single keyboard and up to three foot pedals.
In contrast, the pipe organ is large, expens...
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...duces an impressive sound, it is expensive, impractical, and complex in comparison to the piano. Anyone searching for a keyboard instrument will have more luck in locating both piano music and the piano itself. Most listeners will find the simplicity of piano music more comprehensible than organ music. Pianos and pipe organs may both share black and white keys and the ability to produce simple, beautiful melodies, but the piano better serves its purpose.
Works Cited
Ardley, Neil. A Young Person's Guide to Music. London: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2004. Print.
Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America. Planning Space for Pipe Organs: An Architect's Guide. The Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America, n.d. PDF file.
Bluebook of Pianos. N.p. 2011. Web. 7 Jan. 2012.
Goffe, Toni. XYZ of Musical Instruments. London: Transworld Publishers Limited, 1978. Print.
Batrolomeo Cristofori brings the piano into the musical arena around 1709 in Florence, Italy. One of Cristoforis previous instruments, the harpsichord, actually brought about the idea of the piano. Cristofori wanted to develop a more dynamic instrument, because the harpsichord had such a small dynamic range. His answer to that problem was the ‘gravicembali col piano e forte,’ which meant harpsichord with soft and loud. This long name was shortened to pianoforte, and then eventually forte was dropped, and now these modern instruments are known as pianos. As the keeper of instruments in Prince Ferdinand’s court in Florence, Cristofori reinvented the harpsichord into the piano. The actual date that he created the piano is unknown, but
Objectives for Elementary level Piano Instruction: A Survey and comparison of the Objectives of Piano/ piano Pedagogy Teachers. EdD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
The piano is the most commonly known and most used. The saxophone has the ability to produce a unique sound. The clarinet has a reed connected to the mouthpiece, which the player blows through to create music. The trumpet is another a popular instrument. The trombone is descended from the trumpet that’s with played in bass clef or treble clef. With the larger size the double bass, the player usually has to stand up. The drums include the bass drum, snare drum, and cymbals. Last but not least, it’s good to have a vocalist because songs will sound
As a musician one of the most frequent questions that I receive is, “What instrument do you play?” When I answer, the look on the persons face is a face of confusion. “What’s a euphonium?” they ask. This occurs not only to me, but to every euphoniumist who is ever asked this very question. Although the word euphonium is foreign to most people, the instrument is not. The euphonium, with its beautiful rich tone is the chief tenor soloist in the military and concert band. The euphonium is a conical-bore, baritone voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Greek word euphonos. When separated, eu means well or good, and phonos means of good sound. Therefore euphonos means well sounding. In this paper I will discuss the history of the euphonium and its use in the world of music today.
The Web. 21 Oct 2010. Writer, Staff. The "mechanical piano 40 (MP40)." www.militaryfactory.com.
Being a pianist presents itself a variety of opportunities, two common ones being playing in a jazz ensemble/band, or accompanying a choir. One may choose to be one, the other or both at the same time. However, there are distinct comparisons and contrasts between the two. Both are vastly different from each other, each harboring distinct qualities, yet there are similarities between the two.
1709, Cristofori had demonstrated harpsichords built with hammer mechanisms that were capable of producing piano and forte effects. A few of these instruments even made their way into Germany the following years. Bach however, did not come into physical contact with such instruments until around 1740-a considerable length of time after the earliest pianofortes were being made. Gottfried Silbermann made the instrument that Bach came into contact with, and he was enthusiastic to receive Bach’s acclaim. Bach’s response however, was of initial disappointment: “…he spoke enthusiastically of the instrument’s tone and possibilities, but criticized its heavy touch and
I have chosen to write this essay on the drum kit, which is an instrument that I play myself. The drum is one of the oldest instruments known to man and has been used by many cultures around the world. Primitive tribal societies used drums to celebrate victory in battle as well as in ritual dance and worship to the deities. The drum kit (also known as the drum set or trap set), however, is an American invention whose rise was seen in the late 19th century. This is an instrument that has taken the work of several percussionists and turned it into something that can be mastered by one; a phenomenal contraption that has only gotten better with time and continues to develop over the years.
The orchestration comprises of a standard set of instruments, including two flutes, two clarinets, two oboes, two bassoons, two trumpets, three trombones, four horns, timpani, bass drum, cymbals and strings. An additional instrument is the tuba (Chung 22). Moreover, it appears that the piano is not the only soloist; rather other instruments such as flutes, clarinets and horns make minor appearances for similar purposes.
<td width="50%">Baroque OrchestrasClassical OrchestrasString section and basso continuo central to the orchestra. Other instruments are occasional additions.Standard group of four sections: strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. Different instruments treated individually.Fairly small; generally 10- 40 players.Larger than baroque; great variation to the numbers of players.Flexible use of timbres, e.g. Timpani and trumpets used generally just for festive music.Standardised sections. Most sections used regularly.Tone colour is distinctly secondary to other musical elements.Greater variety of tone colour and more rapid changes of colour. Timbre is unimportant and therefore a piece written for harpsichord could easily be rearranged for a string section.Each section of the classical orchestra has a special role. And each instrument is used distinctively.Wind instruments mainly used as solo instruments or as part of the basso continuo.The wind section had become a separate unit capable of contrast and distinct colour.The harpsichord generally plays an ostinato under the orchestra. Piano not invented.The piano introduces a third colour-tone to be contrasted with the orchestra
It was at Ohrdruf that Bach began to learn about organ building. The Ohrdruf church's instrument was in constant need of minor repairs, and young J. S. Bach was often sent into the belly of the old organ to tighten, adjust, or replace various parts. This hands-on experience with the innards of the instrument provides a good explanation for his unequalled skill at playing the organ (p. 11, Classical Music, the Rough Guide).
Lederer, Victor. A. Chopin: A Listener's Guide to the Master of the Piano. Pompton Plains, N.J.: Amadeus, 2006. Print. The. "Piano Sonata
When considering the versatility of a synthesiser as a keys player it can widen one’s oeuvre immensely. With its ability to imitate existing sounds and instruments to create beautiful polyphonies and to contrastingly emit haunting, dissonant soundscape’s from previously non-exiting timbres makes it not only a useful tool but and essential piece in a composer’s instrumental repertoire.
Music has shaped the lives of people throughout history. Even in its earliest forms, music has included use of instruments. One of the oldest musical instruments known is a variation of the flute; the original flute is thought to date back nearly 67,000 years ago. Tonight we are going to move throughout the eras with a history of instrumental music. This concert will begin with the Renaissance Era and continue through time until we have reached modern instrumental music.
Bie, Oscar. A History of the Pianoforte and Pianoforte Players. trans. by E. E. Kellett