Playing a musical instrument is a gift to all those who hear it. Does it really matter if you play a classical musical instrument or a contemporary musical instrument? It can. First and foremost, playing a musical instrument should be fun and rewarding. If it’s not, you are not likely to practice it at all and eventually you will lose interest.
Playing classical music with a classical instrument can be remarkably challenging and rewarding. As a general standard, classical music is more intricate that contemporary music, although there are naturally exceptions to every rule.
Playing contemporary music with contemporary instruments can also be tremendously satisfying and rewarding. While not everyone may agree that contemporary music is a gift when they hear it, those who appreciate it will appreciate it deeply.
One of my favorite trends as of late is to either play contemporary music with a classical instrument or classical music with a contemporary instrument. Both sounds are considerably remarkable and both aspects take quite a bit of talent and practice. Creating this interesting twist can ultimately please more crowds, as classical music played with a contemporary instrument can reach the younger generations and actually turn them on to classical styles. The same can be said about contemporary music that is played with classical instruments.
When choosing between classical or contemporary instruments, the best method of decision making is simple preference. When choosing for a child, or helping a child make the decision, preference of course still matters, but opening the doors to new music and different experiences can really benefit the child tremendously. The basic goal for choosing an instrument, either classical or contemporary, is finding an expression that works well with the personality. Children who learn at least a little of both classical and contemporary expression are more equipped to make the decision for themselves later on.
Classical music and instrumentation can teach strong basic skills, while venturing into contemporary music and instrumentation can be both inspiring and fun for kids, especially older children.
Being well versed in classical music can actually provide a better platform for kids or adults who want to play a more contemporary instrument. Contemporary music is often written with the use of only a few chords and a basic beat while classical music demands a higher level of instrumentation. If we never teach kids the classical instruments or the classical music, the classical arts are destined to die.
All people enjoy one or the other kind of music. Music has a soothing effect on the body and the mind. It also has some healing capabilities which medicine and science have been trying to decipher for years. Music can be enjoyed and learned by people of all age groups. A large number of music schools have come up in the recent years which teach interested persons how to play different types of instruments.
Before you set to buy a musical instrument or even learn one, you need to know about the different types of musical instruments that exist.
Sound is produced in these instruments when a column of air is made to vibrate inside them. These instruments are further divided into brass and woodwind instruments. The length of the column of air and the shape of the instrument play a major role in determining the frequency of the wave generated. Different tones are produced depending on the construction of the instrument and method of tone production.
b) Percussion instruments:
Sound is produced in these instruments by simply striking them. The sound produced in this case may or may not be of high pitch. The cavity of the instrument surrounding the area where it is struck vibrates and sound is produced. The shape and material of the instrument also decide the type of sound produced form this instrument.
c) String instruments:
These instruments produce sound when the string is disturbed from its original position by the application of force. The length of the vibrating string, the mass, tension and the point at which the string is excited determine the frequency of the sound produced. The tone of sound produced by these instruments can vary depending on the shape and resonating cavity construction of each instrument.
d) Electronic instruments:
Sound is produced in these instruments through electronic means by imitating the sounds produced by other instruments. They resemble keyboards in appearance.
Sound is produced in these instruments when air is blown into a tube with different length or thickness to generate a wide range of sounds.
f) Keyboard instruments:
These instruments can use any of the above methods to generate musical sounds. Each key in the keyboard can produce one sound or the other. Keyboards are famous for producing a combination of different sounds and can also imitate the sound produced by other musical instruments.
The shakuhachi is a Japanese end-blown flute. It is the Japanese most well-known woodwind instrument. The shakuhachi flute (or also known as Zen flute) is used by Zen Buddhist as a tool for meditation as well as playing jazz, classical and traditional Japanese folk music. This flute is made from the very bottom of a bamboo tree, but versions now exist in ABS and hardwoods.
Although the bamboo flute is quite simple in appearance, it is very difficult to play; its unique and magical quality is revealed to the listeners by the purity of its tone. In the hands of a master, the flute produces an extraordinary, subtle, sensual music – prized as being perfect for meditation and relaxation. Its beautiful, soulful sound made it popular in 80’s pop music in the English-speaking world.
The name shakuhachi is derived from the term “isshaku hassun” meaning one shaku and eight suns (1.8 Japanese feet). Usually, the term shakuhachi refers to the standard size instrument, which is 54.5 cm in length, but it can also refer to many different sizes ranging from 1.3 – 2.5 shaku (39.4 – 75.7 cm) and longer. The shakuhachi is usually made from the root portion of a thick-walled bamboo (known as madake in Japanese).
There are two contrasting styles of making these instruments: the first involves using a style that is similar to the Zen Buddhist monks from the past. There is no filler in this shakuhachi and it is also sometimes called as ji nashi or hocchiku. If you look down the bore of a ji nashi, you can see some nodes of the bamboo protruding. While the second style has a filler made up of a certain mixture of ingredients, possibly including a powder called tonoko, lacquer or urushi and water. This is finished to create a polished surface.
Shakuhachi can be made in one piece (it is called as nobekan) or in two pieces with a middle joint (this also called as nakatsuki). Two of them has no difference in quality, only the two piece is easier to transport and often contains filler. The top part of shakuhachi is called utaguchi – literally ‘song mouth’, and this contains an insert made of various materials such as buffalo horn, ivory and plastic. Its shape is based on the preference of different schools.
Shakuhachi flute is possibly the simplest non-percussive instrument ever conceived. This instrument has no keys or pads like a western flute, no strings like a violin or guitar, no mechanism inside like organ or piano, no reed like a clarinet or saxophone, it does not even have a mouthpiece like a recorder. Zen flute has only five finger holes, which is fewer than the penny whistle or much other wind instruments. To play a note, your mouth and lips must become part of the instrument. Despite this simple construction, this instrument can produce an inconceivably broad range of musical sounds
The Zen flute came from China to Japan sometime in the 6th century. The instrument was then adopted by a sect of Zen Buddhist monks around the 15th century. During this period, the flutes began to be made from the spiked root section of the bamboo – so the flute could double as a particularly ferocious weapon. That probably explains the flute’s long association with the martial arts.
In general, a lute is a stringed instrument that loosely resembles a guitar, but has a round body, a deep and round back, a fretted or unfretted neck and is a member of the family of European lutes. The instrument is played by plucking the strings, which vibrate and create the sound.
The strings are placed over a bridge which allows them to vibrate freely and the body of the lute is hollow in order to intensify the sound so that others can clearly hear the instrument. While the instrument is not overly popular today, it was incredibly popular during the baroque music period when people would play the instrument alone or as an accompaniment to other instruments.
When the lute was created is not clear. There is much speculation about how long it has been around. Some say that a variation of the lute may have existed during the time of the Ancient Egyptians, but others say it may not have existed until the 1500s. It is difficult to tell when exactly the lute was first created because there were so many instruments that existed throughout history that somewhat resemble the lute.
Though most may think that the lute is an instrument of the past, it is one that is still played today; however, the instrument is often custom made and is not one that is easily found in used music stores. As a result, this particular stringed instrument can be quite expensive to acquire. Finding someone who can teach one how to play the lute is not as difficult and the lessons may not be as expensive as they can be for other instruments.
In general, the lute is not the first instrument that people will choose to play, probably because it is not one that is seen as often as the guitar or the saxophone. The general population is influenced by the instruments they see most often, which will leave the lute out of the picture because it is not too common in much of today’s music.
This is not to say that the lute will never gain popularity again or that there is not really any place for it. People who play the lute find music to play, though it may not exactly be rock and roll.
Anyone looking for a unique instrument that is out of the norm might want to give the lute a try. It has its own unique sound that is not duplicated by other instruments and one that takes skill and practice to be able to play the instrument well. It can be a little challenging for some, while it can be easier for others at the same time. Some experience with playing the guitar might make learning how to play the lute easier, while someone with no experience is starting from scratch so they may have a more difficult time at first. Someone who really has an interest in learning to play the lute will probably have little difficulty regardless of whether they have previous experience with stringed instruments or not.
Before your child starts playing a kind of musical instrument, particularly a wind instrument such as a clarinet or saxophone, a New York orthodontist strongly recommends that you check first with your dentist. The dentist said that faulty alignment of teeth and gum difficulties are among the dental problems that certain individuals have because of the instruments that they play. He said in a report published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association that millions of American children are playing some kind of instruments they selected themselves or are studying music in schools using instruments that may have been assigned to them on a haphazard basis.
There are just certain instruments that are not suited for children dentally or temperamentally, and this would be later on discovered by the children. Many would be a musician is handicapped from the start and will never be any more than mediocre in his field. Dentists who want to provide good service for their patients must remember to tell would be musicians, music teachers, and parents that some dental problems are caused by the playing of wind instruments.
Before the parents invest time, effort, and money to this musical pursuit, a dental consultation should be done first. There are a lot of dentists who claim that single reed instruments are usually to blame for cases of body tissue illnesses experienced by wind instrumentalists. The lower lip is supported by the teeth, and unfortunately, it is also here that a lot of weight from the instrument is applied. Applying pressure on the teeth reduces the blood circulation in the affected bone area.
The upper teeth may also be misaligned due to the pressure exerted by the lower jaw onto the upper teeth. Compression of the lips against the upper and lower teeth is the result of playing brass instruments like a trumpet. Tooth mobility may come as a result of playing these instruments for extended periods of time. A short upper lip prevents a person from playing the flute well and comfortably, while irregular teeth cause a person's lips to hurt while he is playing the oboe or bassoon.
Dental problems may arise because of string instruments also. Certain studies indicate that faulty bite is a common problem of violinists since a lot of pressure is put on their jaw when they play. These dental problems can be prevented if an oral examination is given to would be musicians. Proper early recommendations can ensure dental suitability and oral health so that a would-be musician is not needlessly handicapped in playing his or her favorite musical instruments, he said.
Getting check-ups before anything else is definitely a great way to make sure you don't get complications in the latter stages of life. Seeing your dentist beforehand is especially true when it comes to playing wind instruments. Seeing a dentist is never a bad thing.
Wind instruments in the Musical Instrument Museum, Brussels, Belgium. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Renaissance is an important time period of history; the word means in French “rebirth” and is very appropriate to define the most spectacular historical age in Italy. Western Europe was also influenced by its main features, the revival of learning based on classical sources (Greek and Latin), and the rise of papal patronage, the development of perspective and great advancements of science.
Albrecht Durer was the first to describe Italian art as “renaissance”. Giorgio Vasari, Giotto, Masaccio, Brunelleschi and Donatello are developing the painting art to the perfection. Leonardo da Vinci, a great scientist, painter and sculptor, Michelangelo developed their awesome art on the desire to study the nature.
The Renaissance was a great period for musical instruments. Renaissance music is represented by liturgical forms. Composers of sacred music began to adopt new forms, such as “Madrigal” and use improved musical instruments of the Renaissance. Sacred new genres appeared; the madrigal spirituale, the laude, the mass and the motet. Instrumental music was composed for viol or recorder. Most popular genres were the toccata, the ricercar, the prelude, and the canzona. The great idea of polyphonies, the basis of today’s music, is coming from those great times.
The most important is that most of the musical modern instruments have evolved from the musical instruments of the Renaissance. Many popular musical instruments, such as flute, oboe, trumpet, trombone, and guitar can be traced back to the Renaissance. Wind instruments are really related to this period. Many musical instruments of the Renaissance were made out of wood, such as shawm, flute, recorder or sackbut. The shawm is the first oboe; it is also the ancestor of English horn and bassoon. All these musical instruments of the Renaissance were played with a double reed. The shawm produces really loud sounds, the kortholt, and the dulcian too. All those musical instruments of the Renaissance are using a reed-cap and have a two and one half octave range.
The cornetts were also very popular during the Renaissance; all of them were made out of wood. Today the trumpets are made out of brass. Musical instruments of the Renaissance such as cornetts coma in three types: the curved cornett, the mute cornett, and the straight cornett. The recorder, the flute, and the transverse wee also very popular during the Renaissance, because they were easy to play.
The transverse flute was the first musical instrument of the Renaissance where the vibrato can be used. Today vibrato is used on a large scale of musical instruments.
Réunion de musiciens by François Puget traditionally believed to depict Jean-Baptiste Lully (holding the violin) and Philippe Quinault (playing the lute) surrounded by other musicians at the court of Louis XIV. The painting is held in the Musée du Louvre. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Ever since the baroque revival of the 1970s, there has been much discussion of the use of so-called period instruments. Many people have argued that the music of the baroque composers, and even that of the classical composers, cannot be performed properly on modern instruments. What reasons would someone have for saying such a thing? What follows is a discussion of the instruments of the orchestra and how they changed drastically during the nineteenth century. I will leave out any discussion of the piano because I am limiting this discussion to instruments that became standard in the orchestra, and because the evolution of the piano is such a huge topic by itself.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, there was a great revolution in instrument making. Actually, many of these changes had been slowly taking place over the course of a century or so, especially with the string instruments. However, the style of music in the late eighteenth century probably had some influence on the evolution of the instruments of the orchestra. Extreme contrasts of dynamics were called for in the music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Although that was, no doubt, an important factor behind the desire to manufacture louder instruments, with more dynamic range, I believe that it was not the only factor.
There was another reason for the nineteenth-century preoccupation with increasing the dynamics of instruments. Audiences were getting larger and concert halls were getting larger in order to accommodate these larger audiences. Orchestras were required to produce a greater volume of sound to fill the new concert halls. Making orchestras larger was simply not the answer. Larger orchestras have a hard time playing fast tempi with precision. This is why Beethoven preferred a forty-piece orchestra for his symphonies when he could have had them performed by a sixty-piece orchestra. The choice between using a large or small orchestra to perform a given composition, of course, boils down to how big the string section is.
The number of woodwinds and brass is determined by the score, but you can have as big or as small a string section as you like. The standard orchestra of the late eighteenth century consists of first violins, second violins, violas, cellos, string basses, two oboes, two bassoons, two kettle drums, sometimes two or three horns, sometimes a trumpet or even two, and two flutes. By 1800 two clarinets had also become a standard part of the orchestra. What follows is a discussion of the differences between modern orchestral instruments and their earlier counterparts, with an emphasis on the development of the string instruments.
The Violin
The first thing I would like to discuss is the violin bow. The original violin bow, when the instrument was first invented by Amati, in 1550, was shaped more or less like a hunting bow. It had a pronounced arch to it, and the hairs were rather slack. The tension of the hairs was controlled by subtle movements of the bowing hand. This made it easy to bow all four strings at the same time, or one at a time when necessary. When the player wanted to bow three or four strings, he would slacken the bow hairs a bit. When he wanted to bow one or two, he would increase the tension a bit. This type of bow had changed little in the time of Bach.
Another thing that made it easier to bow all four strings at once, was the fact that the bridge was not quite as arched as that of a modern violin, thus putting the strings closer to being in the same plane. On a modern violin, one can bow three strings simultaneously, but it is difficult to do this without giving greater pressure, and therefore greater loudness, to the string in between the other two. Modern violinists have to sort of fake it, when they play Bach's sonatas and partitas for unaccompanied violin. When Bach calls for four notes to be played simultaneously, the player of a modern violin will rapidly move the bow, one string at a time, causing the notes to be heard in rapid succession, one after the other, closing approximating the sound that one would get from bowing all four notes at once. On the violin of Bach's day, this technique wasn't necessary, as the bow could easily be moved across all four strings simultaneously.
The violin bow underwent a gradual change throughout the eighteenth century, becoming less and less arched. At the end of the eighteenth century, a man named Tourte created a new style of bow. This bow actually curved slightly toward the hairs, instead of away from them. This new bow could play much louder than the old baroque bow. Also, unlike the baroque bow, this new bow could produce an equally loud volume along its entire length. With this new bow, a skilled violinist could make the change from upbow to down-bow almost imperceptible. It was perfectly suited to the new style of music, with its broad, sweeping melodic lines. The same reasons that make the Tourte bow so well suited for nineteenth-century music make it somewhat unsuitable for eighteenth-century music, especially early eighteenth-century music.
Hornviolin (trumpet-violin) together with a normal violin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The old baroque bow produced a strong sound in the middle of its length, the sound getting much weaker as the string was approached by either end of the bow. This is actually an advantage when performing baroque music, with its highly articulated phrasing and lean texture. The old baroque bow allowed more nuances of shaping a note. With the Tourte bow, it is hard to shorten a note without making it sound chopped off. And with most baroque music, it is advantageous to make the up-bow sound different from the down-bow. The old baroque bow is much better suited to the lean, transparent textures of the baroque music. In polyphonic music, it is easier to hear all of the individual lines if each player does not smoothly connect his or her notes, but allows a bit of "space" between them. This is possible on a modern violin but comes naturally with a baroque violin.
The body of the violin went through major changes in the middle of the nineteenth century. A chin rest was added by Louis Spohr early in the nineteenth century, resulting in a whole new technique of playing. The strings were made thicker, and eventually were wound with metal, the sound post was made thicker, the bass bar was made thicker and stronger, and much more tension was put on the strings. With the thicker strings, the bow has to be drawn over the strings with much more pressure in order to get them to vibrate, but the sound is much louder. The neck, instead of coming straight out from the belly, was glued on at an angle, which makes the angle of the strings across the bridge acuter.
All of these changes resulted in a tremendous loss of overtones, resulting in a much dryer sound. This is why the old baroque violin has such a sweet, pretty sound when compared to a modern violin. This is the price that was paid in order to increase the volume of the instrument. With the new instrument, dynamics became the dominant means of achieving a variety of expression, while nuances of articulation were the main means of achieving expressive variety with the baroque violin. Also, a musician playing a modern violin, in order to compensate for the inherently dry sound, will make almost constant use of vibrato, a technique, which was only used sparingly, and only for special effect, in the eighteenth century.
Eighteenth-century books on violin playing, including the one by Leopold Mozart, tell us that vibrato should sometimes be used to add spice to a note. Vibrato is the daily bread and butter of the modern violinist. It is used almost constantly. Without it, the sound would be dull and dry. I should mention here that I am speaking of the fingered vibrato, not the bowed vibrato. The bowed vibrato is produced by a rapid pulsation of the bow across the strings. This effect was rather common in the Baroque period and is meant to imitate the tremulant in organs.
In the middle of the nineteenth century great instruments built by the great masters of old, such as Stradivari, Gaunari, and Stainer, to name the three most important, were taken apart and rebuilt in an effort to make them like the newer violins. Many of them literally broke in two from the strain. There are no instruments built by the great masters, that have not been rebuilt, some of them many times over. In my opinion, this is a great tragedy.
Everything that has been said above about the violin is also largely true of the viola and cello. The bass violin had a somewhat different history. In Germany, in the eighteenth century, a three-stringed bass was commonly used. The Germans discovered that a bass with only three strings had a beautiful, more pure sound than one with four. However, the more versatile four string bass become the norm and the three string bass became obsolete.
The woodwinds also underwent a complete makeover in the nineteenth century. The taper of the internal bore also was changed. This resulted in a louder instrument with a different timbre than the old ones. The old baroque woodwinds had seven or eight holes. Six holes were closed directly by the fingers and the others were closed by keys. In the modern woodwind, all of the holes are closed by keys. Due to the nature of the arrangement of the holes, and mostly because of the fact that they are closed directly by the fingers, each woodwind is easily playable in one certain key and is progressively more difficult to play in keys that are more and more distantly related to the basic key of the instrument. The modern woodwinds, with the key mechanisms used to cover the holes, instead of being covered directly by the fingertips, are just as easy to play in one key as in another. Besides equal ease of playing in all keys, another important difference it that every note on a modern woodwind has pretty much the same timbre, while on a baroque woodwind, especially the flute, each tone will have a noticeably different timbre.
In the clarinet and oboe, the internal bore was widened. The end bell of the clarinet became less flared. This resulted in a different sound. The bassoon of the eighteenth century was constructed differently too, the main difference being the walls of the instrument were thin enough to vibrate. This is an important difference. The laws of acoustics dictate that the timbre of a wind instrument is not affected by the material it is made from as long as the walls of the instrument are to think to vibrate. The thinness of the wooden tube out of which the old bassoons were made gave it a sweeter sound, but the new bassoons were much louder.
Brass
The main change in the brass instruments was the invention of valves which are operated by pressing levers with the fingers. This made the instruments much more versatile. With the old brass instruments, the player had to change the tension of his lips to make different notes, the only notes being available being the ones of the harmonic overtones. Horn players employed short lengths of tubing called crooks. In order to play in a different key, the horn player removed one crook and inserted another. This was a bit cumbersome and composers rarely asked for horn players to change crooks within a movement, though they usually had to change crooks between movements.
Horn players in Mozart's day had figured out that they could change a note by a semitone by inserting their fist carefully into the end bell and holding it just right. This gave them the ability to play things that they could not otherwise play, but this technique was used sparingly because of the difference in timbre of the not thus produced. The invention of valves gave all of the brass much more versatility. In the late eighteenth century, the trumpet was outfitted with one valve, which was controlled by the thumb. This enabled the trumpet player to play a lot more notes. It was this type of trumpet for which Josef Haydn composed his famous trumpet concerto. In the nineteenth century, three valves which control the airflow through sections of tubing were added to the trumpet, allowing the player much more versatility. The trombones, of course, did not need to be outfitted with valves because they always had a slide which changed the length of the vibrating column of air, thus changing the note.
The smaller internal bore of the old brass instruments gave them, well, no pun intended, a brassier sound. The trumpets had more of a bite to their sound. The horns were a bit harsh compared to the smooth sounding modern horn. The trombones had a slightly harsh edge to their sound compared to modern trombones.
Pros and cons
So which is better, the old baroque instruments of modern ones? I don't think either is better. They are only different. The old instruments have a sweet sounding quality that comes through even in recordings. They are perfectly suited to the music of Bach and Handel. They are great on recordings but they will never have an important place in the modern concert world because their sound is too weak to fill a big concert hall. While it is possible to do justice to the music of Bach and Handel on modern instruments if the musicians have an intimate understanding of the style, it would be sheer madness to play Strauss or Debussy on baroque instruments.
As for the music of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, it is easy to make the argument that it should be played on the same type of instruments they had in their time, and maybe certain aspects of their music to+-+ come through more clearly on the old instruments. But it is also easy to argue that their music pushed the instruments of their time to their limits, and even beyond. Their music was revolutionary. It was ahead of its time in many ways, especially the music of Beethoven. Why should we have to put up with the limitations that were forced on them when we can hear their music played very effectively with modern instruments?
Ultimately, it is the skill, understanding, and sensitivity of the musicians to the style of music that they are playing that makes the biggest difference, not the type of instruments they are playing.
In this article, we will look at some reasons for playing musical instruments. Learning to play a musical instrument can offer many benefits, if you really want to learn how to do something in your lifetime, then you should think about learning to play a musical instrument.
Let’s look at some reasons why in this article:
Reasons for playing musical instruments - You can become smarter
Studies have shown that those that play a musical instrument in school, do better with their studies than those who do not. It is said that playing musical instruments has a therapeutic effect on the brain. By playing musical instruments from a young age, they develop ones reading skills, a child’s ability to learn, and they also raise the child’s IQ. Adults can benefit also because it makes one able to focus better resulting in effects such as more mental focus and improved memory.
Reasons for playing musical instruments - Learn Discipline
Many people who play music are very disciplined. You have to be disciplined in order to master the instrument you are playing. You need to set aside time each day to practice, practice, and further practice. While many people goof around watching TV and Gossiping, you have to set that time aside to practice on your chosen instrument.
Reasons for playing musical instruments - Instruments relive stress
When you hear soft soothing music, it can de-stress many people. We all need days when we need to just sit and soothe our minds. Life can be hectic and stressful. Playing an instrument can relax you by calming the mind.
Reasons for playing musical instruments - A sense of achievement
If you’re new to playing a musical instrument, getting your first piece right can be very frustrating. However, once you achieve this, you can have an overwhelming feeling of achievement and satisfaction.
Playing musical instruments is fun
Playing an instrument can be very hard work, but most people who play will tell you that playing an instrument is a whole lot of fun. Once you get better playing your chosen musical instrument, you will be able to demonstrate what you have learned to families and friends.
You may even choose to go further with your skills and aim for playing musical instruments at a professional level. Playing musical instruments opens up many possibilities which can only be a positive thing. We are sure that by learning to play a musical instrument, your life can only be enriched.
The Renaissance is an important time period of history; the word means in French “rebirth” and is very appropriate to define the most spectacular historical age in Italy. Western Europe was also influenced by its main features, the revival of learning based on classical sources (Greek and Latin), and the rise of papal patronage, the development of perspective and great advancements of science.
Albrecht Durer was the first to describe Italian art as “Renaissance”. Giorgio Vasari, Giotto, Masaccio, Bruneleschi, and Donatello are developing the painting art to the perfection. Leonardo da Vinci, a great scientist, painter and sculptor, Michelangelo developed their awesome art on the desire to study the nature.
The Renaissance was a great period for musical instruments. Renaissance music is represented by liturgical forms. Composers of sacred music began to adopt new forms, such as “madrigal” and use improved musical instruments of the Renaissance. Sacred new genres appeared; the madrigale spirituale, the laude, the mass and the motet. Instrumental music was composed for viol or recorder. Most popular genres were the toccata, the ricercar, the prelude, and the canzona. The great idea of polyphonies, the basic of today’s music, is coming from those great times.
The most important is that most of the musical modern instruments have evolved from the musical instruments of the Renaissance. Many popular musical instruments, such as flute, oboe, trumpet, trombone, and guitar can be traced back to the Renaissance. Wind instruments are really related to this period. Many musical instruments of the Renaissance were made out of wood, such as shawm, flute, recorder or sackbut. The shawm is the first oboe; it is also the ancestor of English horn and bassoon. All these musical instruments of the Renaissance were played with a double reed. The shawm produces really loud sounds, the kortholt and the dulcian too. All those musical instruments of the Renaissance are using a reed-cap and have a two and one-half octave range.
The cornetts were also very popular during the Renaissance; all of them were made out of wood. Today the trumpets are made out of brass. Musical instruments of the Renaissance such as cornetts come in three types: the curved Cornett, the mute Cornett, and the straight Cornett. The recorder, the flute, and the transverse wee also very popular during the Renaissance, because they were easy to play.
The transverse flute was the first musical instrument of the Renaissance where the vibrato can be used. Today vibrato is used on a large scale of musical instruments.
An object which is used to make a melodious sound is called musical instrument. In today’s life, music has become essential part of entertainment and a method to relax the body after a stressful day. There are large number of musical instruments with different style and different sound. Every single instrument has its own quality. No one can differentiate between two or more different instruments. These instruments are mostly used in orchestra.
There are different categories of musical instruments like keyboards, drums, percussion instruments, stringed instruments, woodwinds and brass wind instruments.
The instrument that comes under the category of woodwind is prepared with single or double reeds.
Some woodwind, musical instruments are in a tubular form while some woodwinds have many curves in a tube and the shape of the instrument makes it easy to make different sound. The instrumentalist places a reed in the mouthpiece to make sound and the quantity of air in the tube will decide what kind of sound is produced. The type of woodwind instruments are flute, clarinet, piccolo, oboe and bassoon.
The brass wind musical instruments can be seen from the distance because of the shine of the instruments. The different type of instruments under this category are trumpets, French horns, tuba and trombones except for saxophone because it comes under woodwind as it has a mouthpiece that needs air for creating musical sound.
The stringed instruments are like violin, guitar, violas, cellos and double basses. These instruments have different method of playing. Cellos and double basses are played in standing position and violin, guitar, and violas are played by carrying it in hand. These stringed instruments are checked by the tuning of each string before the performance to get better sound.
The different types of percussion instruments are timpani, snare drum, bass drum, triangle, cymbals, chimes, xylophone, celesta, tam-tam, and the triangle. The sounds of these instruments are louder compared to any other instruments so they are placed behind all other instruments so that it produces a proper sound and doesn’t create a noisy environment.
The keyboard category consists of piano, clavichord, harpsichord etc. Every musical instrument that has a key button that is attached to a string to create a sound comes under this category.
The musical instruments, drums, the types and structure of drums are different in different countries and the sound that it produces differs from one type to another.
So, if you are planning to own any of these types of musical instruments, there are few things to be considered before purchasing it.
Check for the reputed stores that sells original and genuine instruments.
Check the sound of the instruments that you are planning to purchase.
See how you feel when you hold the musical instruments.
Look out for the well known brand of the instruments.
The last and the important thing- see that it is within your budget.
After purchasing your instrument practice everyday for an hour or less to learn it fast and remember to always keep it clean.
Choose your favorite woodwind or brass wind instruments and enjoy with your family in a melodious environment.
Wilson is author of this article on Brasswind. Find more information about Guitars here.
