Types of musical instruments. What types of wind instruments are there?

Types of keyboard musical instruments

The most obvious difference between keyboard musical instruments and others is the presence of a keyboard - a row of keys, each of which produces its own unique sound. There can be a large variety of mechanisms responsible for the operation of keys, for example: - String (piano);

Column of air (organ);

Steel plate (celesta);
- and so on.

Mozart once said that the organ is the most cumbersome and complex instrument, which only a truly talented performer can master. The organ has several manuals (keyboards), usually from 3 to 5. They are located one on top of the other, forming a small ladder. The organ also has a pedal, with which the performer can make low sounds. The mechanism of the organ is sufficiently structured in an interesting way: there is a series of pipes through which air flows from a special pump, it is called bellows. Each key is connected to these pipes, with one press you can activate up to hundreds of pipes. The air supply can be regulated using so-called registers. The registers are located near the keyboard and are responsible for giving sounds different shades. Thanks to the exceptional complexity of this instrument, compositions performed on it have an amazing and indescribable sound. However, the performer must have the appropriate professional skills.

The piano is a keyboard instrument that has taken the whole world by storm. Performances on it can be found in schools, universities, theaters, music schools and even at home. There are many reasons why the piano is famous. So, for example, compared to its relatives, a piano looks rather modest and does not take up as much space as, say, an organ. Nowadays, the word “piano” refers to three types of keyboard instruments:

Grand piano (concert);
- cabinet piano;
- piano.

In a standard piano you can find 88 keys, and in rare cases 76. The instrument works as follows: a small hammer is attached to each key, which, when pressed, touches the string, causing vibrations. The piano has several foot pedals, each of which has its own unique purpose. For example, the right pedal is responsible for raising the dampers, which makes the sound soft, and the left pedal helps to weaken the sound. The piano, like other keyboard instruments, requires tuning periodically. Since the piano is often located at home, owners believe that they can tune the piano themselves. Often such “amateur activities” lead to unpleasant consequences. The characteristic difference between a grand piano and an upright piano is the arrangement of the strings. In a grand piano, the strings are arranged horizontally, this arrangement allows the sound to be directed upward, filling the entire room with sound. The piano, in turn, has vertical strings, which causes the sound to go to the floor. In addition, if you lift the lid of the piano, the effect of filling the room with music will be significantly enhanced. In turn, the lid of a piano is almost always closed, which gives the music a muffled sound. This is due to the fact that the piano, unlike the grand piano, is used primarily at home, and the grand piano is used as a concert instrument.

Advantages and disadvantages

The popularity of keyboard instruments is due to many factors, however, despite a large number of advantages, such tools also have a number of disadvantages. So, the advantages and disadvantages of keyboard musical instruments:

1) Sound quality. The sound quality of keyboard instruments is one of the most important factors influencing their popularity and fame;
2) price increase. A high-quality and good musical instrument that has been subjected to timely proper care, does not lose its value and, on the contrary, becomes more expensive;
3) confidence during the game. Unlike other musical instruments, the performer can be one hundred percent sure that the keyboard instrument will not leave his hands, will not stagger or fall. Disadvantages: - Dimensions. Any keyboard acoustic instrument is quite heavy, which greatly complicates the process of transportation and movement;
4) the need for regular care. Keyboard instruments are too finicky, they need constant care, and caring for them is not always easy and pleasant;
5) setting. Setting up such tools requires special skills, so you often have to turn to specialists, whose services are not always cheap.

How to choose an electronic keyboard instrument?

Updated 2012 FAQ for Newbies

This article opens the topic of electronic keyboard instruments and will help the reader not only form big picture, but also learn about the nuances. In addition, we have analyzed and compiled a list of frequently asked questions about electronic keyboards. They are published along with the answers. We intend to constantly expand this FAQ.

The electronic keyboard market is divided into several formal categories. A digital piano is a complete musical instrument, which today is widely used for learning, home music playing, and even concert performance. Professional musicians advanced models of synthesizers are more often used, as they are more mobile and have rich creative possibilities. There is another class of electronic keyboards - inexpensive synthesizers with auto accompaniment, and their capabilities and sound are constantly improving. Their main audience is newbies.

It’s good when a buyer looking for a musical instrument clearly knows what he needs. But even if you choose just one category of electronic keyboards, where do you start? Which models should you take note of, and which should you avoid? An impressive wad of cash in a wallet does not at all guarantee that a person will leave the store with exactly the tool that he needs.

Classification of tools

How is a digital piano different from a synthesizer or workstation? In principle - nothing, the chain of sound formation is the same in any case: keyboard, tone generator, effects processor. However, additional functional blocks, such as a sequencer or harmonizer, and the form factor quite clearly separate these devices into categories.

Digital piano - the simplest device from an electronics point of view: a minimum range of timbres (usually several versions of a piano, harpsichord, several organs, strings), simple effects for simulating the sound of a hall. All efforts when creating such instruments are aimed at leveling out the difference in sensations from playing them and traditional acoustic pianos. This is facilitated by a weighted 7-octave keyboard with an imitation hammer mechanism and a solid floor-standing case with classic pedals. And a digital piano most often has a cover that prevents dust from getting on the keys, and a music stand - a stand for notes. The price of an instrument equipped with a full keyboard and an acceptable tone generator usually does not fall below $1,500. More expensive Roland pianos, based on SuperNATURAL Piano technology, carefully reproduce such nuances of behavior of concert grand pianos as the change in timbre (not just volume) depending on how hard the key is pressed. In a concert grand piano, the timbre also changes slightly from note to note, since the strings differ in number (three strings per note at the top, one in the bass), braid material, length, and hammer weight. In addition, resonances when pressing the pedal or other keys are recreated, and the natural attenuation of notes when the pedal is not fully pressed.

Synthesizer - a textbook device in its essence that allows you to get the desired sound by pressing the keys. Synthesizers do not have any means of recording the game, as well as other systems that help create a composition. Today, synthesizers are used primarily in recording studios and at concerts for playing live. There are many types of synthesizers, but one thing is obvious: they are hardly suitable for the role of a universal home instrument.

Synthesizer with auto accompaniment , colloquially “self-playing” or “balalaika”, allows you to organize automatic accompaniment for the melody and record the resulting composition in as soon as possible using a simple built-in sequencer. And even though the sound quality of such devices, as well as their capabilities, do not amaze the imagination, “self-players” are in steady demand. This is a good option for a beginning composer (a chance to test his passion for music with practice) and an indispensable assistant for banquet organizers in restaurants. Model prices famous brands they start at $250, but for a device with minimally acceptable equipment for creativity they ask for at least $350-400.

Arranger - essentially the same synthesizer with auto accompaniment, only providing more possibilities, which has more flexible and high-quality accompaniment algorithms, sounds more realistic. Arrangers are either amateur or professional. The latter are quite successfully used to create musical screensavers on television and independent compositions. A good arranger in the upper price segment (average $3000-6000) can easily live in the home of a professional songwriter. Basic models are priced at $1300-1500.

Work station - potentially the most “powerful” stand-alone solution for composers who reject templates and cliches. The stations do not have automatic accompaniment or other means that make it possible to put together a song quickly and simply. But in manual mode you can do almost anything you want. Like the best keyboard arrangers, flagship workstations allow you to create studio-quality compositions, including adding live instrument tracks and vocals (many models have a microphone input and basic audio processing, although the microphone itself is not included in the package). A kind of compact home studio “in one box”. The cost of truly outstanding models ranges from 4000 to 7000 US dollars, and simpler options are offered for 2500-3500 green money.

Built-in sequencer

Since keyboard sensor commands can be read and processed, they can be saved into the instrument’s memory. The sequencer can store multiple MIDI command chains (tracks) of virtually unlimited length and play them individually, simultaneously, or in any combination. The tone generator will sound each track as a separate timbre or group, and the effects processor will flavor the sound with the desired “flavor”. And all this will happen in real time. Each part can be recorded separately, and the performer does not have to be a virtuoso: a melody played slowly and with blots can be easily edited within a wide range - from the height, duration and volume of each note, to tempo, panning and the operation of foot pedals. The following picture shows screenshots of the interface of the already middle-aged Roland Fantom X keyboard station, giving some idea of the process of creating a composition. Directly editing the notes of a recorded MIDI track is shown in the lower right image.

FAQ

— Which brands of products make sense to consider first?

The modern digital keyboard market is built on three pillars: Korg, Yamaha and Roland. Each of these companies has solutions for every taste and almost every budget. At the same time, there are many other reputable manufacturers, although their products are specific. For example, M-Audio and Fatar are famous for their MIDI keyboards, Access for analog synthesizers for the studio and stage, and Nord, in addition, for electric organs. But if we talk about self-sufficient, general-purpose keyboard instruments, then in this segment it is Korg, Yamaha and Roland that rule the roost. In certain situations, it makes sense to look towards products from Kurzweil, Kawai or Clavia, but this must be done with a clear understanding of goals and objectives, which are rarely formed in the head of a beginning keyboard player. Products from Casio and little-known Chinese brands sold at bargain prices in supermarkets are not worth seriously considering, unless you are looking for a deliberately cheap toy.

— Is it possible for a child studying in music school in piano class, practice at home on a digital piano?

It is possible, but only if the instrument is equipped with a heavy (so-called weighted) 88-key hammer action and is installed on a massive proprietary stand with integrated pedals. In appearance, such models appear to be solid-body, although this is only an illusion.

Buying a desktop keyboard “board” on a metal X-shaped stand and with an external pedal is less expensive, but it will not allow the young pianist to develop the correct posture, and the easy mechanics of the keys will properly train the muscles of the fingers, which in the future will seriously complicate playing an acoustic grand piano. In addition, the tandem will sway during the game... As a reasonable compromise, it makes sense to consider the Roland RP-301 or Yamaha CLP-320, and the Roland HP-302 / 305 and Yamaha CLP-430 / CLP-440 can be considered optimal for most buyers. Prices? As mentioned above, you will have to spend at least $1500 on a “correct” digital piano, while a high-end instrument will cost $2000-2500. The difference between the most expensive models is not only in the extraordinary design, but also in the quality of the acoustic systems and circuitry. And don’t forget to buy two useful accessories: closed-back headphones for nighttime music playing, as well as a special performance bench, which, however, is sometimes included in the delivery package.

“We do not plan to teach the child academic piano playing, except perhaps to play music “for ourselves.” Which synthesizer should you buy as your first instrument for recording compositions and arrangements?

A lot depends on the budget. Just don’t forget that a very simple device will be functionally stupid and almost certainly sound bad. Such, if I may say so, a tool can completely discourage the desire to creative development. The Yamaha PSR-E423 is suitable for a safe start, but your child will outgrow its potential in less than a year. If your income allows you to choose a more expensive device, then aim for the Korg Pa50SD or Yamaha PSR-S550. It’s much more interesting to create on any of them. Or you can invest big and buy a model “for growth” - Yamaha PSR-S710 or Roland Prelude. Each of the two synthesizers will cost at least $1,400, but the young talent is unlikely to lose interest in it for several years, and the subsequent transition to a professional instrument will be relatively easy.

— I am a composer who needs a first-class workstation to create a wide variety of music. Which one should you prefer?

One of the most advanced keyboard stations in terms of sound and capabilities is the Korg brand and is called Kronos. The device, equipped with a touch interface, is available in three versions, which differ in the octave of the keyboard and the quality of its mechanics. Kronos is a compilation of all the company's previous achievements. In particular, to form the sound, as many as nine diverse algorithms are used here, previously found in different profile synthesizers of the company separately.

Despite its enormous potential, Kronos is not that expensive: the top version with 88-key hammer action officially costs about $6,300 in Moscow, and numerous online stores are even more lenient. Other interesting options are the Roland Fantom G and Yamaha Motif XF. Both instruments are also available with three keyboard options (lightweight five- or six-octave, or hammer-operated 7-octave), both have rich equipment and an extensive bank of sounds.

The instruments have completely different sound characteristics, so be sure to try each one in action before purchasing.

— I’m tormented by the question: should I build a home studio on a computer or buy one single keyboard workstation?
The question is very difficult. Initially, everything depends on the tasks that are planned to be solved in the studio, experience in using studio equipment, skills in working with music computer software and budget. Potentially, a computer studio is better in everything, but if you take into account the cost of hardware (computer with monitor, MIDI keyboard, sound interface) and licensing software, including sound libraries, it can be even more expensive than a high-end keyboard station, and it will be disproportionately more difficult to set up and use. The keyboard station is much more attractive in this regard: you can work immediately after plugging it into a power outlet, there are instructions with detailed description each operation, and using the arsenal of functions is no more difficult than operating a smartphone. But even the best keyboard stations are not suitable for actively recording live instruments and processing/editing such tracks. Adding a track with vocals is no problem, but the main specialization of these instruments is creating music on the keyboard using a standard bank of sounds. By the way, it is quite extensive. The musician initially has 1-2 thousand ready-made tones, including a couple of dozen drum kits, plus the ability to combine them and create his own sounds. In general, each solution has its pros and cons, but for a typical apartment, a keyboard station is a more convenient option, according to the author of the article, especially if you do not consider yourself a technical guru.

— They say that on some synthesizer you can quite accurately imitate the sound of individual acoustic instruments, including how to play them, and recreate whole orchestra. This is true?
This is true, but only the Yamaha Tyros series arrangers do this job really well. In 2011, the fourth generation instrument was presented to the public, named, accordingly, Tyros 4. The price of the product in Russia is about $5,500 without taking into account the proprietary stand and optional acoustics - by the way, not cheap, but sounding very mediocre. It is better to avoid buying it in favor of studio monitors. The instrument itself is certainly pleasing, even though it is only available with a light “synthesizer” 5-octave keyboard.

— I choose a high-class keyboard arranger. What are the options?
Apart from the Yamaha Tyros 4 mentioned above, then perhaps only the Korg Pa3X ($5200) can be included in the list of candidates for purchase. The Korg device cannot skillfully imitate the techniques of playing live instruments and the nuances of the sound of their timbres, but in many situations they provide a more “adult” sound of compositions as a whole, and the section for forming complex synthetic sounds is much better developed.

We can say that the Yamaha Tyros 4 is the choice of “acoustic” composers, and the Korg Pa3X is the choice of creators electronic music, as well as R’n’B and rap. Streaming pop music can be created with equal success on both instruments.

- ...and if it’s cheaper?
Then the “middle class” Korg Pa800 ($3200) and Yamaha PSR-S910 ($2800). The sound layout is approximately the same as that of more expensive brand models.

— Is it worth paying for additional octaves on the keyboard and heavier hammer action?
The buyer of a digital piano doesn’t even need to think twice: pay definitely! Otherwise, why would there be a piano? But when buying a synthesizer, arranger or workstation, you must weigh the pros (ease of play) and cons (significant difference in price, worse portability). For the step-by-step creation of compositions in most genres, the standard five octaves of lightweight keys are sufficient, but if the parts are complex, then a couple of additional octaves and a hammer mechanism will definitely come in handy.

To be continued…

Wind instruments are very different in their structure and sonority from all other instruments, and they have stood out in the music of all cultures since prehistoric times. The classification of these instruments well reflects the relationship and differences between different types brass.

How are wind instruments constructed?

A wind instrument consists of a certain type of resonator (usually in the form of tubes). In them, vibrations occur in the column of air that the player blows into the wind instrument, and as a result, the sound intensifies.

The sound range of a wind instrument is determined by the size of its resonators. For example, the sound produced from a thick tube is low because the length of its air channel promotes low-frequency vibration of the air flow. And the sound of a thin flute will be high due to the narrower shape of the instrument, and, accordingly, the smaller volume of the resonator: under such conditions, the air column vibrates more often against its walls, therefore, the sound becomes higher.

The oscillation frequency of the column can be increased by accelerating the air injection, that is, by creating a faster and sharper air stream.

Classification of wind instruments

Wind instruments are divided into two groups:

copper wind instruments;
woodwind instruments;
keyboard wind instruments.

Initially, this distribution arose from the materials used to make a particular instrument, but later it became more related to the way the sound was extracted from it. The material of instruments made in our time is not limited to copper and wood and can be very diverse - from metal to plastic, from brass to glass, but these instruments will still be assigned to one of the above groups.

When playing them, sound is produced by changing the length of the air column. This can be achieved by opening special holes that are on the tool, and which ones exactly depend on the distance at which these holes are located from each other.

Woodwind instruments are divided into two subgroups: labial and reed. The distribution depends on how the air is blown into the instrument.

IN labial air is blown through a transverse slot located on the head of the instrument itself: thanks to this, the air stream is cut and promotes internal air vibration.

Labial wind instruments include the pipe, as well as the flute and its varieties.

IN reed injection occurs with the help of a tongue - a thin plate at the top of the instrument, as a result of which the air column vibrates.

Reed wind instruments include: saxophone, clarinet, bassoon and their varieties, as well as instruments such as balaban and zurna.

From the method of sound production, caused by a certain position of the lips on the instrument and the force of blowing air jet depends on whether the instrument belongs to a brass wind instrument. These wind instruments were formerly made of brass, later of brass, and sometimes of silver.

Brass instruments are also divided into subgroups.

Peculiarity valve instruments is that they are, in fact, equipped with three or four valves, which the player controls with his fingers. They are needed in order to increase the length of the air stream by increasing the length of the instrument itself and thus reduce the sound. This happens when you press the valve, when an additional crown is turned on in the tube and the tool is further extended.

Valve instruments include: trumpet, horn, tuba, saxhorn and others.

But at natural wind instruments have no additional tubes at all: they extract sounds only from the natural scale and are not able to play melodic lines, so they practically ceased to be used back in early XIX century. This subgroup includes the bugle, fanfare, hunting horn and similar instruments.

An additional retractable tube in the shape of the letter U, which is called backstage, characterizes this type of brass instrument, such as the trombone. The movement of this tube affects the length of the air flow and, accordingly, the tone of the sound.

Keyboard wind instruments

Separately in this classification are keyboard wind instruments. Their peculiarity is that their structure contains reed and movable tubes - air is pumped into them through special bellows.

Among them there are two subgroups:

reed - harmonium, accordion, melodica, button accordion;
pneumatic - organ and some of its types.

Wind instruments of a symphony orchestra

Flute, bassoon, oboe, tuba, horn, trombone, clarinet and trumpet are those wind musical instruments that are included in symphony orchestra. Let's consider some of them.

Flute

Initially, the flute was indeed made of wood, but later, in the 19th century, silver became the main material for this instrument. The word “flute” itself goes back to ancient times; then this name applied to all wind instruments without exception. It is believed that the flute is one of the most ancient musical instruments in principle - the first ancestors of this instrument appeared about 43 thousand years ago.

Previously, there was a longitudinal flute, which the musician holds in front of him, like a pipe, but in the post-Baroque period it was replaced by a transverse one, which is held at the side, with the arms moving to the side. It is the transverse version that most people imagine when they hear the concept of “flute.” A symphony orchestra primarily uses two flutes. The flute is most often used for classical works. Among other wind instruments, mastering the flute is best for most people, and learning notes for the flute is no more difficult than learning notes for the piano or guitar.

Trombone

The trombone is the only brass instrument that has not undergone any changes after centuries of its existence, and remains the same as the ancient musicians knew it. The trombone is the only instrument that does not transpose, that is, the pitch of the actual sound is the same as the pitch of the notated sound. The word “trombone” usually refers to a variety of it called a tenor trombone. There are also alto and bass trombones, but they are used very rarely.

A symphony orchestra usually has three trombones. Most often the trombone is found in such musical genres, like jazz and ska-punk.

Oboe

The oboe has the appearance it has now in the 18th century. Its predecessors since ancient times were such instruments as aulos, zurna, bagpipes and others. The oboe is characterized by a melodious timbre, similar to the human voice. It itself has a conical shape and a set of twenty-three cupronickel valves on the body.

The symphony orchestra includes two oboes. Works from the Classical and Baroque eras are the main repertoire of this instrument.

Pipe

Among the brass instruments, it is the trumpet that can sound the highest. It is made from materials such as brass, copper or silver. It is one of the most ancient instruments. Initially it was used as a signaling instrument, but with XVII century it became an element of the symphony orchestra.

A symphony orchestra uses three trumpets. This tool is used in the most various genres: in classical, in jazz, etc.

Tuba

The tuba, unlike the trumpet, on the contrary, is the lowest-sounding element. In addition, the tuba also exceeds all other brass instruments in size and weight. Because of this, it is often played standing up, which, among other things, implies appropriate physical training for the musician. It is an invention of the 19th century Belgian Adolphe Sax. Like the trumpet, the tuba is a valve instrument.

The orchestra mainly uses one single tuba.

A more or less serious level of playing any wind instrument can be achieved in three to four years of systematic practice. Developing an ear for music will help speed up progress. Woodwind instruments are considered to be slightly easier to learn than brass instruments; and the most difficult things for students to learn are the horn and trombone.

It will be easier to explain to young children what brass instruments are with the help of a video. We invite you to watch the following video:

Musical instruments are designed to produce various sounds. If the musician plays well, then these sounds can be called music, but if not, then cacaphony. There are so many tools that learning them is like an exciting game worse than Nancy Drew! In modern musical practice, instruments are divided into various classes and families according to the source of sound, material of manufacture, method of sound production and other characteristics.

Wind musical instruments (aerophones): a group of musical instruments whose sound source is vibrations of the air column in the barrel (tube). They are classified according to many criteria (material, design, methods of sound production, etc.). In a symphony orchestra, a group of wind musical instruments is divided into wooden (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon) and brass (trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba).

1. Flute is a woodwind musical instrument. The modern type of transverse flute (with valves) was invented by the German master T. Boehm in 1832 and has varieties: small (or piccolo flute), alto and bass flute.

2. Oboe is a woodwind reed musical instrument. Known since the 17th century. Varieties: small oboe, oboe d'amour, English horn, heckelphone.

3. Clarinet is a woodwind reed musical instrument. Constructed in the early 18th century In modern practice, soprano clarinets, piccolo clarinet (Italian piccolo), alto (so-called basset horn), and bass clarinets are used.

4. Bassoon - a woodwind musical instrument (mainly orchestral). Arose in the 1st half. 16th century The bass variety is the contrabassoon.

5. Trumpet - a wind-copper mouthpiece musical instrument, known since ancient times. The modern type of valve pipe developed to the gray. 19th century

6. Horn - a wind musical instrument. Appeared at the end of the 17th century as a result of the improvement of the hunting horn. The modern type of horn with valves was created in the first quarter of the 19th century.

7. Trombone - a brass musical instrument (mainly orchestral), in which the pitch of the sound is regulated by a special device - a slide (the so-called sliding trombone or zugtrombone). There are also valve trombones.

8. Tuba is the lowest sounding brass musical instrument. Designed in 1835 in Germany.

Metallophones are a type of musical instrument, the main element of which is plate-keys that are struck with a hammer.

1. Self-sounding musical instruments (bells, gongs, vibraphones, etc.), the source of sound of which is their elastic metal body. Sound is produced using hammers, sticks, and special percussionists (tongues).

2. Instruments such as the xylophone, in contrast to which the metallophone plates are made of metal.

Stringed musical instruments (chordophones): according to the method of sound production, they are divided into bowed (for example, violin, cello, gidzhak, kemancha), plucked (harp, gusli, guitar, balalaika), percussion (dulcimer), percussion-keyboard (piano), plucked -keyboards (harpsichord).

1. Violin is a 4-string bowed musical instrument. The highest register in the violin family, which formed the basis of the classical symphony orchestra and string quartet.

2. Cello is a musical instrument of the violin family of the bass-tenor register. Appeared in the 15th-16th centuries. Classic examples were created by Italian masters in the 17th and 18th centuries: A. and N. Amati, G. Guarneri, A. Stradivari.

3. Gidzhak - stringed musical instrument (Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Uyghur).

4. Kemancha (kamancha) - a 3-4-string bowed musical instrument. Distributed in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Dagestan, as well as the countries of the Middle East.

5. Harp (from German Harfe) is a multi-string plucked musical instrument. Early images - in the third millennium BC. In its simplest form it is found in almost all nations. The modern pedal harp was invented in 1801 by S. Erard in France.

6. Gusli is a Russian plucked string musical instrument. Wing-shaped harp(“ringed”) have 4-14 or more strings, helmet-shaped - 11-36, rectangular (table-shaped) - 55-66 strings.

7. Guitar (Spanish guitarra, from Greek cithara) - stringed plucked instrument lute type. Known in Spain since the 13th century, in the 17th-18th centuries it spread to the countries of Europe and America, including as folk instrument. Since the 18th century, the 6-string guitar has become commonly used; the 7-string guitar has become widespread mainly in Russia. Varieties include the so-called ukulele; Modern pop music uses an electric guitar.

8. Balalaika is a Russian folk 3-string plucked musical instrument. Known since the beginning. 18th century Improved in the 1880s. (under the leadership of V.V. Andreev) V.V. Ivanov and F.S. Paserbsky, who designed the balalaika family, and later - S.I. Nalimov.

9. Cymbals (Polish: cymbaly) - a multi-stringed percussion musical instrument ancient origin. Included in folk orchestras Hungary, Poland, Romania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, etc.

10. Piano (Italian fortepiano, from forte - loud and piano - quiet) - common name keyboard musical instruments with hammer mechanics (grand piano, upright piano). The piano was invented in the beginning. 18th century Appearance modern type piano - with the so-called double rehearsal - dates back to the 1820s. The heyday of piano performance - 19-20 centuries.

11. Harpsichord (French clavecin) - a stringed keyboard-plucked musical instrument, the predecessor of the piano. Known since the 16th century. There were harpsichords of various shapes, types and varieties, including the cymbal, virginel, spinet, and clavicytherium.

Keyboard musical instruments: a group of musical instruments combined common feature- presence of keyboard mechanics and keyboard. They are divided into various classes and types. Keyboard musical instruments can be combined with other categories.

1. Strings (percussion-keyboards and plucked-keyboards): piano, celesta, harpsichord and its varieties.

2. Brass (keyboard-wind and reed): organ and its varieties, harmonium, button accordion, accordion, melodica.

3. Electromechanical: electric piano, clavinet

4. Electronic: electronic piano

piano (Italian fortepiano, from forte - loud and piano - quiet) is the general name for keyboard musical instruments with hammer mechanics (grand piano, upright piano). It was invented at the beginning of the 18th century. The emergence of a modern type of piano - with the so-called. double rehearsal - dates back to the 1820s. The heyday of piano performance - 19-20 centuries.

Percussion musical instruments: a group of instruments united by the method of sound production - impact. The source of sound is a solid body, a membrane, a string. There are instruments with a definite (timpani, bells, xylophones) and indefinite (drums, tambourines, castanets) pitch.

1. Timpani (timpani) (from the Greek polytaurea) is a cauldron-shaped percussion musical instrument with a membrane, often paired (nagara, etc.). Distributed since ancient times.

2. Bells - an orchestral percussion self-sounding musical instrument: a set of metal records.

3. Xylophone (from xylo... and Greek phone - sound, voice) - a percussion, self-sounding musical instrument. Consists of a series of wooden blocks of varying lengths.

4. Drum - a percussion membrane musical instrument. Varieties are found among many peoples.

5. Tambourine - a percussion membrane musical instrument, sometimes with metal pendants.

6. Castanets (Spanish: castanetas) - percussion musical instrument; wooden (or plastic) plates in the shape of shells, fastened on the fingers.

Electromusical instruments: musical instruments in which sound is created by generating, amplifying and converting electrical signals (using electronic equipment). They have a unique timbre and can imitate various instruments. Electric musical instruments include the theremin, emiriton, electric guitar, electric organs, etc.

1. Theremin is the first domestic electromusical instrument. Designed by L. S. Theremin. The pitch of a theremin varies depending on distance right hand performer to one of the antennas, volume - from the distance of the left hand to the other antenna.

2. Emiriton is an electric musical instrument equipped with a piano-type keyboard. Designed in the USSR by inventors A. A. Ivanov, A. V. Rimsky-Korsakov, V. A. Kreitzer and V. P. Dzerzhkovich (1st model in 1935).

3. Electric guitar - a guitar, usually made of wood, with electric pickups that convert vibrations metal strings into hesitation electric current. The first magnetic pickup was made by Gibson engineer Lloyd Loehr in 1924. The most common are six-string electric guitars.

Keyboard musical instruments are characterized by a sound production system using levers controlled by keys. A set of keys arranged in a certain order is called an instrumental keyboard.

Organ - the first keyboard wind instrument

The history of keyboard instruments dates back to. One of the first keyboard instruments is the organ. In the first organs, sound was produced by controlling large valves. They turned out to be quite inconvenient and quite quickly the valves were replaced with levers, also of quite impressive size. In the 11th century, levers were replaced by wide keys that could be pressed with hand force. Comfortable narrow keys, characteristic of modern organs, appeared only in the 16th century. So the organ turned into a keyboard wind musical instrument.

Clavichord - the first stringed keyboard instrument

The first clavichords were invented between the 14th and 16th centuries; historians, unfortunately, do not know more exact dates. The device of the medieval clavichord resembled a modern piano. It is characterized by a quiet, soft sound, so the clavichord was rarely played for large audiences. In addition, it is quite compact in size, and therefore was often used for home music playing and was very popular in rich homes. Created especially for the clavichord musical works composers of the Baroque era: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven.

Harpsichord

The harpsichord first appeared in the 14th century in Italy; even Boccaccio mentioned it in his Decameron. This is a plucked string musical instrument, since it is characterized by sound production by plucking the string with a pick at the moment the key is pressed. The role of a mediator is performed by a plectrum made of a bird's feather.

There are one- and two-manual harpsichords. Unlike a clavichord or a piano, the strings of a harpsichord are parallel to the keys, just like a grand piano.

Harpsichord

The harpsichord produces a weak, harsh sound. It was often used in chamber music as an accompaniment to song performances. The body of the harpsichord was richly decorated, and in general this instrument was viewed rather as a decorative element.

The spinet, virginel and muselar are types of harpsichord. They have a similar principle of sound production, but different designs. These are small instruments, most often with one keyboard and a range of four octaves.

Piano

It was first designed by the Italian master Bartolomeo Christofi in the early 18th century. By this period, keyboard instruments practically could not withstand the competition of strings, in particular, which were much more virtuosic and expressive. The piano became an instrument that could provide an impressive dynamic range and win the hearts of the musicians of the era.

Bartolomeo Cristofi called his new keyboard instrument “playing softly and loudly,” which in Italian sounded “piano e forte.” Similar variations of keyboard instruments were created almost at the same time by Christophor Gottlieb Schröter and the Frenchman Jean Marius.

The Italian piano by Bartolomeo Christofi was designed as follows: hitting the key activates a felt hammer, the hammer, in turn, causes the string to vibrate, and a special mechanism moves the hammer back, preventing it from pressing the string and muffling the sound. This piano had no pedals or dampers. Later, the ability to return the hammer only halfway was added, which turned out to be very convenient for performing various types of melismas, which are characterized by rapid repetition of notes.