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String Family

Bellingham Symphony Orchestra

What makes a String Instrument? ❖ These are instruments where

sound is made with a vibrating string held in tension

❖ Stringed instruments are called

chordophones

Strings in the Orchestra

Violin

❖ Smallest and highest string instrument in the orchestra

❖ Almost all famous composers wrote for the violin

❖ In the 1800s, Paganini was a violinist famous for writing some of the most difficult music ever written

Viola

Photographer Leah Nash and the Oregon Symphony

❖ Slightly larger and lower than the violin

❖ Featured in orchestras and string quartets

❖ Often described with a dark and mellow tone

Cello

❖ The cello emerged in the 1500’s

❖ Many composers have written virtuosic solo works for the cello

❖ The cello has been used by many music groups, such as the Beatles

Double Bass

Photographer Leah Nash and the Oregon Symphony

❖ Also called the upright bass

❖ Featured in many other musical genres like bluegrass, jazz, or folk

❖ The lowest of all the string instruments in the orchestra

Harp

❖ The harp is a very old instrument, dating back to around 3000 B.C.

❖ Harps can have up to 90 strings

❖ Most modern harps have foot pedals to change the notes their strings can play

Photographer Leah Nash and the Oregon Symphony

Playing the Instrument

Where does the sound come from?

We know that sound is a VIBRATION!

❖

❖

The Bow

❖ The bow is drawn across the strings

❖ Made of real horse hair

❖ Grabs the string using a sticky substance called Rosin

Choosing the Pitch

❖ String players place their fingers on strings precisely where a certain pitch will be made.

❖ Strings can play lots of notes as well as all the pitches in between!

Stringed instruments are found all around the world!

Video Clips

Video Clips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP2_6OLummA&feature=youtu.be

A quick and fun way to see and hear the string instruments we learned about. A presentation with the BBC National Orchestra.

About 3 minutes long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfuEIHEZobc

A performance by a the famous string ensemble, the Danish String Quartet. This performance was for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series.

About 20 minutes long.

Questions

QuestionsHow do string players adjust what note they are playing on a string?

Questions If you could play any stringed instrument, which instrument would you choose and why?

End

Thank you from the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra! We hope you enjoy your Music in the Schools performance

Photo Credits

• https://dlpng.com/png/247950• https://www.gollihurmusic.com/product/3426-ENGELHARDT_UPRIGHT_BASSES_VAR

IOUS_MODELS.html• http://www.pngmart.com/image/tag/cello• https://www.classicalmpr.org/story/2009/05/27/hineputehue• https://www.connollymusic.com/stringovation/string-instruments-different-roles-in-an-orches

tra• https://www.videoblocks.com/video/musician-plays-on-an-old-wooden-violin-bow-lovely-clas

sical-music-an-orchestral-symphony-at-the-concert-classical-string-instrument-bg9zjjfaitnbu2pd• https://www.folkmusician.com/products/cremona-viola-outfit-sva-130• https://www.google.com/search?biw=592&bih=598&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=se9NXYH0GYSrt

QbAupr4DQ&q=pizzicato+musician&oq=pizzicato+musician&gs_l=img.3...1445.5763..6019...1.0..0.146.1329.0j10......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......0j0i67j0i8i30j0i30j0i5i30j0i24.46Ppb0RqLEc&ved=0ahUKEwjBkLS15_bjAhWEVc0KHUCdBt8Q4dUDCAY&uact=5#imgrc=2nfNJ84gAVDZIM:

• http://thevault.musicarts.com/an-introduction-to-orchestral-strings/• https://mlblog.musiclearningworkshop.com/1405/an-intro-to-string-instruments-the-heart-of-

the-orchestra• http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia_of_music/S/stringed_instruments.html• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_(music)• https://www.simplyforstrings.com.au/products/student-violin-bow-1-4• https://www.lelong.com.my/high-class-transparent-orange-rosin-humblehub-182527325-2020-

09-Sale-P.htm

Photos from the Oregon Symphony used with permission from:

Photographer Leah Nash and the Oregon Symphony