Piano:

 

Piano is the greatest invention of the classical music period, the seventeenth century.  There is a rich and wide repertoire of music available for piano.  Nowadays, pianos are built in two versions: Grand Piano and Upright Piano. With the growth of technology we do also get a digital piano nowadays but not definitely as a replacement of the original acoustic piano. A grand or upright piano needs regular tuning.  Learning piano gives the student a strong foundation in music with regard to the range of notes, finger dexterity, a good sense of pitch, and good knowledge of harmony and composition.

 

Strings:

 

The violin, viola, cello and double bass are four dominant instruments in the strings family.  These four instruments have their unique range of notes and they work either separately or as a group in an amazing way. 

 

Violin has a range of four octaves and played with the bow and fingers.  It is a highly expressive instrument.  Violin comes in various sizes yet another interesting factor.  Small children could easily be introduced to violin with the right size of violin.  Learning violin also gives a solid foundation of learning the nuances of music.

 

Viola is an alto instrument in the strings family with a fifth below the violin.  Viola came into existence sometime in the sixteenth century.  It has a dark, warm and rich tone that is very unique.  Learning viola gives the student to be a bit different from the regular crowd of people, with its unique qualities.

 

Violoncello is generally called Cello, is the bass instrument of the strings family, sounding an octave below the viola.  This is another instrument from the sixteenth century modernized gradually to the present day shape.  From the seventeenth century onwards composers started writing good amount of music for cello and it was accepted a regular instrument in the symphony orchestra.  The cello is a tenor instrument and is played by holding the instrument on the floor while the player is seated on a chair.  Cello comes in various sizes to meet the needs of the young learners. 

 

The double bass is the largest and lowest of the string instruments.  This is one of the indispensable instruments in the symphony orchestra with its bass and bold sounds that could express variety of moods and support the orchestra.  Domenico Dragonetti was a finest bass player of his time who composed several works for the instrument.

 

Woodwind:

 

Concert Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon are some of the instruments that belong to the woodwind family.  These instruments are played by blowing air in a focused direction, or by blowing on a single or double reed according to the instrument.  Though the concert flute is somewhat promoted in India, Clarinet, Oboe and Bassoon are less promoted.  These instruments are very unique and allow the person to be a specialist, while these are again indispensable instruments of the symphony orchestra.  Students who would like to play these instruments should have good finger dexterity, while the breathing required could be developed over time.

 

The modern flute designed by the Bavarian musician Theobald Boehm in the 1830s with his acclaimed design on the fingering details.  With its versatility the design was carried on to other instruments like oboe, clarinet and bassoon. The concert flute is in ‘C’ pitch, and there are other flutes in various sizes. 

 

The clarinet is an invention of the 18th century by Johann Christoph Denner.  The modern clarinet perfected by Iwan Muller in 1809 with his prototype 13-keyed model.  Jean-Philippe Rameau was one of the first composers to write music for clarinet, followed by others.  Mozart wrote some important works for clarinet.  Clarinet has lots of keys to produce a range of notes and has different tone colors.

 

Oboe and Bassoon are double reed instruments.  While oboe is a little bit similar to the concert flute in its fingering and pitched in C, bassoon is totally different, and may need lengthy fingers to balance the instrument and produce the notes successfully.  These are lesson common instruments in India and may require a good investment to purchase one.  Archie Camden wrote lot of music for bassoon to popularize the instrument.  These instruments have approximately a range of three and half octaves.

 

The Saxophone is nowadays included in the woodwind, but the timbre is a combination of brass and woodwind.  This is again a single reed instrument patented by Adolphe Sax in 1846.  Saxophone is not used in the symphony orchestra, but is an indispensable instrument in the jazz.  The instrument is gaining its place in various cultures and comes in various sizes and pitches, though the alto and tenor saxophones are commonly seen. 

 

Guitar:

 

The guitar is a descendant of a small lute-like instrument from Europe.  The guitar is one of the well-promoted instruments.  There are different kinds of guitars nowadays that are widely used in different styles of music.  The classical guitar became famous in the hands of Andres Segovia, a great guitarist of the twentieth century.  Though there are different styles of guitar playing and methods, learning from a qualified professional is important to build a solid foundation in learning to play the guitar.

 

Brass:

 

Trumpet, French horn, euphonium, trombone and tuba are some of the instruments that belong to the brass family. Sound is produced by lip vibration and valves are used to produce various notes, except for the trombone that uses a slide.  These instruments have valves and 3 – 4 keys, except for trombone that uses a slide to produce different notes. They are made of metal (mostly brass).  French horn is a unique brass instrument, very expressive and played with the left hand unlike the other brass instruments.  Tuba is the lowest bass instrument in the family.  These instruments are widely used in symphony orchestras, military bands, marching bands, and in brass quartets and quintets, there are good amount of solo music composed and played nowadays.