Orchestra, Videos

https://youtu.be/eS27AOeAJKA

The Horn, often called the French Horn, is thought by many to be the most beautiful sounding instrument in the orchestra.

Perhaps the most common use of the horn is simply as harmonic filling – somewhere between the bass line and the melody. Horns are perfect for holding long, sustained notes discretely in the background above which melodies can float, around which accompaniments weave and beneath which bass lines wander. This use of the horn is one of the key orchestral techniques that composers learn early on. This is not simply because it’s one of the great ways of tying the orchestra together to create a unified sound, but because it’s very easy to do and sounds fantastic.

Orchestra, Videos

https://youtu.be/fd9K5__xLOY

The tuba is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibration, or a buzz, into a large mouthpiece. Standard tubas have about 16 feet of tubing.

There is generally only one tuba in an orchestra and it usually plays harmony. You play the tuba sitting down with the instrument on your lap and the bell facing up.

Orchestra, Videos

Timpani is the Italian word for kettle-drums, which are tuneable drums used in the symphony orchestra.

The tension of the skin membrane can be adjusted by the player, to tune each drum to a particular bass note.

There are usually three kettle drums in the orchestra, tuned to the tonic, dominant and sub-dominant notes for the key of the music being played.

There are 4 main sizes of kettle-drum, but the middle two (26 inch and 29 inch) are the most used.