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Chapter 6
Other Musical Instruments
Begins on page 45
The Voice
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A musical instrument when used for
singing
Sounds are produced when
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Air goes through the larynx (voice box) and
Vocal cords are activated
The Voice
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Choral groups with men and women are
usually divided into four groups
Soprano – the higher women’s voices
► Alto – the lower women’s voices
► Tenor – the higher men’s voices
► Bass – the lower men’s voices
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Rutter’s “Open Thou Mine Eyes”
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Associated with English/Anglican
church music tradition
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marked by a refined quality and
accurate pitch
► soprano and alto parts are sung by
boys
Copyright © 2010 by Schirmer Cengage Learning
The Wind Band
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Consists of only wind and
percussion instruments
Includes several
instruments not usually
found in orchestras:
saxophones, baritone
horns, and sousaphones
instead of tubas
Copyright © 2010 by Schirmer Cengage Learning
Keyboard Instruments
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Piano
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When its keys are depressed, they
activate felt-tipped hammers that
strike the strings
One of the pedals makes the
sounds softer; the others allow
strings to ring
Copyright © 2010 by Schirmer Cengage Learning
Keyboard Instruments
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Harpsichord
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Produces sound when a key
activates a mechanism that plucks
the string
Some have two keyboards
(manuals)
Copyright © 2010 by Schirmer Cengage Learning
Keyboard Instruments
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Pipe Organ
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Operates from keyboards, but
produces sound by air being blown
through pipes
► Often has thousands of pipes that
produce a variety of timbres and
pitches
► Has a pedalboard in addition to
several keyboards
Copyright © 2010 by Schirmer Cengage Learning
Popular Instruments
Guitar
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Strings are strummed or plucked
Sound produced when vibrations of strings
resonate in instrument’s hollow body
Metal strips called frets help players find the right
place on the fingerboard
Popular Instruments
Accordion
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Basically, a small organ that the player
holds between his or her arms
Air is pushed through the instrument by the
player pumping air through the bellows. The
sound is produced by small metal reeds
The keyboard is used for playing the notes
of the melody, and the chords are sounded
by pushing the buttons
Electronic Instruments
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Some basically amplify sounds – electric
guitars, electric drums, and electronic
keyboards
Copyright © 2010 by Schirmer Cengage Learning
Electronic Instruments
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Some synthesize sounds
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Analog electronic instruments alter a
steady stream of power to
reproduce changes in the music
Digital electronic instruments
process discrete bits of data
Copyright © 2010 by Schirmer Cengage Learning
Summary
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The Voice
Rutter’s “Open Thou Mine Eyes”
The Wind Band
Keyboard Instruments
Popular Instruments
Electronic Instruments