GCSE-readyInstruments of the orchestra and timbre
A symphony orchestra can have nearly a hundred players. They are grouped into four families, and each family has its own kind of timbre.
The four families
| Family | How the sound is made | Examples (high to low) |
|---|---|---|
| Strings | Strings are bowed or plucked | violin, viola, cello, double bass (and harp) |
| Woodwind | Air is blown across a hole or through a reed | piccolo, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon |
| Brass | The player buzzes their lips into a cup-shaped mouthpiece | trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba |
| Percussion | Hit, shaken or scraped | timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, xylophone |
Tricky ones
The oboe and bassoon use a double reed; the clarinet uses a single reed. The saxophone is a single-reed woodwind instrument too, though it is not a regular member of the orchestra.
Pitched percussion (such as timpani, xylophone and glockenspiel) plays definite notes; unpitched percussion (such as snare drum and cymbals) does not.
Playing techniques change timbre
Brass players can use a mute to change the sound.
In general, bigger instruments play lower notes: the double bass is the lowest regular string instrument and the tuba the lowest brass instrument.
The conductor leads the orchestra, setting the tempo and shaping the dynamics.
An instrument is made of metal, the player blows across a hole, and it plays high notes. Which family is it in?
- Do not be fooled by the metal: the family depends on how the sound is made.
- Blowing across a hole is how a flute makes its sound.
- So it is a flute (or piccolo), in the woodwind family.
Answer: Woodwind (it is a flute or piccolo).
The orchestra has four families: strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. Families are about how the sound is made. Bigger instruments usually play lower. Pizzicato means plucked; arco means bowed.
- Timbre
- The tone colour of a sound, which makes one instrument or voice sound different from another.
- Symphony
- A large piece for orchestra, usually in several movements (four in the Classical period).
- Pizzicato
- An instruction to string players to pluck the strings.
- Arco
- An instruction to string players to play with the bow.
- Tempo
- The speed of the music.
- Dynamics
- How loud or quiet music is.
- Not “Use the bow”. Using the bow is arco.
- Not “Clarinet”. The clarinet uses a single reed.
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2 more questions
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Which family does the trumpet belong to?
- Brass
- Woodwind
- Strings
- Percussion
Show the answer
Answer: Brass
The player buzzes their lips into a mouthpiece.
The saxophone is made of brass. Why is it in the woodwind family?
- Because it is made of metal
- Because the player buzzes their lips
- It makes its sound with a reed
- Because it has strings
Show the answer
Answer: It makes its sound with a reed
Families depend on how the sound is made.
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Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.