Samuel Peterson Chavez English 2 Period 5 November 8 2011

Classification Essay

Woodwind In the midst of the noisy mass called the band there is a section known as the woodwinds. All of these instruments have one thing in common, they use a reed and a mouthpiece to create sound. The bodies of the the instruments however, vary in material. For example, some clarinets are made of wood, while the saxophone is made of brass. There are many other materials for the clarinet however, some are made of plastic, and the older model of clarinets can be made of metal, most likely a stainless steel. A major difference between the woodwinds and the brass are the number of keys. There are approximately twenty-seven keys on the clarinet while most brass instruments have three valves. An exception in the brass can be certain baritones, having four valves and contra tubas, having two valves. All brass players have a similar embouchure in which they use their lips to create a buzz causing vibration throughout the horn. Woodwinds form their lips around the mouthpiece and reed and blow air to create a vibration with the reed. The only exception in the woodwinds case are the flutes, who don't actually have a reed, but nonetheless are classified as woodwinds.

Brass The brass section instruments are only made of brass. While the shape of the instrument may vary the embouchure stays the same throughout the many variation in shape and size of brass

instruments. The brass instruments in my opinion are easier to play because unlike the woodwinds the brass do not require a fingering for every note. In order to change the notes on a brass instrument however, one must not only change the combination of valves but also change the speed at which one buzzes their lips. Another major difference in the two different instrument groups is the clef, there are two different clefts in the musical realm, bass and treble clef. The only difference is in how low each not sounds.

Percussion Perhaps the most unique section of the band is the percussion. This group of instruments never has the hindrance of using breath to create a sound, instead they resort to using a combination of mallets and hands to create vibrations in the even wider assortment of instruments. Some examples of percussion instruments include the snare, bass drum, marimba, tom-tom, bells, cymbals, and the timpani. This list is a very small one compared to that of woodwind and brass instruments. The design of percussion instruments changes according to the type of setting however, whether it be in a concert setting or in a marching setting. The snare in a concert setting uses freely taut springs to make vibrations, while a marching snare uses springs that are held to the bottom of the drum in some form or fashion. All of these instruments are different in their own ways, but the final result is a combination of sounds that come together to create a variety of styles of music. The style can be a powerful marching piece to a soft and rather beautiful ballad.