Unpitched percussion
As mentioned earlier there are many other instruments which can be seen in the percussion section such as the tambourine, triangle, maracas, claves and castanets. Many of these instruments have been borrowed by western music from different traditions around the world, particularly Latin America.
The percussionists also get to play many other instruments from their “toy box” – sirens, car horns, whistles, starting pistols, rainsticks, bull roarers, sandpaper blocks, and anything that doesn’t fit anywhere else in the band. These can produce a whole plethora of sound effects and other silly noises.
 
Well that’s the instruments covered but we still have one very important member of the band yet to be mentioned, this person is the one who stands with their back to the audience waving their arms about, gesturing to different sections of the band with their hands, can you guess who that is….?

Pitched, or mallet percussion instruments have many differently tuned wooden or metal bars arranged like a piano keyboard, generally covering about 3.5 octaves. They are sounded by beating the bars with mallets, with between one and three pair of mallets in the player’s hands at once, which allows chords to be produced. A variety of sounds can be made from each instrument by using different mallets, hard or soft.

​The Glockenspiel's bars are made metal plates or tubes. A pair of hard, mallets, with of plastic or metal heads are used to strike the bars, which give a very pure, bell-like sound.

The Xylophone consists of hard wooden bars, which gives a bright and penetrating sound when played with hard beaters, or more mellow with soft beaters.
Fact: The great Romantic German composer Felix Mendelssohn stated that the xylophone was "the most perfect instrument".

​The marimba has wooden keys like they xylophone, but made with softer wood, which gives it a softer, richer timbre. It also has a wider note range of up to five octaves. The mallets heads can be wooden or rubber or wrapped in yarn, to give different effects.

​The vibraphone has metal bars like the glockenspiel, but is lower pitched. It produces a haunting sound due to resonating lids in the tubes underneath that are opened and closed by an electric motor, creating a vibrating effect. The bars are hit with rubber or yarn-covered mallets.

​Tubular bells are vertically hung metal tubes of steel or brass played with wooden, plastic or rubber mallets, and are often used to simulate the sound of church bells.

​A percussion instrument is defined as a musical instrument sounded by striking, shaking, or scraping. Percussion instruments are made of many different materials, such as wood, plastic, or metal, and they come in all shapes and sizes.
Percussion sticks also come in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. The most general purpose drumstick is a simple wooden stick with a shaped head. Kit drummers often use brushes instead of sticks – wire or nylon bristles held in a metal or wooden handle. Mallets are drumsticks with a larger head. Heads of mallets, or beaters, come in a whole range of materials – from small wooden, nylon or rubber heads to those wrapped in softer materials such as yarn or latex, right up to larger ones made of felt.
Percussion is used by virtually all types of music, from classical to pop, and in most types of ensemble from large orchestras and wind bands to smaller groups such as pop bands and jazz ensembles. 

Euphonium
The euphonium is known for its distinctive tone colour, wide range of notes, variety of character and agility. Its pitch range is similar to the tenor trombone, but has a much gentler sound.
The euphonium was invented in 1843 by Sommer of Weimar and derived from the flugel horn and cornet. It is rarely used in orchestras but features prominently in brass bands and concert bands, where it is often used for solo melodies or counter-melodies, as well as providing a low brass accompaniment with the tuba and trombones. You can hear the euphonium quite clearly in marches and military music.
It has a wide conical bore resembling that of the tuba, is held vertically with the bell upward, and is considered the solo instrument of the bass section. In addition to the three valves found on trumpets and cornets, the euphonium has a fourth valve that allows it to reach lower notes.
Fact: The name Euphonium is derived from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding".

Tuba
The tuba is the largest and deepest member of the brass family, and the primary instrument of the bass section of the band. Its deep sounding low notes provide the foundation for the band's sound.
Tubas play in concert bands, are often used in orchestras and are popular in marching bands. They come in a variety of sizes, some of which also play in brass bands. Another bass instrument in the brass family is the sousaphone, which is a tuba which wraps around the player’s body, and is particularly popular in American marching bands.
Like the euphonium, the tuba is played in an upright position. Tubas measures between 4.1m and 5.5m when uncoiled, depending on the pitch. It has a conical bore, which makes it more closely related to the cornet than to the trumpet.
Even though it is bulky and plays in a low register, you can play very fast notes or light and airy tunes on the tuba, but rarely gets to feature as a solo instrument.
Fact: The Sousaphone is named after its inventor, American march composer, Jean Philippe Sousa.

The French horn has a rich, warm velvety sound, but can also be bright and intense on the higher notes. It is heard mostly in orchestras and bands, where it is used for melodic passages as well for providing accompaniment to other sections of the band. It usually plays higher than trombones and lower than trumpets, but can reach some incredibly high notes.
There are usually 3 or 4 different horn parts that are generally played with one player on each part. French horns first came into the orchestra in pairs to portray the sound of hunting horns but are now used in music of all sorts. 
The French horn is shaped in a circle, with a large bell that is held down by the player's side. It is also the only brass instrument in which the valves are operated with the left hand -- all other brass instruments are operated with the right hand. The right hand is placed inside the bell to soften the tone and help adjust the tuning. The total length of unwound tube is approximately 3.7m.
Fact: Did you know the French horn is not French. It is in fact German and dates back to the 1600’s

Tenor Trombone
The tenor trombone has a metallic timbre that can sound mysterious when played quietly, or threatening when played loudly, especially on the lowest notes. Trombones are best known for their ability to glissando, or slide smoothly between notes, something very difficult to do on other instruments. This is easy on a trombone because they have a slide rather than valves.
In the concert band they are used for low brassy sections of music and help with the inner voices and bass section of the band. There are usually 2 or 3 trombone parts that are often each played by 2 players.
Trombones have very long, narrow cylindrical tubes, which straightened out would measure almost 2.7m long.
Fact: The ancestor of the Trombone was known as a Sackbut and was first manufactured in Nuremburg in 1594. It had a smaller bell and gave a softer, mellower sound than the present day tenor trombone.

Bass Trombone
The large bore and big bell gives the bass trombone a deeper sound than the tenor trombone, solid and dramatic, with more power on the very low notes. It is usually used on the 3rd or bass trombone part. A band will usually have one or two bass trombones.

​Trumpet
Characteristic trumpet sounds include blazing fanfares and moody mellowness.
The trumpet is used to play all kinds of music ranging from South American ballads to flashy fanfares to classical orchestral pieces. 
It is one of the lead instruments in the band, with the melody carried chiefly by the 1st trumpet, with the 2nd and 3rd trumpet parts establishing the section's thick brassy sound. A band usually will have 6 or more trumpets.
A trumpet has a very narrow, cylindrical bore that gives it a very bright sound. Although it is only about 45cm long the total length of unwound tube is about 1.5m.
Fact: Trumpets are at least 3,500 years old: silver and bronze trumpets were among the objects found in the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamen in Egypt.

Cornet
The cornet is very similar to the trumpet, except that is has a more compact shape and a conical bore that give it a softer, mellower sound. 
Many wind band pieces have a combination of trumpet and cornet parts and players generally play both instruments. Cornets are used rather than trumpets in brass bands.

Flugel Horn
Due to its shape, the flugel horn has its own very mellow and dark sound that is very well suited for jazz solos. It is not used very often in the band and when it is used, it is usually only for a solo in a show or jazz tune. 

Brass instruments are used today in orchestras, concert bands and brass bands or in smaller groups, as well as featuring as solo instruments in music such as pop and jazz ensembles.
Most brass instruments consist of a metal cylindrical or conical tube, usually wrapped around at least once, a flared bell, and a cup-shaped mouthpiece. Many have valves, but some, such as the trombone have slides instead.

Brass is a yellowish metal that is a combination of copper and zinc. But some instruments that are made of brass, like the saxophone, are not considered brass instruments. So what makes an instrument part of the brass family?

For any sound to be produced, something has to vibrate, such as a column of air, a string, a reed, or a drum head. In the case of brass instruments, it is actually the player’s lips that vibrate. This happens in the mouthpiece that is attached to the instrument, causing the air in the instrument to vibrate. Any instrument that produces sound in this way is part of the brass family.

There are two ways to change pitch in a brass instrument.

• The first way is to make the tubing of the instrument shorter or longer. Valves redirect the air to shorter or longer routes to make the pitch go up or down. Slides can move in or out, changing the length of the tube so the pitch goes up or down accordingly.
• The second way to change pitch in a brass instrument is for the player to make their lips tighter or looser. Brass players have to learn how to change pitch using both these techniques.

Why not visit our recordings page where you will be able to view some footages from Sforzando! Sax, a saxophone ensemble with some of our band members.  

Tenor Saxophone

The tenor sax has a full and powerful sound, adding body to the saxophone section by filling in the inner voices. It also plays many harmonies and counter-melodies in more jazzy and showy tunes. There is usually just one tenor part and it is often doubled or tripled. It is the favourite saxophone for rock ‘n’ roll and pop music. The tenor is twice the size of the soprano sax.

Baritone Saxophone

The baritone sax is usually the largest sax that plays in the band, and has a rich, resonant quality to its sound. It plays the bass line for the sax section and occasionally gets a solo or two in jazz tunes. It adds weight to the bass woodwind section of a concert band. The baritone sax is twice the size of the alto sax.

Bass Saxophone

The bass sax is an unusual saxophone to have in a concert band. Modern band music almost never calls for a bass sax. However, a lot of the classic band repertoire from the first part of the 20th century will often have a part for bass saxophone. Composers that liked to score for bass sax include Holst, Vaughn Williams, Grainger and Gershwin. The bass saxophone is an instrument that is huge and heavy and measures almost 1.5m high (and the tubing usually loops back on itself as well!). With 3.4m of tubing it is twice as long as the tenor sax and four times the length of the soprano sax.

Soprano Saxophone

The soprano saxophone is the highest pitched of the conventional saxophones, with a penetrating tone, often oboe-like. The soprano sax is seldom used in a concert band but does occasionally feature as a solo instrument, or doubling a clarinet part. It is often found playing the melody line in saxophone ensembles. Although the straight form is pictured below, it can also be found in a curved form like a small alto sax.

You can listen to the soprano saxophone being played during our recording of Samuel Hazo's Perthshire Majesty featuring soloist Katie . Click here to view the video. 

Alto Saxophone

The alto is the most popular saxophone, mellower than the soprano, but not as powerful as the tenor. There are usually two alto sax parts in the band, where they frequently carry the melody, especially in a saxophone section feature. They are used extensively when the band is playing jazz, swing and selections from musicals. There are usually two to four players on alto sax.