musical instruments for children

8/3/2019 Musical Instruments for Children

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MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

A musical instrument is any

object that is used for making musical sounds. There are a number of

musical instruments like guitar, piano, flute, tabla and many more. Everyinstrument has its unique sound.



Sound is produced in similar ways by instruments within a family of

musical instruments. Just like our families, where brothers and sisters

look alike, in musical instruments too it is the same.

Musical instruments can be classified into five major ‘family of instruments’, according to how the musical sound is produced. These areWoodwind, String, Brass, Percussion and Key-board.

1. Woodwind family – sound is produced when you blow air into theinstrument. Although mostly these instruments are made of wood,

they can be made by other materials like metal and plastic as well.

2. String family - these instruments have strings which produce sound

when you strike or strum them.



3. Brass family - Like Woodwind instruments, Brass instruments

produce sound when air is blown into them. A Brass instrument

has a type of mouthpiece, which creates a different sound when

you blow into it with your lips.

4. Percussion family – sound is produced when the instrument is hit,shaken, rubbed, scraped or by any other action which sets the

object into vibration.

5. Key-board family - different sounds are produced by pressing or

using different keys.

What is common in Lord Krishna, Snake charmer and a Bagpiper?

Well, they all play ‘Wood wind instruments’ .

About Woodwind instruments: Woodwind instrument is any musical

instrument which requires air to be blown through it, in order to operate.

Woodwind instruments look like a pipe with holes. The player produces

sound by blowing the air inside the pipe. The player controls or changes

the sound by opening or closing the holes through fingers. Mostly these

instruments are made of wood but they can be made of other materials

like metal and plastic too.

The family became known as the woodwind family

because the instruments began to be made of wood and sound is produced

by blowing air in the wooden pipe. Our ancestors may have blown into



shells or hollow bits of wood to make sounds. Woodwind instruments

need a lot of breathing power!

How YOU can make a Woodwind instrument!

Let us learn how to make a Comb Buzzer which is a Woodwindinstrument.

You Need:

•

pocket comb• tissue paper

Fold a piece of tissue paper over the tooth edge of a comb. To play, hum

through the tissue paper. This produces a buzzing sound and it tickles the

lips!

Some Woodwind instruments

1. Flute: Have you ever made a sound by blowing

across the top of an empty bottle? That’s exactly how you play the

flute. A flute is held in both hands and air is blown into the mouth

hole. The fingers cover or open the holes to produce different

tones. Flutes around the world are blown in different ways. At one

time it was even quite common to blow it through nose. Those

were called nose flutes!! Most flutes are made of silver.

The bansuri, which developed from the flute, is

made of bamboo.



It is made of a single length

bamboo stick with six or seven holes. In Hindus, Lord Krishna carries

a bansuri with him. Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, is a world-renowned

exponent of the bansuri or bamboo flute.

2. Shehnai- We can see the use of Shehnai in Indian

marriages and festive occasions. Late Ustad Bismillah Khan is famous for

his Shehnai playing. A Shehnai is made up of a wooden body with a brass

bell. There are eight or nine holes. When playing, the lips are placed on

the upper end.

The fingers of the right hand cover the four

bottom holes. The fingers of the left hand play the upper four holes. The

air is blown steadily rather than blasting it.

3. Been- Been is mainly played by snake charmers. It is a folk

instrument played in villages. Snake charmers believe that snake

dances on listening to the music of the been!



A Been consists of two pipes made of wood,

bamboo or metal. These two pipes are set into a gourd, which is the

dried shell of a fruit.

The player

blows into a large opening in the narrow portion of the gourd and

puts fingers on the holes to produce the melody. Two human hairs

are inserted into the pipes and attached with wax. This adds a

hissing, snake like sound to the instrument!

4. Harmonica- The harmonica is also called

the mouth organ. A mouth organ is a very light musical

instrument and easy to carry. You can play it anywhere by simply

holding it to your mouth and blowing air into it.



The harmonica was originally developed in Europe.

5. Saxophone-

The saxophone or sax, is used in bands and in jazz music. Saxophones

are made of metal, often brass, but they belong to family of woodwind

instruments, rather than brass instruments. Conically shaped, the

saxophone is the only woodwind instrument made of brass.



Sax is made of brass but still is a woodwind

instrument because of the way it is played. Saxophones make a strong,

mellow sound. The saxophone was originally supposed to be used in

military bands. Today, it is used mainly in jazz, rock, blues, and pop.

6. Clarinet- In order to

make sound, a clarinet requires a single reed. Reeds are small pieces of

cane. The air rushing past the reed causes it to vibrate, making a sound.

To play, the clarinet is held by placing your left hand on the top of the clarinet

and the right hand on the bottom. The clarinet is the most recent addition to

the woodwind family.

The bottom of the clarinet flares out into a bell shape. Clarinets

are made of wood or plastic, and can be found in different sizes.



What are the types of Woodwind instruments? Wind instruments fall

into two broad categories: woodwind and brasswind. Both the woodwind

and brass instruments are played by blowing air through a tube.

Importance of Woodwind instruments in playing music

Woodwind instruments are used to play melody in music. The three parts

of music are MELODY, HARMONY and RHYTHM. In fact, if musicwere a person, melody would be its "face", harmony would be its "meat"

and rhythm would be its "bones".

Famous Quote“I was not any good at wrestling. I went there only to please myfather. But maybe because of the strength and stamina I built upthen, I'm able to play the bansuri even to this day,” said famous

Indian Bansuri player Hariprasad Chaurasia.

Hariprasad Chaurasia’sfather was a wrestler. His mother died when he was four. He had to learn

music without his father's knowledge, as his father wanted him to become

a wrestler.

Interesting facts

Ω Origin of woodwind instruments has been in hollow tubes, horns,human and animal bones, bamboo shoots!!!



Ω The Shehnai is capable of producing a sound very similar to the human

voice!!!

Ω Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone in 1846, the same year as thesewing machine was invented!!!

Ω Despite their name, not all woodwind instruments are made of wood!!!

Ω South Indian counterpart of Bansuri is ‘Venu’!!!

Ω Oldest wind-blown instrument is bone made flute, which existed in

about 6500 B.C.in China!!!

Variations of woodwind instruments

been shehnai

So, next time you think of bagpiper, you would remember

woodwind instruments. Isn’t it?

Have you ever played the guitar? If you learn to playthe guitar, you can add music to the “Happy Birthday song” at the next birthday party! The guitar belongs to the family of String instruments.

About string instruments: As the name says these instruments havestrings which produce sound when they are vibrated. Some string

http://www.playmusic.org/woodwinds/saxophone.html

http://www.playmusic.org/woodwinds/bassoon.html

http://www.playmusic.org/woodwinds/oboe.html

http://www.playmusic.org/woodwinds/clarinet.html

http://www.playmusic.org/woodwinds/flute.html



instruments are used in classical music and some of them are used by

people living in villages, the folk musicians.

How YOU can make a String instrument!Let us learn how to make a string instrument.

You need:

• empty shoe or tissue box

• rubber bands• ruler or stick

Remove the cover from the box. Stretch the rubber bands around the box.

Attach the ruler or stick to the back of the box on one end to act as the

arm of the instrument.

To play, strum or pluck the rubber bands. You can decorate the box using

stickers or markers.

More about string instruments

1. Guitar-The guitar is played by striking the strings on

it. It has six strings which are usually played with fingers or a pick .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_pick

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_pick



Guitars can be divided into two broad categories, acoustic and electric.

The acoustic guitar is used in many kinds of music including folk,

country, bluegrass, pop, jazz and blues. An electric guitar uses

electricity to enhance sound.

2. Sitar- Sitar is a string instrument which has 7 main

playing strings. Sitar is the most popular stringed instrument of India.

It has been in use since the middle ages. A Sitar player plays it by

plucking the strings by fingers or by a pick. The instrument is

balanced between the player's left foot and right knee. The hands

move freely without having to carry any of the instrument's weight.

3. Violin- Violin is a bowing string instrument with four

strings. It is usually played using a bow. The bow is the part of the

violin which is used to strike the strings to produce the music. The

bow is a stick with a ribbon of horsehairs.

The violin is played by mounting it on one shoulder. The sound

from a violin is of a very high pitch. The violin is usually made

from different types of wood. It usually has steel strings.



How is the sound made in a violin?

1. The bow is drawn across the string.

2. The string vibrates.

3. The left hand presses the strings on the fingerboard.

4. Harp- A harp is a string instrument

which has lots of coloured strings. The number of strings can go up to

48. The stings are plucked and played by both hands. It is an ancient

string instrument associated with fairies. It is believed that fairies and

angels carry the harp.



5. Sarod: The sarod along with the sitar, is the most popular

instrument in Hindustani classical music. Sarod has been

found in paintings in the Ajanta caves. It has a

similarity with the Rabab of Afghanistan and Kashmir.

6. Veena- Hindu goddess

Saraswati, who is the goddess of knowledge and

wisdom, plays the veena. The veena consists of a

large body made out of a block of wood. The stem of

the instrument is also made of wood. The neck of the

instrument attached to the stem, is usually carved

into a figure like the head of a dragon. The veena has

seven strings.

The veena is played by sitting cross-legged upon the

floor and holding the veena in front. The main body of the instrument is

placed on the ground, partially supported by the right thigh. The veena is

mostly used in South Indian Classical music.



7. Santoor: The Santoor is usually played while

seated, with the instrument in front. Both hands are used to play the

strings. The santoor is a string instrument with 70 strings. The

Indian Santoor, which originated in Kashmir, is the oldest known

string instrument in our country. It was originally a part of the

classical music in Persia but it is now a folk instrument in India.

8. Ektara- Ektara is a one string instrument, hugely used with

folk songs in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt. It is also known as

Gopichand. The Ektara is plucked with one finger. It has a stretched

single string, an animal skin over a head and a cane neck. It sometimes

has two strings and then it is called a dotara.



It is also associated with the Hindu mythological figure of Narada

Muni, who was a famous devotee of Lord Vishnu. The ektara is used

while singing ‘bhajans’ and ‘kirtans’. It is also known as the musical

instrument of ‘sadhus’ or holy-men.

Famous Quote

“In our culture we have such respect for musical instruments, theyare like part of God,” said Indian musician-artist, Ravi Shankar, famous

for sitar-playing.

How is a string instrument played?



Various instruments produce sound by each different action. These are

some common playing techniques to play string instruments:

1. By plucking the string - Plucking is used as the method of playingin instruments such as guitar, sitar, and harp. The instrument is

plucked either by a finger or thumb, or by some type of pick.

2. By bowing the string – Some instruments like violin, cello and

double-bass are played with a bow - a long stick that has

horsehair attached to it. The bow is drawn across the

strings of the instrument. This is called bowing.

3. By striking the string – The third method is to strike the string.

Violin family instruments are generally played by bowing but can also

be played by striking by the side of the bow.

Interesting facts

Ω We can see musician playing string instrument in stone carving,

about 2600 B.C.!!!

Ω The modern violin has four strings, but the earliest ones had only

three!!!



Ω The string instrument Sarod has been found in paintings in the

Ajanta caves!!!

Ω The instruments Esraj and Dilruba are around 200 years old!!!

Ω Famous Indian music composer A. R. Rahman has used the Dilruba

in his works like "Dil Se" and "Vande Mataram".

Ω Sarangi is a short-necked string instrument of India, which sounds

like the human voice!!!

Ω The violin is the smallest member of the string family. Because its

strings are the shortest, it produces the highest sound!!!

Variations of string instruments

violin

guitar



cello

double bass

Have you ever heard the phrase “blowing one’s owntrumpet”? It means speaking very loudly and highly about your self.

But what is a trumpet? The trumpet is a musical instrument from thebrass family which makes a very loud sound. Since blowing into atrumpet creates a very loud sound, hence the phrase “blowing one’s

own trumpet” is used for anyone who talks too much about himself!



About brass instruments: LikeWoodwind instruments, Brass instruments produce sound when air is

blown into them. But an instrument is classified as brass not because it is

made of metal, but because of the way it is played. A Brass instrument

has a type of mouthpiece, which creates a different sound by lip

vibrations of the player.

When you blow down a brass instrument, you put your lips against the

mouthpiece. You don’t put them around it as do on woodwind

instruments. Brass instruments are usually made of brass but they can

also be made of other metals or of wood, tusk, horn, or shell. Brass

players produce sound by blowing into the mouthpiece of the instrument.

The mouthpiece is of two types: Cup-shaped and Funnel-shaped.

Trumpet, Trombone, French horn and Tuba are few examples of Brass

Instruments.



How YOU can make a Brass instrument!Let us learn how to make a Horn, which is a Brass instrument.

You need:

• paper towel roll

• waxed paper • rubber band

• pen

Cover one end of the paper towel roll with waxed paper. Secure it with a

rubber band. Punch a row of holes along one side of the roll with the tip

of a pen.

To play, sing a tune into the open end of the horn.



Most common brass instruments

1. Trumpet- The trumpet is a popular brass

instrument that is played in both bands and orchestras. It is an

important part of marriage ‘baraats’ in India. The loud, clear sound of

the trumpet has been used to send signals and messages for a long

time. Trumpets were once used to frighten enemies in battle, and to

celebrate big ceremonies. You can play a trumpet by blowing into the

trumpet's cup-shaped mouthpiece.

2. French Horn- The French horn is a member of the

brass family. It consists of a metal tube that is about twelve feet long.

As this brass instrument was developed in France it’s called the

French horn. It produces both soft and loud sound. The very first

horns were made from the horns of animals. To play, the French hornis balanced on one’s leg, but it is held up between the two hands.



3. Trombone- Most brass instruments

use valves to produce different pitches. But the trombone uses a slide

instead. It has a long slide. You can push and pull the slide back

and forth to change the length of tubing. This changes the pitch.

While moving the slide, you need to blow air continuously through the

mouthpiece.

The trombone has a flared bell. It sounds lower than trumpets but

higher than tubas.

4. Tuba- The tuba is the largest member of the brass family

and plays the lowest notes. It's also the youngest brass instrument. It

was first used in military bands in the 1800s. The tuba, unlike most

other brass instruments is held vertically when it is played. Sound is

produced when the musician vibrates his or her lips into a cup shaped

mouthpiece.



What are the types of brass instruments?Brass instruments fall into four categories: Valved, Slide, Natural and

keyed or fingered.

Famous Quote“Sometimes you need to stand with your nose to the window andhave a good look at jazz. And I've done that on many occasions,” said

J J Johnson, a great trombone player.

J J Johnson’s tone has

inspired many jazz trombone players. Most of today's jazz trombone

players have in some way been influenced by him. He is often called 'TheKing'.

Interesting facts

Ω Trumpets are at least 3,500 years old - early versions of the trumpet have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, including King Tut's!!!

Ω When you unwind a horn, the tubing can be as long as twelve feet!

Ω The total length of an unwound trombone tube is 9 feet!!!

Ω The tuba was patented in 1835 by Friedrich Wilhelm Wieprecht (a

Prussian bandmaster) and Johann Gottfried Moritz (a German builder).



Ω The very first horns were made from the horns of animals. By breaking

off the horn's tip and blowing down the hole, you could sound a note!!!

Ω While Columbus was busy discovering America 500 years ago, King

Henry VII had a band of four trombones.

Ω The tuba consists of a huge brass tube, which if you stretched out, it

would be 18 feet long!!!

Variations of brass instruments

bugle

Did you know that a table is also a percussioninstrument? Yes! Isn’t there a rhythm and music when you tap your hands on the table? And what about the sound when you clap your hands, that is music too! These are all examples of the next family of musical instruments that we will talk about – percussion instruments.

About percussion instruments: Percussion instruments are used to giverhythm as well as melody in music. A percussion instrument is any

object which produces a sound when hit, shaken, rubbed, scraped or by

any other action which sets the object into vibration. Some examples of

these instruments are the tabla, the drum, the dhol, the mridangam and the

pakhawaj.

How YOU can make a Percussion instrument!Let us learn how to make a Jaltarang, which is a Percussion instrument.

http://www.playmusic.org/brass/tuba.html

http://www.playmusic.org/brass/trombone.html

http://www.playmusic.org/brass/frenchhorn.html

http://www.playmusic.org/brass/trumpet.html



You need:

• 8 glasses

• Water

• Spoon

Fill a glass with water. Tap it lightly with a spoon. You will find it gives

a musical sound. Then pour out some of the water. Note the difference in

the musical sound. Now arrange 8 glasses in a row on a table. Fill each

with water at different levels and tap them with a spoon again. Notice

how the pitch can be changed by adding or reducing the amount of water

in the glass. You can line up 8 glasses of water and play a tune on them.

Try it!

Common percussion instruments

1. Tabla- The Tabla is one of the most famous instruments

of India. It consists of two drums. The bass drum or the male drum,

which is played with the left hand, is called the bayan. The treble or the

female drum, which is played with the right hand, is called the dayan.The most popular artist of Tabla is Ustad Zakir Hussain. While you play

the tabla, you need to put one hand on each drum. The most common

technique is to hold the wrist down and bend the fingers.



2. Pakhawaj- Pakhawaj is an instrument with a long

wooden body. Both its ends are covered in animal skin. It is the most

traditional drum of North India. It is used in Oddisi and Kathak danceforms of India. It is also used with Dhrupad singing. When playing the

pakhawaj, you need to use the fingers and palms of both

hands. It is placed horizontally, while playing. The playing

position is easy. The smaller end is placed on the right hand and the

larger side is placed on the left side. The right side is usually raised

slightly by placing a small rolled up piece of cloth under it.

3. Mridangam- Mridangam is the instrument of many

Hindu deities such as Ganesha and Nandi bull. According to mythology,

Nandi played the mridangam during Shiva's Tandava dance. The

mridangam is played from both sides. The Mridangam is the rhythm

instrument used to maintain the ‘thala’ of the recital in Carnatic music of

south India. The word Mridangam means the body of clay. It is the most

ancient of all percussion instruments. It is similar to Pakhawaj in north

India. The mridangam is played by using the four fingers of both hands

while the thumb is used as a support.



4. Dholak- The Dholak is an essential accompaniment for

folk music of North India. It is even used while singing ‘bhajans’.It is cylindrical in shape and made out of solid wood. It is also used

while singing songs on the festival Holi. To play the dholak, sit

cross-legged on the floor and place the dholak either in your lap or

on the floor. The smaller side should be on the right and the larger

side on the left. You can then strike the two sides to produce

musical notes.

5.

The Damroo is a two-sided drum also known as the monkey talking

drum. This is because you must have seen the monkey-man or Madaari playing the damroo to pet monkeys who jump and dance to

the sound of the damroo. It has an hour-glass shape. The player holds

the damroo in one hand and gives it a sharp twist with the wrist,

causing the beads to strike the drum heads.



almost 50 wooden bars. The bars of the xylophone are made from

rosewood. The shorter bars play the higher notes and the longer

bars play the lower notes.

What are the types of percussion instruments?Broadly there are two categories of percussion instruments:

1. Untuned percussion: They just produce one

sound, example, a wooden block or a single bell. These can be used

just to play rhythm.

2. Tuned percussion: They can produce more than one note,

example, the Xylophone. They can be used to play

rhythm as well as melody or harmony.

Famous Quote



“You never stop learning as amusician. My father told me once: ‘Don’t try to be a master. Just tryto be a good student and you’ll get by just fine.’ I’ve never forgottenthat lesson,” said most popular artist of Tabla, Ustad Zakir Hussain.

Importance of Percussion instruments in playing music

Percussion instruments are used to give both melody and rhythm inmusic. The three parts of music are MELODY, HARMONY and

RHYTHM. In fact, if music were a person, melody would be its "face",

harmony would be its "meat" and rhythm would be its "bones".

Interesting facts

Ω The Bass Drum is the biggest of the drums used in the western

orchestra!!!

Ω While the Triangle is among the smallest of percussion instruments, it

has a very clear and shimmering sound that cuts through even the loudest

music!!!

Ω The Timpani is sometimes called a kettledrum because it is shaped like

a big copper kettle. In fact it is often made of copper!!!



Ω The snare drum was originally called the side drum, because the player

would carry it around his waist and played off to the side!!!

Ω Indian percussion instrument the Nagara was also used as a war-drum.Its beat announced the arrival of kings and princes and meant that the

army was marching into battle!!!

Ω The Madal is easy to carry and thus it is called as the mobile drum!!!

Ω The Damroo is a two-sided drum also known as the monkey talking

drum. It is used by the ‘madari’, the monkey man, in India. Monkeys

dance to the tune of the damroo!!!

Ω The oldest percussion instrument is a pair of hands. Babies can clap

before they can speak!!!

Variations of percussion instruments

Did you know that playing the piano can make youbetter at studies? Research has shown that children who learn pianotend to do better in school. The piano is a musical instrument fromthe family of Key-board instruments.

http://www.playmusic.org/percussion/snaredrum.html

http://www.playmusic.org/percussion/timpani.html

http://www.playmusic.org/percussion/xylophone.html

http://www.playmusic.org/percussion/bassdrum.html

http://www.playmusic.org/percussion/triangle.html

http://www.playmusic.org/percussion/cymbals.html



About key-board instruments:

The musical instruments which produce sounds of different musical notes

by pressing or using different keys are known as Key-board instruments.

A Key-board instrument is any musical instrument played using a

musical keyboard. The piano is a common Key-board instrument. An

electronic keyboard is also common. On an electronic keyboard you can

play many different voices in the same instrument.

Famous Quote“ Beethoven can write music, thank God, but he can do nothing elseon earth,” said pianist and composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the

most important figures in music.

He's definitely one of the all-time greats. When he was a young man of 20 years,Beethoven started losing

his hearing, and experiencing a loud ringing in his ears. Since Beethoven

lived for music, he was very sad. But he did not give up and became a

great musician.

Most common key-board instruments



1. Grand Piano- The piano is one of the most popular instruments

in the world. Almost every modern piano has 36 black keys and 52

white keys for a total of 88 keys. The keys of a piano were

originally made from ebony and ivory but they are now mostly

made from plastic. The Concert Grand is the largest type of piano.

There are strings inside a piano, and a hammer which

strikes the strings when you play the keys outside.

Piano name comes from ‘pianoforte’ meaning ‘soft-

loud’ because the piano was the first keyboard

instrument that could be played very quietly or very

loudly.

2. Organ- The Organ is known as

“King of instruments”. It has pipes, stops to control them, manual

Key boards and pedals to play notes. The organ is the oldest Key

board instrument, appearing first in the 3rd century BC. From its

invention until the 14th century, the organ remained the only

keyboard instrument.



3. Accordion- You

may have seen the song “Amar, Akbar, Anthony”. In it actor Rishi

Kapoor, who is Akbar, plays the accordion. The smallest and oldest

member of organ family, the accordion is a box-shaped musical

instrument. This instrument is sometimes considered a one-man-

band as it needs no accompanying instrument. The accordion is

often used in folk music in Europe, North America and South

America.

4. Harmonium- The harmonium is

commonly found in Indian homes but it is basically a western musical

instrument. In India, it was introduced when the British ruled our country.Though originally from France, the harmonium was developed further in

India. Its body comprises 42 black and white keys. The Harmonium

produces sound similar to that of an accordion.

Interesting facts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Harmonium_close_up.jpg



Ω The Harpsichord looks like a Piano, but the colour of its keys is

totally different and both produce sound differently!!!

Ω The invention of the modern piano is credited to Bartolomeo

Cristofori (1655–1731) of Padua in Italy.

Ω The hydraulic is the oldest Key board instrument, appearing first in

the 3rd century BC!!!

Ω A Chamber organ is the smaller version of the traditional organ.

Ω Synthesizers are key-board instruments that specialize in playing all

sorts of music, which includes sounds like other instruments and also

sounds which no other instruments produce!!!

Ω A.G. Bell, the man who invented the telephone was a gifted pianist.

As a child he found that if he played a piano in one room, its soundwould echo on a piano in another room!!!



Variations of key-board instruments



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musical instruments for children

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