1. Types of Musical Instruments

Read the following essay and write the correct word after the definitions. There may be more than one good answer.

Musical instruments are usually classified by how they produce sound. For instance, musicians make sound on stringed instruments by hitting, plucking (перебирание), or drawing a bow (смычок) across tightly stretched strings. The piano is an example of the first method. Those instruments that are plucked can he plucked by the fingers, as with the harp, or with either the fingers or a pick, as with the guitar, ukelele, banjo, and mandolin. Bows are used on instruments like the violin, viola, cello, and the bass, although sometimes these can be plucked, too.

In wind instruments, a vibrating column of air makes the sound. Sometimes the air is put into motion mechanically, as with the organ, but usually the musician blows into the instrument. The wind instruments can be further classified into woodwinds (духовые) and brass (медные). The woodwinds were originally made of wood, and most have reeds (язычки), which help to form the sound. The clarinet has a single reed, while the oboe and the bassoon have double reeds. The flute is an exception—it has no reed.

The brass instruments were originally made of brass, and the musician's lips take the place of reeds. They all have mouthpieces. The French horn has a funnel-shaped (воронкообразный) mouthpiece, while the trombone, trumpet, and tuba have cup-shaped mouthpieces. The saxophone is the exception here because, although it has a mouthpiece, there is a reed in the mouthpiece.

Percussion instruments produce sounds when they are hit together or with a tool. They are made of wood, like the xylophone, or metal, like the cymbals, or tightly stretched skin, like the various types of drums. The tambourine is a combination of the last two types. It's interesting to see how many ways we can make musical sounds.

1. A stringed instrument played by hitting the strings piano

2. A stringed instrument played by either plucking or bowing viola,violin, cello, bass

3. A wind instrument which is not blown into organ

4. A woodwind without a reed flute

5. A brass instrument with a reed saxophone

6. A percussion instrument made of metal and skin tambourine

Task 2.2. Answer the following questions

1. In what way are the musical instruments classified?

2. How is the sound produced on stringed instruments?

3. What devices can be used for producing a sound?

4. In what way is the sound produced on wind instruments?

5. What are the classes of wind instruments? What is the difference between them?

6. In what way do percussion instruments produce sounds? What percussion instruments do you know?

Task 2.3. Complete the text with the words from the box.

Before the concert starts...

Baton, musicians, bow, score, conductor, keys, string, instruments, audience, bows, concert hall.

While the concert hall was filling up and the audience were taking their seats, the musicians were tuning their instruments . The famous conductor entered. He gave the audience a low bow, picked up his baton, looked briefly at the score which lay open in front of him, and raised his hands. The pianist placed her fingers ready over the keys of her piano. The section of the orchestra (violonists, cellists.strings) brought their bows up, ready to play. The concert was about to begin.

Task 2.4. Solve the following riddles using your thematic vocabulary.

drum kit, bagpipes, pan flute, xylophone, bassoon, cello, banjo, violin, French horn, piano

1. Cousin to a violin, this large string instrument has a much deeper sound. ______________

2. A set of a percussion instruments referred to as a ______________

3. This bowed instrument features strings that were originally made from sheep’s gut. ______________

4. This brass instrument has 12 feet of tubing wrapped in a coil. _______________

5. It has 88 keys and makes its sound by hammers striking strings. ________________

6. This instrument features a bad and chanter and is often played in Kitts. ________________

7. This large woodwind instrument is used for bass and tenor parts in symphonies. _______________

8. Named after the Green Got Pat, this instrument has many blow hotels to create. _______________

9. This blue grass instrument was made first by African slaves in early America. ________________

10. This instrument is played by striking blocks with mallets. _______________

Task 2.5. Distribute the musical instruments according to the group they belong to.

Banjo, bassoon, clarinet, contrabass, cymbals, kettle-drum, flute, French horn, grand piano, harp, harpsichord (клавесин), mandolin(e), oboe, piccolo, saxophone, synthesizer, tambourine, trombone, trumpet, tuba, violin, cello, xylophone.

Stringed	Woodwind	Brass	Percussion
Banjo, contrabass, grand piano, guitar, harp, harpsichord, mandolin, violin,, cello	Bassoon, clarinet, flute, oboe. Piccolo, saxophone	French horn, trombone, trumpet,, tuba	Cymbals, kettle-drum, synthesizer, tambourine, xylophone