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Quiz about Instruments of the Orchestra
Quiz about Instruments of the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra Trivia Quiz


A few select instruments of the orchestra are here to tell you a bit about themselves, but they are a little shy, as you can see by the partial photos. Come and say hello!

A photo quiz by reedy. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
reedy
Time
4 mins
Type
Photo Quiz
Quiz #
372,473
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
1540
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: gogetem (7/10), Kat1982 (4/10), Guest 120 (8/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. I use a single reed and am sometimes called a licorice stick. What instrument am I? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The concert master (or mistress) plays me, and there are usually around 30 of us in the (modern) orchestra. What instrument am I? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. You can find me in the percussion section, and I have wooden bars with metal resonators beneath. What instrument am I? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. I can come in both slide and valve variants, and my Renaissance predecessor was called the sackbut. What instrument am I? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. As a grand piano, I am sometimes featured in the orchestra as a solo instrument. I fit into both the string AND percussion families.


Question 6 of 10
6. I am played with a double reed and I am used to tune all the other instruments in the orchestra. What instrument am I? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. My strings are so long and strong that I need machine heads to tighten them, and not just pegs like the rest of my family. What instrument am I? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. I am a special kind of drum that can be tuned to different notes. There are usually at least four of us in the percussion section. What kind of drum am I? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. I am a brass instrument that uses rotary valves, and to be played properly, my person sticks their hand in my bell. What kind of horn am I? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. An orchestra can have one or two concert harps - we are big and tall and have lots and lots of strings. With the use of pedals to change string pitches, we are fully chromatic instruments, able to play in any key.



Most Recent Scores
Mar 27 2024 : gogetem: 7/10
Mar 27 2024 : Kat1982: 4/10
Mar 26 2024 : Guest 120: 8/10
Mar 19 2024 : Guest 70: 10/10
Mar 19 2024 : Guest 188: 0/10
Mar 18 2024 : Guest 206: 7/10
Mar 13 2024 : Guest 90: 5/10
Mar 10 2024 : Guest 152: 2/10
Mar 10 2024 : Guest 102: 7/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. I use a single reed and am sometimes called a licorice stick. What instrument am I?

Answer: Clarinet

The clarinet was developed in the early 18th century by Johann Christoph Denner who made an alteration to the existing baroque instrument called the chalumeau. He added a register key, which allowed for a higher register to be played. Today the low register of the clarinet is called the chalumeau register, while the upper is called the clarion register.

The clarinet has a nearly four octave range, and is a transposing instrument pitched in the key of B-flat.
2. The concert master (or mistress) plays me, and there are usually around 30 of us in the (modern) orchestra. What instrument am I?

Answer: Violin

The violin family of instruments was first developed in the 16th century, but it wasn't until the following century that the design settled into what is considered the modern form. There have been minor changes made to the overall pattern since that time, but instruments from that time (have you heard of Stradivarius?) are still sought after and played to this day.
3. You can find me in the percussion section, and I have wooden bars with metal resonators beneath. What instrument am I?

Answer: Marimba

The marimba is very similar to the xylophone - both having wooden bars - but the marimba is set apart by the use of resonators through the whole range of the instrument. The other choices (chimes, glockenspiel and vibraphone) are all metal barred percussion instruments.

The marimba was first developed in Guatemala, and can vary in range from four to five-and-a-half octaves.
4. I can come in both slide and valve variants, and my Renaissance predecessor was called the sackbut. What instrument am I?

Answer: Trombone

The slide trombone (literally translated as 'large trumpet') works on the same principle as the other valved brass instruments, only instead of making the instrument longer by adding tubing through valves, a long sliding tube is used. The seven positions of the slide are the same as the seven different valve fingerings.

The trombone is pitched in B-flat, but its music is generally notated in concert pitch in the bass clef.
5. As a grand piano, I am sometimes featured in the orchestra as a solo instrument. I fit into both the string AND percussion families.

Answer: True

As a piano makes its sound through the striking of the strings by small padded hammers, it qualifies as both a percussion instrument and a string instrument. In other words, it is a struck chordophone. The hammers are, of course, operated through a mechanism that transfers the pressing of one's fingers on a key. And the piano's wonderful advancement from its predecessors (like the harpsichord) is implicit in its full name 'pianoforte'. It is able to play both softly and loudly - if you press a key softly, the hammer strikes the string softly; hit it hard and you get a loud sound.

A piano's 88 keys means that it has a range of seven (and a bit) octaves.
6. I am played with a double reed and I am used to tune all the other instruments in the orchestra. What instrument am I?

Answer: Oboe

The oboe has no tuning mechanism, as most other wind and string instruments have. Rather, tuning is done by adjustments to the performer's embouchure. For this reason, the oboe is chosen as the instrument to play the A=440 pitch for the rest of the orchestra to tune to. Typically, the concert master (or mistress) manages the tuning process, having the oboe play the A for each section of the orchestra in turn.

The oboe has a three-and-a-half octave range, and is a non-transposing (concert C) instrument.

The double reed family of woodwind instruments holds a special place in my heart, as I play the oboe, English horn, and the bassoon. Hence my name 'reedy'.
7. My strings are so long and strong that I need machine heads to tighten them, and not just pegs like the rest of my family. What instrument am I?

Answer: Double Bass

Due to the higher tension that comes with the longer strings associated with the double bass, it makes sense that the tuning mechanism used is a little sturdier than the friction system used by the rest of the violin family.

In the modern orchestra, the double bass has the smallest representation of its extended family. There are (typically) eight double basses, compared to ten cellos, twelve violas, fourteen 2nd violins, and sixteen 1st violins.
8. I am a special kind of drum that can be tuned to different notes. There are usually at least four of us in the percussion section. What kind of drum am I?

Answer: Timpani

Okay, technically a single timpani is called a timpano, but you will rarely ever hear that term, at least in English-speaking countries. Generally, they are referred to as kettledrums, timpani, or timps (and sometimes even timpanis, although that is quite incorrect).

Timpani come in a (standard) set of five, each being a different size, and thus having a different tunable range. Tuning is accomplished with a foot pedal that tightens and loosens the drum's head, accordingly.
9. I am a brass instrument that uses rotary valves, and to be played properly, my person sticks their hand in my bell. What kind of horn am I?

Answer: French horn

The two most common French horns are pitched in F and in B-flat; for this reason there exist double French horns that have both combined into one instrument. The switch between the two is accomplished by a trigger, played with the thumb.

A unique feature of the French horn is the use of the hand in the bell. By placing more of the hand further into the bell, the performer can flatten the note being played, as much as a full semitone! Some written music actually calls for 'stopped' horn, where the hand essentially works as a mute, while also lowering the pitch. It is an interesting effect, making the horn sound as if it is far off in the distance.
10. An orchestra can have one or two concert harps - we are big and tall and have lots and lots of strings. With the use of pedals to change string pitches, we are fully chromatic instruments, able to play in any key.

Answer: True

There are many different styles of harp in the world, but the concert or pedal harp was first developed in 1697 by Jakob Hochbrucker of Bavaria. Concert harps have a six-and-a-half octave range, and typically have 46 or 47 strings. There are seven pedals, allowing the ability to change any of the seven pitch-classes (A,B,C,D,E,F,G) a half-step.
Source: Author reedy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
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