This is the fourth of our instructor-led online discussions for Mu 101 (Fall 2019). Refer to the handout you received the first day of class (click on this highlighted text to go to that page our class website) which describes the amount and kinds of contributions you’re expected to make to these online discussions — they’re all the same parameters of good conversation that happens offline, too!

The approximate reading time of this post is quite short (around 2 minutes), but that’s because almost all of the content is listening-based rather than text-based. Below you’ll find links to pages with videos demonstrating various common (and uncommon) musical instruments found in Western classical music, grouped by instrument family (i.e., all the instruments on a single page produce sound in a similar way). There are many more instruments in the world than are included here, but this is a good introduction.

Before we begin: A reminder about effective discussion forum participation

Most importantly for blog-style discussions, do not try to answer all of the questions I’ve posed. Focus on the ones that you have a strong reaction to, and learn from other people’s comments that address the other questions. Leave space for others to move the conversation along. There is no prize for trying to do it all yourself.

Limit each of your comments to addressing a single question or topic. By doing so, you make it easier for others to see your point quickly and easily, rather than letting your good idea get lost in the middle of a long, multi-topic post. If you have several different ideas you want to share, make several different comments. Let each idea speak for itself.

The goal of this discussion

As you read and watch, think about ways you can describe the timbre or sound quality of the various instruments you hear, or other ways to group their sounds besides instrument family—these sonic details, just like the distinctions in sounds you’ve been noticing as you completed your soundscape journals, are what bring all of our other musical elements to life.

Explore and enjoy!

Links to instrument families and voice types

Instrument families (each family name below is a link to a web page with videos of instruments in that family):

You can hear various instruments combined on this page, which explores different ensembles.

Putting your attentive listening to work

In class, we’ll be listening to examples of symphonies, or large works for orchestra. What instruments a composer uses (or has available) doesn’t just reflect his or her taste or preferences; it’s also determined by the prevailing style of music when he or she was alive.

Here are three examples of symphonies from three different composers: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Classical era), Ludwig van Beethoven (early Romantic), Johannes Brahms (late Romantic). As you listen, use your attentive listening and knowledge of different instrument sounds (from the links to videos above) to learn more about how the symphony orchestra has changed over time:

  • What instruments are used? What instrument(s) do you hear? Are some instrument families missing from the complete orchestra?
  • How those instruments are used? What instrument(s) are playing the melody? Which are playing the accompaniment? Which are added for color or flavor intermittently?

Mozart, Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K. 201, I. Allegro moderato 

Mozart (Classical era)

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major “Eroica,” I. Allegro con brio 

Beethoven (early Romantic era)

Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 3 in F Major, I. Allegro 

Brahms (late Romantic)

Final thoughts

As suggested by how many instruments are included in this lesson, and the fact that it barely scratches the surface of all the instruments people play around the world, the world of musical instruments is huge. You can find woodwind, brass, string, and percussion instruments all over the world, and there are infinite combinations out there for you to experience and enjoy.

-Dr. J.

105 thoughts on “Instruments and voice types (Online discussion Sep 30-Oct 6)”

  1. I’ve had to listen to all 3 of these songs multiple times just to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

    In the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart song, I mostly hear what I believe to be violins, harps, trumpets, and flutes. At least, that’s what I think those instruments are. The violins could actually be cellos or double basses. The harps could actually be guitars. The trumpets could actually be french horns, trombones, or tubas. The flutes could actually be piccolos, clarinets, or bassoons. I am interested in hearing what others think those instruments are.

    In the Ludwig van Beethoven song, I hear the same instruments that I heard in the previous song, but this time, I think I hear the harps more often, and I also think I start hearing a few light drum beats here and there as well, or those could just be deep tube or trombone sounds that sound like drums. It’s hard to tell for sure, since I’m no expert on this.

    The Johannes Brahms song sounds much softer that the previous 2 songs. It seems to be starting softer and slower, while occasionally reaching higher volumes and tempos, only to quickly descend back to it’s softer slower state that I am used to. There are mostly what I believe to be trumpets, flutes, and violins. I am not hearing as many drums or harps this time. This song then ends peacefully, while the previous 2 songs seem to end fiercely. Overall, it was a bit difficult to hear the timbre of this song, since it was so soft.

    If someone else could help clarify exactly what the instruments were, I would appreciate it.
    Lastly, I noticed one of the questions for this discussion was “Which are added for color or flavor intermittently?”
    Except I don’t know what “color or flavor intermittently” means. Did we learn that in class? I hope someone can explain this one to me, too.
    With that said, it’s actually quite a bit of challenging and fun trying to determine what these instruments are, so as to improve our knowledge on different sounds and instruments!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I agree, there’s such a variety of instruments out there that our inexperienced ears wouldn’t be able to differentiate.

        Like

      1. the same thing we do all the time. make music all day every day. we would make music using our vocal cords. look up vocal-cords and see the functions of it.

        Liked by 1 person

        2. I actually agree, we’re always finding ways to entertain ourselves and sharing skills. If instruments weren’t available then, what we have around us and belief of the wind carrying sounds would become our tools of music themselves.

          Liked by 1 person

      3. humans wouldn’t be on the planet then, because we are instruments. We can clap and make percussion sounds and sing using our vocal cords.

        Like

      4. I think If there were no musical instruments in the world you will be hearing mostly vocal in the songs and also the environment could have be used to create other sounds for example hitting on a table which can make the sound, or using your pots and pans in the kitchen to create other sounds to blend with your vocal.

        Like

      5. Without instruments their would be no music, therefore poetry would be a way for people to express how they are feeling.Instruments are the main things that make up music

        Like

      6. I guess it would like space, where there is no sound. But this is a world and There is no world and vibrations produce sounds. We live in a world of currency, which I think created the measurements needed to produce musical instruments. Also, animals carry tunes. Our heart beat is rhythmic. Foot steps can be an instrument. Vibrations are part of nature on Earth. There is no Earth without musical instruments, to me.

        Like

      7. I think the world will still do just fine because the voice is still there to make beautiful melody and sounds

        Like

  2. The violin is most distinctive in the first audio. I can’t make out the other instruments distinctively. It sounds like a flute, piano, and oboe in the background.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. likewise, I hear the violin most when listening to the first audio. and then the deeper sounds like the horns maybe? I think I might listen again if I can and also listen to the different instrument sounds separately to grasp what I hear better.

      Like

      1. I agree, I feel like I hear they violin too but I can’t really identify other instruments on the other audios

        Like

    2. I agree the first thing that catches my ears attention were the violins. I personally like the sound of a violin but the orchestra together overall is not my type of music so it doesn’t really catch my attention. Not that it bores me to put me to sleep it’s just simply not my style or preference in music.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Wow these instruments are hard to identify. I feel like I barely know my instruments. In Beethoven (early Romantic era), I’m not sure sure of the instruments except the piano and base drum.

    Like

    2. I agree the instruments were hard to define maybe because I personally don’t know how every instrument sounds.

      Like

    1. You meant the last instrumental piece? i think so too. the violin is the lead instrument. it is also accompanied by a flute maybe I’m wrong.

      Like

    1. I think it’s the violin music, the sound of violin is very peaceful, and whenever I listen to it, I feel relaxed and Its one of my favorite instrument I like to listen to.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. i disagree, are you guys really listening closely? all of these music have Allegro style tempo. they are not met to put you to sleep. they are fast mainly and moves up and down counter wise.

        Like

    2. I agree, not out of boredom, but the softer and more zen like sections are relaxing to the point of tiring me out. Probably doesn’t help that I don’t get enough sleep as is. Maybe listening to music like this before bed would help get some better sleep?

      Like

      1. I listen to a lot of hip hop and I have a lot of energy so when listening to the soft violin music it’s puts me to sleep because it changes my whole mood.

        Like

      2. I would say it differs for everybody, personally I don’t find it relaxing but rather something I can’t listen for a long time.

        Like

      1. I do too it’s primarily because we’re not exposed to this type of music enough. Hip-Hop doesn’t make us tired at all because we’re so used to hearing it all the time.

        Like

    5. i feel like listening deeply to the music and trying to distinguish the different sounds had hypnotized me a little bit, because I was focusing on the music and trying to find the accompaniment of the different songs and I eventually just ended up nodding off in the middle of listening to them. Not because they were boring.

      Like

  6. The instruments being played have a very distinct sound in each but too me they are still very similar in all of these works of music the instrument I hear being used the most heavily would be the violins or strings. As the songs proceed it is harder to tell what instruments are being used because they are merging together so effortlessly. I find this aspect of this genre of music beautiful because it is so many different ranges of sounds that I wouldn’t expect to meld together but they do.

    Like

      1. I imagine that it would be harder for voices to blend together, because all voices carry a unique sound. Instruments, once tuned, sound the same as any other of the same instrument (although different makes of the same instrument can have slightly different sounds).

        Liked by 1 person

        1. It also has a ton to do with the person playing the instrument! The same instrument can produce tons of different sounds and tonal qualities depending on the musicians method, skill level etc. An inexperienced person can blow into an instrument and get it to produce a sound, but that sound will not have the same tonal quality as a sound produced by somebody who knows how to play it properly. There are a ton of factors in playing an instrument!

          Liked by 2 people

      2. Voice is definitely harder since this one depends on the singers vocal cords muscles and his/her experience on the field to hold the breath necessary to produce the right kind of range the singer is trying to achieve.

        Like

  7. In Mozart (Classical era) I think they stared out with violins and it was followed by bassoon, oboes and may be tuba as well. I listened to it few times and I looked up how all these instruments sounds like except violin. But I am still not sure about my observation of these instruments.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I agree , the most noticeable instruments are the strings . The violin and viola but you can tell that many more instruments are participating in the ensemble.

      Like

    2. My observation is the arrangements. i m not sure why but eventually Dr Jones will cover why they are arranged in these particular manner.

      Like

  8. The power of instruments help ensembles to feel full of sound and complete. Instruments individually are unique because they each help to bring out a specific sound which once combined create a different musical combination. My 10 thoughts are

    1. Instruments bring out the feel of the music number.
    2. Voices help relate to listeners to what is being said in the words being said.
    3. Instruments enhance the ears due to the change in the different instruments.
    4. Music without instruments is beatless , toneless , and etc
    5. Voices built a movement in the music within the listeners
    6. Instruments are the heart of a song.
    7. Voices display the emotion behind the music.
    8. Instruments take a lot of practice and time to have a successful performance.
    9. Voices and instruments combined is like a relationship because they pair together to complete one another.
    10. Voice and instruments once put together tell a specific story.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. i agree but jus wanted to add that nowadays, music infuses more on the vocal aspect. especially in pop song format. during verses where the music intensity drops and the vocal becomes more of the focal point. intensity

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Not only does the music intensity drops and puts the vocals in the spotlight but I also think that sometimes pop music and even some other type of music forget about the authenticity that can be created through the use of instruments and they tend to just arrange a similar sounding background music with just a different voice.

        Like

  9. I’ll try and analyze the second piece, Beethoven’s Third Symphony.

    The piece starts with what sounds like strings, then adds in woodwinds, with the brass and percussion coming in last. After they come together, the pattern repeats itself, with the strings leading for most of the time, although the woodwinds get some small sections to themselves. I’d wager a guess that the strings leading are a violin or viola, It’s hard to hear the exact difference to me, even after listening to those examples. For the rest of the piece, the Strings play the melody and the woodwind and brass are accompaniment, other than a few small sections where the latter two play the melody. At the more pivotal moments the different sections seem to play in unison. I also hear some for of large, deep drum in the background every now and again for flavor.

    This overall exercise was pretty difficult, it’s way harder to pinpoint individual instruments when they’re all going on at once. I noticed a bit of a trend with strings tending to lead the melody a majority of the time. I guess the sound they generate is easier to pick out among the rest of the orchestra?

    Like

    1. It is pretty challenging, determining exactly which instruments are being played when you aren’t used to understanding specific instruments. It’s easier listening to the melody and tempo than it is to listen to the harmony. I too noticed that some of the louder sounds that stood out were easier to distinguish from the ones that were softer or were being played alongside other instruments of similar volume.
      I hope other people can find a way to overcome that challenge.

      Like

  10. In my opinion, the Mozart uses lots of strings, brass instruments. it is missing the piano and the drums.
    the Beethoven uses all the strings section, the brass section, some low drums and some tympani but lock of percussions.
    The brahm has the stings, the brass and drums but lock the piano.
    they are all 3 big orchestras lots of brass and string going on.

    Like

    1. Right. I don’t think I heard a piano not once. It felt weird. I noticed these pieces mostly had brass, strings and some percussion to them.

      Like

  11. Let me say first that I am not an music expert at all but one thing I did discover, that may be besides the point, but I accidentally had all three music selections playing at the same time, and without noticing, but all instruments played together so well that I didn’t realize that it was actually three different songs, I thought that was interesting. In Mozart, in the beginning I hear horns, maybe trumpets, flutes, the violins are very present throughout. In Beethoven’s selection, I hear violins and the melody is carried by flutes. Between these instruments it feels as if the flutes carries a softer tone, which to me gives off the feels of calmness, then the loud violin playing brings in a more dramatic and chaotic sense, ultimately it feels as if there’s a story being told through the melodies and rhythm of the song. Last, in Johannes Brahms selection, the soft violin and flute playing gives me the same feels as Beethoven, where the music tells a story through the highs and lows of the each instrument. Each of these music selections helps create a scene in my mind of what this may look like if there was actually movement along with the sound.

    FYI… violin, flute, trumpets are the main instruments i can identify on my own.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Lol, i just experimented with all three playing together. it all sounded like a giant piece of homophonic texture. the Mozart was the lead melody with everyhing else playing as supporting melody. Not bad at all.

      Like

  12. Not hearing nearly enough french horn here… smh. (shoutout to 10:02 in the beethoven piece) After listening to these pieces, and going off my own experiences, instruments like the flute and violin tend to get a lot more of the major melodies in pieces like this. It may just be because the flute is more practical when it comes to playing faster, intricate melodies. Its wicked hard to do something like that on a french horn, which only has three keys. The majority of the note shifts on brass instruments are achieved by physically flexing ones facial muscles and adjusting your breathing. Woodwinds can get away with quick note changes just by changing the positions of their fingers. Same goes for strings. It is just physically easier to play fast melodies. Perhaps this is part of the reason this style of music is so string and flute heavy. It also might have to do with the fact that they produce a higher sound that is easy to focus the ear on. Brass instruments like trombone and tuba almost never get their moment to shine in classical symphony music. They’re always just the baseline, or if they’re lucky, maybe a counter melody.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. Shara Tuesday Hey y’all
    – Audio One which is the classic era sounded much like a lot of string instruments going from low to high to at times deafening. Also I believe there was a flute.Additionally, I’m not a professional at separating these instruments but I think I heard a violin i think the percussion family is missing I could be wrong and your positive feedbacks would be appreciated.
    – Audio two Firstly this was very long. I think it had a lot of strings and wind instruments and it went from soft to loud at times which was somewhat the same in the first audio.
    – Audio Three Firstly I was able to distinguish a woodwind instrument. Also, I think this is missing percussion I did not hear any hitting or drums but I think the violin was distinctive and at times the sound produced went higher and higher which I think was a little too much for my ears and it honestly became annoying where I prayed for it to become softer. Lastly I appreciated the way it ended after all the fight to listen throughout the piece .

    Liked by 1 person

    1. i agree. did you get a chance to listen to the vocal types under instrument families. i never knew there was a type called “CASTRATI” to me it sounded like some soprano that has a little deeper intonation. I can be wrong but that is my interpretation of it. i am just learning of this type today. everything else I’m kind of used to .

      Liked by 1 person

            1. I also noticed that the BASS vocal tone was not as deep as i thought. i have heard people singing low before and they usually heavy sets and have a very deep voice. but that guy was pretty slim and sounded like a couple of octave above the bass line. may i’m wrong but let me know what you guys think.

              Like

  14. I’ll be honest, it took me a few times before I could get my ears to really focus on the instruments used in each piece, but I guess thats what happens when I use music as a leisure. I’m used to just slapping on some headphones and absorbing whatever top 40 pop song plays without putting any real effort in *really* listening to music. There’s so much I have to focus on in my day to day that I treat music typically like a little getaway. Ok. rant over. I hear the flute a lot as well as some strings, and a few times the violin. I’m looking at the comments above and they are a lot more detailed than mine. I hope to gain enough insight into musical instruments and sharpen my ears for what I hear in the upcoming classes.

    Sidenote, in class yesterday, prof. J pointed to a large, beige instrument that kinda looked like a wooden desk. I assumed a piece we heard yesterday contained the piano, she let me know that the piano hadn’t been invented yet, and that huge instrument was actually what was used instead. But I CANNOT for the life of me remember the name of it but if you know what I mean help me out lol

    Like

  15. So as I kid I heard the soprano
    Used in a Barbie movie by a furry animal. It’s so funny I didn’t know the high pitch was for a evil female with superpowers.

    Like

    1. I guess some musics can be associated with certain fictional characters.
      Mario, the popular video game character, is associated with 8-bit or classical music, while Sonic the Hedgehog is often associated with fast rock music.

      Like

  16. What instruments are used? What instrument(s) do you hear? Are some instrument families missing from the complete orchestra?- To answer the question the instruments I hear are a lot of strings. I am unable to distinguish what type of string instruments they are but I can assume they are violins and base string instruments. As far as instruments missing in the orchestra group I did not hear, I was unable to think of any on my own. An instrument someone mentioned above the was not my original thought was a piano.

    Like

  17. From what I could heard from the play, I could hear mostly some string, brass, and woodwind instruments. The music shown to us, they did not have any singer singing in the play nor percussion instruments. All the musician played was instruments.
    I wonder, can anyone distinguish around how many players play in one of the piece of orchestra?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well if you at the very first Chart. The one with pictures of instrument family. You can pretty much assume the number of musicians in the Orchestra. I mean, it might not be a full orchestra for these particular pieces but the number of seats per instruments family could be your answer. from what I’m looking at, there is a lot of people involved in these orchestra concerts.

      Like

  18. This is challenging because not being a listener of music which are only being played by instruments makes it’s difficult to identity the instruments being played. I think after listening to all of them two types I heard the sounds of violin, and flute, and I was not able to differentiate between the different types of violin and flute. what I also observe is that Mozart dynamic was low at the beginning while Ludwig Van, and Johannes Brahms dynamic was high at the beginning. I have so much to learn about these different kinds of musical instruments.

    Like

    1. I think this was one of the most challenging discussions, challenging because I am not familiar with the different instruments.

      Like

  19. If anyone had the opportunity to learn how to play one of those instruments shown above what would it be? I would chose the piano because i like the way it sound when it’s play correctly.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. clarinet, I had played it before in middle school band and to me I think its the prettiest instrument besides the flute. the sounds of both of these instruments are just so delicate and pleasing to the ear no matter what you play on them.

      Like

    2. I would say piano too because I find it very fascinating and also because I have one at home which I would like to use and not let it go to waste.

      Like

  20. Guys, in response to Ksmarti’s who commented, “I think the voice is one of the best instruments of all”
    i post this link for you. listen the the voice please ( such a beautiful instrument)

    Like

    1. After watching this video it made me realize how beautiful the voice is, in music you can replace instruments but the voice you cannot.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. What you said just got me thinking how a voice is such a powerful instrument, one which cannot be replaced no matter how identical they might sound because it would also depend on the technique implemented by the owner. Our voice is something that is unique and also underappreciated by many as we tend to focus on other people’s voices that might sound better to our ears and we tend to forget about our own and like me, one might even wish to have somebody else’s voice.

        Like

  21. For Mozart, Symphony No. 29 I can hear some violins, a few cellos, some oboes, one or two double bass and also at least one french horn. However, I believe that some instrument families missing from the complete orchestra are percussion and keyboard instruments. As someone mentioned before, the Classical era seemed to focus more on strings, especially violins and cellos which are more prominent to me in the piece, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I noticed that the piece says Allegro Moderato, would the piece be easier to learn/play if it was in Adagio and would some instruments have to be changed in order to match said tempo?

    Like

  22. For Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart song Symphony No. 29 I believe the symphony is composed of an orchestra of woodwinds, brass, and strings. I’m not sure how many of each instrument is played but I can sure enough hear the tunes of a flute type based instrument, a horn, and definitely strings of a violin. Now as for Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 there’s more of an orchestra of woodwinds complimenting each other sort of like flutes, and clarinets and so. I believe I also hear within the symphony the tunes of brass possibly a trumpet and a faint drum sound as well as strings. Lastly we have Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 3 which similarly like Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 consisted of various types of woodwind instruments as well as a faint drum and strings. Listening to the symphonies through my headphones has heightened the acute listening ability within me to try and narrow down the exact instrument it is and get a clear sound of the music as a whole as opposed to listening through a speaker.

    Like

  23. In the Mozart symphony it was all violins. There was some in the back ground playing a deeper bass like sound. The melody is played by an orchestra violins.

    Like

  24. Flutes and strings in Beethoven. I hear the violin orchestra. The flute did a solo piece for a bit. The violins go back and forth with their solos then the flute harmonies with everything.

    Like

  26. I do too it’s primarily because we’re not exposed to this type of music enough. Hip-Hop doesn’t make us tired at all because we’re so used to hearing it all the time.

    Like

  28. I had just picked one piece to work on for this assignment, which is Johannes Brahms, symphony No. 3 in F major. I like the image that it the melody of the music creates in my head. to me, it feels as though the music tells a story of a battle between two sides. The people who are in battle are constantly going at it throughout the beginning of the piece which I hear violins, cellos, double bases. Then when the music lets up and gives a more calmer scene, I hear a lot of flute and violin plucking then the music starts to become darker and violins start to get more prominent then the music begins to go back and forth between these two “moods”, if you will. The instruments I hear the most throughout the piece is violin, the cello and maybe even double basses, flutes and possibly even the French horn? What do you guys think you hear as the Accompaniment? I had a difficult time because there were times I thought the violins were switching between melody and accompaniment.

    Like

  29. It’s funny because listening to this music, I kept automatically picking out the strings and focusing on them even when they weren’t carrying the melody. Did anybody else have a similar experience with a different instrument group?

    Like

  30. One question is,why is Mozart so important in the classical musical world? I personally don’t know enough to have a say in it.

    Like

    1. Mozart, Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K. 201, I. Allegro moderato 
      I like to think I heard it starting with a smooth in tone type of violin and viola playing the lower part. I noticed from 0:00 – 0:17, it gives me intro type of feels. It’s less trippy compared to after the 0:17 mark, which is like a roller coaster of up and down intensity. The melody starts off lower in octave and then after 0:17 it goes higher in pitch and seems more busy. This is a happy, exciting and intense piece. I’m not sure of the form though. Maybe Rondo. I feel there are a lot of peaks. I think I heard a french horn and oboe.

      Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major “Eroica,” I. Allegro con brio
      I can definitely hear a timpani, flute, clarinet, violin, oboes,, and cello. Maybe a trombone. This doesn’t sound like a form, because nothing sounds similar. It’s different melody on top of and after different melodies. This entire piece was a mixture of was sweet, smooth, bold, strong, some tip toeing, some scattered notes, long soft and loud notes, some parts are busy and some are empty. I like the intro, it sounded like a ton of instruments mixed into one to produce all of that.

      Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 3 in F Major, I. Allegro 
      This piece kinda reminds me of the Beethoven one. The intro starts with a ton of instruments, but keeps the intensity and I hear a lot a strong piercing brassy melody throughout the first minute. Then after 0:55 mark, it gets soft, smooth, and mellow. Kinda. There’s a coda at 1:21 mark. I like to think I hear flute, oboe, horns, trumpets, timpani, and clarinets. There’s def some violin or viola going on. I think viola. The piece returns to excitement around 2:30 and after follows a mellow buildup to more a strong combination of instrumentation, but less brassy and more bright and clear in sound. It sounds like something buzzy. A chase somewhere in a forrest. This pattern/theme is throughout the recording. Very anthemic. Dark.

      Like

  31. Personally, it’s extremely hard to identify and distinguish the instruments being used in such beautifully complicated music such as these. All I can really say is that I can tell there are other instruments accompanying the main one, all playing at the same time. I feel as if I’m hearing a lot of string instruments combined with brass wind instruments within all pieces of music. Mozart’s symphonies seem to utilize flutes and clarinets more while Beethoven’s seemed to be more fond of the string instruments such as the violin. What amuses me the most is that I imagine all these pieces to be possibly played by the piano in a simpler form but almost just as successful.

    Like

  32. What intrigues me most about these symphonies is the thoughts behimd the use of each note, each chord, each instrument, each tone. Why did Mozart choose to use the clarinet in this part and what was he trying to accomplish the listener to hear/feel? It’s a mathematical equation when you look at the genius behind the use of the content. Composers like Beethoven and Mozart know music like it’s the back of their hand and they know how to make you feel a certain way with certain instruments. Beethoven was successful in reaching the deeper spectrum in the soundscape which was giving the song so much meaning. It conjures up thoughts in your head that correlate with such music. When you strike a chord within a symphony, you’re simultaneously striking a chord with your emotions. You can really feel the music. This is thanks to the genius minds behind the composer and their music.

    Like

  33. What instruments is used I hear violin for sure. The violin is so powerful that can be played really fast and put a different intensity in the music or emotion compare when it’s playing slow.

    Like

  34. I think I hear string instruments playing the lead and other instrument follow suit. However, they all working together to make beautiful sounds. I would want to ask how long does it take all the people who participated in playing the instruments, to learn every note accordingly and when to come in at the right time? what’s the key to such perfection?

    Like

  35. I hear a variation of instruments from strings to woodwinds and percussion. Defiantly violins , I can recognize that sound anywhere because it’s soothing and calming. I can’t really tell the difference between the woodwinds, whether it was a flute and oboe , I can’t really put my finger on which is which. Percussion defiantly stands out because it the loudest instruments .

    Liked by 1 person

  36. I think that the timbre of these sounds have changed over the course of time being that they use multiple instruments in songs, where’s compared to older songs like Beethoven, the amount of instruments being used at once ate more limited.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.