Timbre keywords

Timbre
instruments and voices singly and in combination as found in music for solo instruments concertos chamber groups pop and vocal music          acapella   String Quartet   Wind Chamber
generic families of instruments as found in world music (don't look at Celtic or Gamelan on this link)
instrumental techniques including con arco/with a bow pizzicato/plucked con sordino/muted double-stopping tremolo/tremolando
vocal ranges and techniques such as falsetto and vibrato
music of the carribean
African music
Indian music
Music of the 1960's
R 'n' B and Hip Hop
Musical Theatre
Samples, Loops

Watch and hear different instruments of the orchestra here

Effects

Effects are often found in popular music, on the guitar. You need to be able to recognise the sound of each.
                         Chorus                                                                            Reverb

 

        Distortion

Instruments of the Orchestra

A short video to show the instruments that are used in an orchestra, and which section they are in.

Percussion Instruments

Please watch this video to gain an idea about percussion instruments in the orchestra

African Music

Listen to this podcast on African Music. The keywords have mainly been covered, but an understanding of this type of music is essential.

Indian Music

Listen to this podcast on Indian Music. It links into the keywords that you have already covered and an understanding of this type of music will help in the listening exam.

Brass Instruments

These are brass instruments. Trumpets, French Horn, Trombone, Tuba (in the middle). Tuba has the lowest pitch. Get used to the sound. Oh, and this is a brass quintet (5 brass instruments).

Brass instruments might use a mute to change the sound. Watch this to see how they work, and how the sound (or timbre) is different.

String instruments

So, here are the main string instruments. Violin, Viola and 'Cello. There is also the double bass, but not in this extract.
This film features pizzicato (plucking), tremolo (that suspense effect) and arco (with the bow). Oh, and homophonic music, imitation and much more.

Violin and Cello

Now if you skip through to 2 mins into this video, you will see a violin (Nigel Kennedy playing) and a cello on their own. They are playing some Bach inventions, but it is a great way to hear the difference in sound and see what the instruments look like and how they are played. They are both string instruments.

The flute, Baroque music and jazz

Now, have a look at this. Fantastic.  Jiří Stivín, an amazing flute player who is performing two pieces: a baroque piece with a string orchestra, with homophonic texture. The second is Jazz, with improvisation and all those instruments. He then moves onto the saxophone. I challenge you not to be amazed by this.