Ever been confused about which instruments are which? Ever mixed up a trombone with a tuba? No? Well, even if you haven't, it's nearly guaranteed that you have made some mix-up between 2 instruments, no matter how close in a group they really are. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between 2 instruments, especially if you don't play one, but to be a composer, you should know which instruments are, and how high and low they can play.
The first instrument group we'll talk about is the strings. The main String Instruments are Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Fiddle, Harp, Guitar, Mandolin, Lute, and Banjo. The Piano is part string instrument, because when you hit a key, the string inside the piano is hit, making the sound.
The first instrument is very common. It is the Violin. The violin has 4 strings- the strings names are, from highest to lowest, E, A, D, then G. It is the highest of the string instruments.
This is a common violin. Note the chin rest on the lower left hand side, the pegs at the top of the instruments, and the bridge (the light peach colored line between the holes that look like F's (the F-holes))
The next instrument is a viola. A viola is a larger violin, but instead of an E string, it's strings are as follows, from highest to lowest- A, D, G, and C. It is the middle of the string family, higher then the bass and the cello, but lower then the violin. It is the alto voice. Tuned 5 notes lower then the violin, it has a warm sound, but not as bright.
A common viola- usually bigger then a violin. (The picture is not to scale...) But other then that, the violin and viola are very similar in how they look, but not how they sound.
The tenor voice of the string family is the cello, also known as the violoncello. It is shaped like the violin and the viola, but it is held between the player's knees. The endpin is the thing that is stuck into a rockstop to stop the Cello from sliding and to support it when held in between the players legs. The strings of the Cello are, from highest to lowest, A, D, G, and C.
Here is a common cello. Note the F-holes like the violin, the shape, but look at the endpin located right under the bridge at the bottom of the instruments.
This is one of many rockstops used for setting the endpin to stop the cello from sliding when held between the player's knees.
The Double Bass, (also known as the contrabass, string bass, upright bass, bull fiddle, bass fiddle, bass violin, or simply bass) is the largest bowed instrument. It is the bass voice of the string family, and is played standing up. It has an endpin like a Cello, but the octaves go much lower. Also, the strings, from highest to lowest, are G, D, A, then E. It is opposite the violin in many ways- it is the lowest, the violin is the highest. The Double Bass is the biggest, the violin the smallest, etc.
Here is a common bass. It is rather a larger version of the Cello, but with a generally shorter endpin. The fingers, when you play, must stretch farther to reach higher notes then on any other basic stringed and bowed instrument.