Three More Instruments Which Play Music Using the Treble Clef
The treble clef is a sign in music placed at the beginning of the treble stave and is used for right hand playing in piano / keyboard playing and for higher pitched instruments such as the trumpet, saxophones and xylophones. This article will give you more information on the above instruments which play music using the treble clef.
Instrument 1 The Trumpet:
The trumpet is among the oldest of the brass instruments and is the highest sounding.
It is made of metal and has a cylindrical bore, which in the last quarter of its length widens into a moderate size bell. It has a cup-shaped mouthpiece, as in other brass instrument, and the sound is produced by the player pressing the mouthpiece to his mouth and making the lips vibrate within it. The buzzing sound he makes in this way sets the column of air inside the instrument vibrating. Different sounds are produced by altering tension of the lips. Low sounds are produced when the lips are slack and high sounds are produced as players tighten their lips.
The tone of the trumpet can be altered in several ways with use of a mute placed in the bell of the instrument. A mute is a cone made of cardboard, fibre, felt or metal.
Trumpets are used in orchestras, jazz bands, military bands, brass bands.
Instrument 2 The Saxophone Family:
These are a family of wind instruments invented by Adolf Sax. By 1846 he had developed fourteen different sized saxophones. He wanted to make an instrument for the military bands that would sound well with both woodwind and brass instruments. Hence he came up with an instrument that is played using a single reed like a clarinet,
and has a conical bore like an oboe but with the tube made of brass curving up at the end like a horn.
All the saxophones use the treble clef. The tone is fuller than woodwind instruments and softer than the brass and blend in with these instrument types very well. It could be said that they have a flute like softness, string like richness and metallic stridency.
They are a common feature in jazz big bands where a section of saxophones takes the place of the symphony orchestras string section. They are most suitable to play the main melody of the piece. The alto, tenor, baritone and soprano saxophones are the most common.
Instrument 3 The Xylophone:
The xylophone is a percussion instrument consisting of tuned, wooden bars arranged as in the piano keyboard, and played by being struck with small hard or soft hammers held in the hand. It belongs to the tuned percussion group meaning that it can be used to play melodies ( as opposed to untuned percussion eg triangle or side drum ). You can notes ranging from middle upwards for three octaves.
Composers usually use the xylophone in orchestras to produce special effects as the wooden sound is easily heard above the other instruments.
Music using the treble clef is used for higher pitched instruments. The three instrument examples which play music using the treble clef of have their unique qualities. One thing is that they all have in common is that they are all instruments which play music using the treble clef.
By: Hilary Daglish