Sections of an Orchestra

Many people find our site when searching for information about sections of an orchestra. This page tells you about orchestral instruments. At the end of the page are some links to further information.

Orchestral instruments are usually divided into four families: strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. These families normally sit together in an orchestra. The strings sit at the front, then the woodwind, and the brass and percussion in two groups at the back.

The following diagram shows the usual sections of the modern orchestra. To find out more about them, click on a section or scroll down!

Orchestra diagram

Although this is a common arrangement, orchestras don't always look the same. Some pieces of music need special instruments, while others don't need some of the usual ones. Some composers ask to arrange the orchestra in a special way, and some conductors prefer players to sit in a different place.

So there are no unbreakable rules about what an orchestra should look like. But most of the time, you will find that the most common instruments are in their usual place.

This type of orchestra supposedly originated in the late 18th century as the symphony became popular. For that reason, we use the same layout to play Mozart's works, Mahler's enormous symphonies, and the latest compositions for orchestra. The most noticeable difference is that fewer instruments and players are used in earlier music, while newer music often needs more unusual instruments and larger numbers of players.

Strings

Common instruments: violin, viola, cello, double bass.

Less common instruments: guitar, mandolin.

The string section is the most stable in the orchestra. There are almost always two sections of violins, one viola section, one cello section and one double bass section. Each of these sections plays one part together. While woodwind, brass and percussion players each have their own part, all the second violins play the same music.

The principal of the first violins is called the leader of the orchestra, or 'concertmaster' in the USA. When there is a passage for a solo violin in an orchestral piece, the leader usually plays it.

Woodwind

Common instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon.

Less common instruments: piccolo, alto flute, bass flute, cor anglais, E-flat clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, contra-bassoon.

The woodwind instruments usually sit in two rows, with the section principals in the centre. The four common instruments are almost always there. Mostly, there is a pair of each instrument: for instance, a 1st and 2nd flute. Unlike the strings, each player has a separate part to play.

In addition to these, you often see a piccolo, cors anglais or contra-bassoon in music from the 19th century onwards.

Brass

Common instruments: trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, french horn.

Less common instruments: F-trumpet (piccolo trumpet), alto trombone, euphonium.

The brass section normally sits in two groups: the french horns and the other instruments.

Percussion

Common instruments: suspended cymbal, crash cymbal, tambourine, triangle, side-drum, bass drum, timpani, xylophone, glockenspiel.

Less common instruments: tubular bell, cow-bell, piano, celesta, marimba, and many more.

The percussion section has the highest number of possible instruments, but usually only a small number are used in a piece of music. When composers want a special sound, like cow-bells, thunder or wind, the percussion section has to make it! Percussionists have to be very flexible, because there are normally only three or four of them to play all those instruments.

Links

To find out more, visit the websites listed below!