Name That Orchestra Instrument Quiz

[A] Violin | This soprano string instrument loves to show off with its four strings tuned in perfect fifths. Concert masters play it while everyone else follows along.

[A] Flute | Silver sideways instrument that makes air sing without any reed to blame. Players develop embouchure muscles that would make weightlifters jealous.

[B] Snare Drum | Metal wires underneath create that signature buzz when struck. Military drummers mastered paradiddles on these before rock stars made them cool.

[C] Tuba | Bass voice of the brass family weighing up to 30 pounds. Players need serious lung capacity to make this giant sing low notes.

[A] Piano | 88 keys control felt hammers hitting strings inside. Bartolomeo Cristofori invented it in 1700, originally calling it gravicembalo col piano e forte.

[D] Viola | The middle child of strings plays alto clef that confuses violinists. Its deeper voice fills harmonies between violins and cellos perfectly.

[B] Oboe | Double reed woodwind that tunes the orchestra with its stable 440Hz A. Reed makers spend hours carving cane like musical sculptors.

[C] Cymbals | Bronze alloy plates crash together creating shimmering overtones. Turkish craftsmen still hammer them by hand after centuries of tradition.

[D] French Horn | 12 feet of coiled brass tube controlled by rotary valves. Players stick their right hand inside the bell to adjust pitch and tone.

[B] Organ | King of instruments with pipes ranging from pencil-sized to tree trunks. Bach wrote fugues on these that still challenge organists today.

[A] Cello | Seated string player's best friend spans four octaves from low C. Yo-Yo Ma made millions fall in love with its chocolate voice.

[C] Clarinet | Single reed woodwind that squeaks when beginners play but purrs for professionals. Mozart wrote his famous concerto after hearing Anton Stadler play.

[D] Bass Drum | Thunder maker of the percussion section felt more than heard. Sound waves travel through floors making audience seats vibrate during fortissimo hits.

[A] Trumpet | Three valves create endless combinations for this brass soprano star. Jazz legends like Miles Davis revolutionized music with just these three buttons.

[C] Harpsichord | Baroque keyboard that plucks strings with quills instead of hammering them. Volume stays constant no matter how hard you press those keys.

[B] Double bass | Standing room only for this giant string instrument tuned in fourths. Jazz players slap and pop while classical players bow deep grooves.

[D] Bass Clarinet | Extended clarinet family member reaching low written C below the staff. Film composers love its mysterious woody tone for suspenseful scenes.

[A] Tambourine | Handheld party starter with metal jingles around a wooden frame. Rock bands discovered thumb rolls make crowds go wild every time.

[B] Trombone | Slide positions replace valves on this brass instrument with endless glissando possibilities. Jazz players growl and wah while classical players blend perfectly.

[D] Harp | 47 strings meet seven pedals in this angelic instrument weighing 90 pounds. Glissandos sweep through like golden waterfalls in romantic movie scenes.

[C] Piccolo | Tiny flute cousin pierces through full orchestras playing an octave higher. Marching bands learned it cuts through stadium noise like sonic lightning.

[A] Timpani | Copper kettledrums tuned with pedals while playing create pitched thunder. Professional timpanists memorize exact tensions for every note like musical mathematicians.

[B] Bass Trombone | Bigger bore plus trigger valves extend range into tuba territory. Film scores rely on its dark power for epic battle scenes.

[C] English Horn | Neither English nor horn but actually an alto oboe pitched in F. Its melancholy voice sings the famous solo in Dvorak's New World Symphony.

[A] Celesta | Keyboard strikes metal bars creating magical bell sounds like fairy dust. Tchaikovsky premiered it secretly to keep competitors from stealing his Sugar Plum magic.

[D] Bassoon | Folded wooden tube with double reed reaches four octaves of woody warmth. Grandfather clock of woodwinds walks bass lines through classical pieces.

[B] Xylophone | Rosewood bars arranged like piano keys produce bright percussive melodies. Mallets wrapped in yarn create different tones from soft to brittle.

[C] Contrabassoon | 16 feet of tubing folded four times reaches below piano's lowest note. Orchestra's basement dweller rumbles through film scores like musical earthquakes.

[D] Chimes | Tubular bells hung vertically recreate church tower sounds in concert halls. Struck metal tubes ring out like celestial doorbells announcing musical moments.