Tools have been around for a very long time. Obviously not in the same style as today's instruments, but always with the same goal, to create music. In an orchestra all instruments are separated into groups. There are four main families (groups). These are the string, brass, percussion and woodwind families. In the next pages we will talk about it in more detail. The bow familyThe bow family consists of instruments that are plucked or even pulled with the bow. Some common instruments in the string family are the violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar, harp, and electric bass. In the orchestra we always find the violin, viola, cello and double bass. The first forms of violins were found in Italy, in the 16th century. The name of the violin, at that time, was 'violas da Braccio', to distinguish it from the cello and double bass. The violin is used for orchestral, country and popular music. But for country and folk music, the fiddle is called a fiddle. The viola is mainly used for orchestral music, while the cello and double bass are used for orchestral music and also for jazz. The harp is usually the accompaniment of other instruments. Sometimes, if the composer of a piece of music wishes to include a harp, the harp will join the orchestra. The guitar is for classical guitar, but is mainly used for rock. The Percussion Family A percussion instrument is an instrument that is played primarily by striking or rasping. These tools are considered one of the oldest types of tools. In an orchestra the percussion section is made up of the timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangle and tambourine. The percussion......center of the card......uses a slide to change the length of the tube. The main instruments of this family are trombones. These are mainly used in jazz. Natural brass instruments are played by notes from the harmonic series of the instruments. The only three instruments that use the natural are the trumpet, horns and trumpets. Keyed or fingered brass instruments have holes in the body that would be covered by fingers or finger-operated keys. These include the cornet, serpent, ophicleide, keyed trumpet, and keyed trumpet. They are more difficult to play than valve instruments. The Woodwind Family To begin with, there are two types of woodwind instruments. Flutes and reed instruments. The difference is in the way they produce sound. Flutes produce sound by directing a focused stream of air into a hole in a cylindrical tube