BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Musical Instruments 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What material are the reeds of a clarinet typically made from?
- Plastic
- Bamboo
- Arundo donax (cane) (Correct answer)
- Cedar wood
Correct answer: Arundo donax (cane)
Clarinet reeds are traditionally made from Arundo donax, a type of cane grass grown primarily in the Mediterranean region.
Question 2: The 'col legno' technique in string playing means:
- Playing near the bridge
- Playing with the wood of the bow (Correct answer)
- Playing with a mute attached
- Playing on the fingerboard
Correct answer: Playing with the wood of the bow
Col legno means 'with the wood'—the player strikes or draws the wooden stick of the bow across the strings instead of the hair.
Question 3: Which woodwind instrument is the lowest-pitched standard member of the woodwind family in the orchestra?
- Bass clarinet
- Contrabassoon (Correct answer)
- Bass flute
- Alto saxophone
Correct answer: Contrabassoon
The contrabassoon (double bassoon) is the lowest-pitched standard woodwind in the orchestra, sounding an octave below the bassoon.
Question 4: What is the role of the 'soundpost' inside a violin?
- It connects the tailpiece to the endpin
- It transmits vibrations from the top plate to the back plate (Correct answer)
- It supports the fingerboard from inside
- It prevents the bridge from moving
Correct answer: It transmits vibrations from the top plate to the back plate
The soundpost is a small wooden dowel inside the violin that transmits vibrations between the top and back plates, critically affecting tone.
Question 5: The French horn is descended from which earlier instrument?
- The natural trumpet
- The hunting horn (Correct answer)
- The serpent
- The sackbut
Correct answer: The hunting horn
The French horn evolved from the natural hunting horn used in the field, gradually gaining crooks and then rotary valves for chromatic playing.
Question 6: Which of the following correctly describes 'sul ponticello' technique?
- Bowing very close to the bridge for a glassy, thin tone (Correct answer)
- Bowing over the fingerboard for a warm tone
- Playing without vibrato
- Using only down-bows
Correct answer: Bowing very close to the bridge for a glassy, thin tone
Sul ponticello means bowing very close to the bridge, emphasizing upper harmonics and creating a thin, glassy, or metallic tone.
Question 7: Which keyboard instrument uses a rotating wheel to sustain string vibrations, similar to a bow?
- Virginal
- Hurdy-gurdy (Correct answer)
- Clavichord
- Spinet
Correct answer: Hurdy-gurdy
The hurdy-gurdy uses a hand-cranked rosined wheel that continuously contacts the strings, sustaining the note like a continuous bow stroke.
BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Musical Instruments 4
What material are the reeds of a clarinet typically made from?