Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

THE INSTRUMENTS OF AN ORCHESTRA

Since the early years of the 20th century the orchestra has been arranged with the first and second violins to the left of the conductor. The violas, in turn, are seated next to them. Traditionally, the cellos are situated to the conductor’s right, with double basses behind them. Although the MPO adheres to this pattern, it's not necessarily follwed by all orchestras or conductors. Indeed, other seating plans are also adopted depending on the repertoire and the composer’s directions

Although they are no longer always made of wood, the four members of the Woodwind family all comprise a long, hollow pipe into which the player blows. Holes are drilled into the pipe to allow the instrument to produce many different notes. There are two basic types of woodwind instruments, instrument in which the player blows directly into the pipe and reed instruments in which a small reed (or pair of reeds) vibrates when the player blows into the instrument.

Bassoon
“The wedding guest here beat his breast, for he heard the loud bassoon” (Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772-1834)

Often regarded as the “funny man” of the orchestra, the bassoon is the largest of the woodwind family, and comprises a long wooden tube which sometimes looks like a periscope peering up from the depths of the orchestra. It is a double-reed instrument and dates right back to the very early 16th century. You will frequently hear an even deeper growl from the MPO woodwind section. This is the contra-bassoon which, like the double bass, plays everything an octave lower.