Can you name the instruments in a symphony orchestra?

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Instruments of the Symphony Quiz

by Hejman

Created Apr 6, 2011 in Music
Featured Dec 3, 2012
Game Plays 29,946

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	ShepherdBook:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 17:17 GMT		42 points
	I was going to cry foul that "fiddle" was not accepted for "violin," but then I did some research and discovered there's a big difference. A fiddle, for one thing, has a red neck.

	Scout_Number_4:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 17:21 GMT		17 points
	Fooled by the image scale variance (piccolo and bassoon appear to be the same size), plus I can't spell tambourine.

	extranail09:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 17:23 GMT		11 points
	@EssessNine97: Marimbas are not the same as xylophones. They are generally much larger (both physically and in range) and are seldom used in a symphonic context.

	demonopie:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 17:33 GMT		63 points
	Needs more cowbell.

	shapular:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 17:36 GMT		12 points
	Can you accept just "snare" for snare drum? I guess it's not technically correct but it's commonly referred to that way.

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	Tommy_C:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 17:38 GMT		16 points
	I've always referred to the contrabassoon as the double bassoon. That should be an alternate answer.

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	ClintT13:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 17:42 GMT		10 points
	I've always wondered why saxophones don't play much of a role in symphonies.

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	ThePeat:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 17:50 GMT		0 points
	I know I'm being pedantic, but a tam tam and a gong are not the same thing (even if Wikipedia lists the tam tam as a gong).

	Hejman:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 17:51 GMT		12 points
	Double Bassoon is added. The photo here is a xylophone and not a marimba. If nothing else, the much shorter resonators give this away as a xylophone. The shorter resonators give the xylophone it's higher range.

	Helena_Vengeance:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 17:53 GMT		0 points
	Embarrassed the last one I got was the bass drum...

	steel03:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 17:54 GMT		3 points
	I also support accepting "snare" by itself.

	moviegoer74:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 17:56 GMT		12 points
	Grammatical note regarding the question. "comprised in" is incorrect. It should read: "Can you name the instruments which comprise a symphony orchestra?"

	Colchester91:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 18:07 GMT		9 points
	As much as Marimbas are related to Xylophones they are certainly not synonymous. A Marimba sounds an octave lower and its timbre is mellower. It would be like saying a violin and a viola are synonymous. Since the 1950s they have been used more frequently in orchestral works. You perhaps ought to accept 'violoncello', the instrument's full name for cello although I doubt that omission has really affected the quiz for anyone.

	Colchester91:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 18:12 GMT		5 points
	@ThePeat: A tam tam is indeed a type of gong. I thought it wasn't too but I looked it up and there is 'a differentiation [...] between the non-pitched gong family, of which the tam-tam is the largest member, and the authentic asian gongs.' Thus a tam-tam is a large non-pitched gong. (Samuel Adler: The Study of Orchestration [if you're interested]).

	bigjoeco:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 18:18 GMT		3 points
	I didn't realize that's what an actual tuba looks like. I was thinking of the marching band style tuba (sousaphone). Also had the same problem with the piccolo. I was expecting a green-skinned alien with antennae on his forehead who fights either with or against Goku.

	kromclovinfasho:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 18:24 GMT		9 points
	I typed 'cor anglais' for the hell of it, not expecting it to actually work, and I was pleasantly surprised.

	PsychoPyro813:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 18:37 GMT		6 points
	Man, English Horn got me. I suppose that's due to the fact that no one played one at the high school I went to. And Hejam is correct in saying the shorter resonators clearly give it away. It would be interesting to see a picture quiz completely of percussive instruments since there is such a variety of them. Does such a quiz exist yet?

	PsychoPyro813:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 18:38 GMT		4 points
	I meant Hejman; please excuse my inability to read words.

	cheesyjon:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 18:44 GMT		1 point
	Wow I kept spelling symbol :P

	Bflat:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 18:57 GMT		7 points
	@ClintT13: That's because the saxophone was invented in the mid 1800's, well after the height of the era of the classical orchestra. You can easily find them in modern orchestras, but a true classical symphony orchestra will only have the instruments in this quiz.

	chikka2:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 19:01 GMT		2 points
	the radio recording "Alice in Orchestralia" taught me the musical instruments many years ago and I've loved symphony music ever since. Magical! Thanks for the memory

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	Snigglie:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 19:16 GMT		5 points
	@ClintT13, the saxophone was invented to be an alternate instrument to the horn section. Some people say it was invented too late to by part of the orchestra, but the tuba was invented around the same time. I think it's more likely due to it not blending well with the stringed section.

	andyisastar:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 19:18 GMT		-1 points
	I've always heard the contrabassoon referred to as a contrabass, and embarassingly never knew that was what it was short for.

	needapausebutton:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 19:25 GMT		4 points
	Cool. That tiny little orange gong on the far right made a neat "GONGGGG-NGG-NGG-NGG" sound when I clicked it. Everyone should try that!

	The_Road_Guy:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 19:36 GMT		5 points
	That trombone looks a little rusty.

	87DodgeCharger:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 19:40 GMT		-1 points
	been awhile, but isn't that picture a bass trombone?

	BiloxiSean:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 19:42 GMT		1 point
	How hard is it to play a triangle?

	Rob42:	Dec 3rd, 2012 at 19:44 GMT		1 point
	Fun quiz. I used to play in a band, but only managed 16/27.