Sorry! Search is currently unavailable while the database is being updated, it will be back in 5 mins!

Classical Music Instruments in English

In last month's October edition of the Yabla English Lesson, we discussed the Performing Arts, one of which is music. Let's take a look today at the English names of some of the most common musical instruments used in classical music.

The piano is one of the main instruments in western musical traditions, and many musicians who specialize in other instruments and singing are often required to learn some basic piano skills. This is because of the piano's large range, from deep bass to high treble, which allows it to cover all of the ranges used by orchestral instruments. The piano is also important for musical composition, and many works for orchestra have been composed using the piano. A person who plays the piano is called a pianist or a piano player.

 

Well, when I write songs, I sometimes will write it on a piano.

Caption 27, Bee and Flower: Interview

 Play Caption

 

 

Warren Beatty's a good pianist.

Caption 71, Chevy Chase: talks about his acting life

 Play Caption

 

banner PLACEHOLDER

The violin also has another common name in English: the fiddle. This term is usually more casual and used especially in country, folk, and bluegrass music. A person who plays the violin is called a violinist or a fiddler.

 

Good. Did you mind if I play the violin? -No, go right ahead.

Caption 10, Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Cunningham Heritage

 Play Caption

 

 

So, I picked up an instrument that was called the fiddle.

Caption 17, Sigrid: An American in Italy

 Play Caption

 

 

Of the remaining bowed string instruments, the viola is played by a viola player. The cello, actually short for "violoncello," is played by a cellist. The double bass—also called the upright bass or acoustic bass—is the deepest of the string instruments. It's played by a bassist, or double bass player, upright bass player, etc.

 

I'm Jasmine Beams. I'm from Milwaukee and I play viola.

Caption 9, Making Tracks: Dewayne Everettsmith & Jasmine Beams musical journey

 Play Caption

 

 

I grew up playing the cello.

Caption 10, Justin James: Booking Submission Video

 Play Caption

 

 

And did you take bass lessons when you were young?

Caption 12, Bee and Flower: Interview

 Play Caption

 

 

The highest of the woodwind reed instruments are the clarinet and the oboe. The clarinet is played by a clarinetist and the oboe by an oboist, although "clarinet player" and "oboe player" are fine too. The deepest is the bassoon, played by a bassoonist, or bassoon player.

 

I play the clarinet. -I play the bassoon.

Caption 8, Making Tracks: A musical journey inspired by Australia

 Play Caption

 

I played the oboe in middle school band.

Caption 85, Jennifer Lawrence & Chris Pratt: Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions

 Play Caption

 

 

There are also several non-reed woodwind instruments such as the flute and the recorder. A flute player is called a flutist (or flautist), and a recorder player is called just that.

 

When I was a girl, I studied flute like many girls,

Caption 36, Sigrid: An American in Italy

 Play Caption

 

 

And so I started playing recorder.

Caption 44, Sigrid: An American in Italy

 Play Caption

 

 

Of the brass instruments, the most commonly used are the trumpet and the French horn. The players of these instruments are a trumpeter (or trumpet player) and a French horn player. In the lower registers there's also the tuba, played by a tuba player.

 

Oh, yes, yes, practice trumpet every day.

Caption 23, They Might Be Giants: The Seven Days Of The Week

 Play Caption

 

 

Lastly, the main percussion instruments used are the marimba, the snare drum, and the timpani. The person in the orchestra playing these instruments is called a percussionist.

 

We know where the certain snare-hits are.

Caption 27, OK Go - Needing/Getting: Behind The Scenes

 Play Caption

 

 

Further Learning
Go to Yabla English and watch the videos above relating to musical instruments. You can also search for the names of the instruments and find other videos. Find a tandem partner in your class and make up some sentences in English using these musical instrument words, then compare what you both came up with. In next month's lesson, we'll talk about the different kinds of musical instruments used in pop music!

Summer Sports and Gerunds

There are a lot of sports that are best enjoyed under a summer sun. Many names of sports are gerunds, which means the noun came from the verb, usually ending in "-ing." So you have the sport "surfing," and to make a verb for it to describe participating in the sport, you add the word "go": you "go surfing."
 

 

With some sports, the noun does not end in "ing," such as the sport golf. In this case, you can "play golf" or "go golfing." With some sports, such as tennis, you can "play tennis." But it's incorrect to say you "go tennising."

 

Let's take a look at summer sports today and figure out afterwards which of those have noun gerunds, and whether the noun gerunds carry over into the related verb or not.

banner PLACEHOLDER

 

When you throw a frisbee, part of your spirit flies with it.

Caption 6, Movie Trailers - The Invisible String

 Play Caption

 

I found myself traveling around the world windsurfing.

Caption 11, Justin James - Booking Submission Video

 Play Caption

 

I'm not a scuba diving instructor yet.

Caption 1, Job Interviews - Mr. Alan Hint Monologue

 Play Caption

 

Caveman Skatetech delivers a very armchair appreciation to the sport of skateboarding.

Captions 2-3, Caveman Skatetech - Desert Vol 1

 Play Caption

 

It is also a popular recreational area for boating and other water sports.

Caption 36, The Last Paradises - America's National Parks

 Play Caption

 

If I'm in a kayak or a canoe, I have to be careful because if I move too much, then I can tip over.

Captions 53-55, Sigrid explains - The Tipping Point

 Play Caption

 

This effect is very important in sports like tennis, soccer, and golf.

Caption 30, Science - Surprising Applications of the Magnus Effect

 Play Caption

 

Sport name           Non-gerund verb        Gerund verb
Boating                   (none)                          Go boating, canoeing, kayaking
Diving                     (none)                          Go diving, scuba diving
Fishing                    (none)                         Go fishing
Frisbee                    Play frisbee                 (none)
Golf                         Play golf                      Go golfing
Skateboarding        (none)                          Go skateboarding
Snorkeling              (none)                          Go snorkeling
Surfing                    (none)                          Go surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing
Soccer                    Play soccer                  (none)
Tennis                     Play tennis                   (none)

 

Note too that with some sports, you can use a non-gerund verb to describe playing the sport: "I golf badly, I dive well, I fish very well, I skateboard like a pro, I can snorkel, and I can surf." But other sports require you to have a helping verb: "I play frisbee, soccer, and tennis." 

 

Further Learning
Go to Yabla English and watch some of the videos above for more references to summer sports.