Families of Instruments

This form allows you to view the families as stored in the database, and change the names or add to them if you wish. To change an entry, click the EDIT button at the foot of the screen, click on the cell to be changed with the mouse, type your new name, then click the Update button at the foot of the screen.

If you change the family names, be aware that this will automatically make corresponding changes to the family of each instrument, in the Instruments screen, available from MAIN Musicology -> Instruments.  It will also change the drop-down lists of instrument families in all screens containing such a drop-down box.

There are 128 different instruments available in the General MIDI system. To make selection easier, in Musical Discovery they are organized into 9 groups or "families". Orchestral instruments are grouped into sections according to how the sound is produced.  The principal sections of a symphony orchestra are:-

Keyboards (piano, organ etc) are not part of the traditional orchestra, and are here placed in a group of their own. Guitars are extremely important in the popular and rock cultures, and are accordingly given their own group. Electronic sounds, and general sound effects are categorized as "effects". Non-western instruments, including  Japanese, Indian and other ethnic instruments, are placed in the world family. Lastly there is a catch-all  Other for the rest..


FileDBFamilies.htm                          Last updated on Monday, 09 October 2006 13:45