Music · Unit 10
Instrument Families
Strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboards and the orchestra
The orchestra is organised into families by how sound is produced, and the seating plan follows from volume and blend rather than from tradition alone.
The unit covers strings, woodwind, brass and percussion, and how they combine into an orchestra.
This unit breaks down into 23 short steps and 116 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 4. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.
- Steps
- 23
- Questions
- 116
- Difficulty
- 1-4
What this unit covers
- The String Family
- The Woodwind Family
- The Brass Family
- The Percussion Family
- The Orchestra
Where this fits
Follows Instruments to Meet.
Where people slip
The flute is a woodwind and is usually metal. The family is defined by how the sound is made, not by what the instrument is built from - which is also why the saxophone is a woodwind.
How the unit is structured
Instrument Families runs as 23 short steps that unlock in order. 17 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 4 as you progress.
Challenge rounds
Example questions
30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 116 in the unit altogether.
The Brass Family
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
1. Which instrument belongs to the brass family?
- Trumpetcorrect
- Violin
- Flute
- Drum
The trumpet is made of brass metal and you play it by buzzing your lips.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
2. Which of these are brass instruments? Choose all that apply.
- Trumpetcorrect
- Trombonecorrect
- Tubacorrect
- Clarinet
- Violin
The trumpet, trombone, and tuba are brass; the clarinet is woodwind and the violin is a string.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
3. The highest-sounding brass instrument, often used for bright fanfares, is the ____.
- trumpetcorrect
- tuba
- trombone
- French horn
The trumpet plays the highest notes in the brass family and is great for fanfares.
- Odd one outLevel 2
4. Which one is not a brass instrument?
- Clarinetcorrect
- Trumpet
- Trombone
- Tuba
The clarinet is a woodwind; the trumpet, trombone, and tuba are all brass.
- True or falseLevel 2
5. You make sound on a trumpet by buzzing your lips into the mouthpiece.
Answer: True
This is true; brass players buzz their lips against a cup-shaped mouthpiece to make sound.
- Type the answerLevel 2
6. What brass instrument has coiled tubing and is simply called the horn in an orchestra?
Answer: French horn
The French horn has long coiled tubing and a warm sound, and players often just call it the horn.
The Orchestra
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
7. Who stands at the front and leads an orchestra?
- The conductorcorrect
- The drummer
- A dancer
- The audience
The conductor stands in front and guides the musicians to play together.
- True or falseLevel 1
8. An orchestra is a large group of musicians playing many instruments together.
Answer: True
This is true; an orchestra brings together strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion players.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
9. Which of these are families found in an orchestra? Choose all that apply.
- Stringscorrect
- Brasscorrect
- Percussioncorrect
- Singers
- Painters
Strings, brass, and percussion are real orchestra families; singers and painters are not instrument families.
- Match the pairsLevel 2
10. Match each instrument to its family.
Answer: Violin = Strings; Trumpet = Brass; Flute = Woodwind; Drum = Percussion
Each instrument makes its sound in a way that places it in one family.
- Put in orderLevel 2
11. Put these string instruments in order from smallest to largest.
Answer: Violin -> Viola -> Cello -> Double bass
The violin is smallest, then the viola, then the cello, and the double bass is largest.
- Type the answerLevel 2
12. What is the thin stick a conductor waves to keep the orchestra together?
Answer: baton
A conductor uses a baton, a light stick that helps everyone see the beat clearly.
The Percussion Family
- Fill the blankLevel 1
13. You play a drum by ____ it.
- hittingcorrect
- blowing
- plucking
- bowing
You strike or hit a drum to make it sound, which is why it belongs to percussion.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
14. Which instrument is part of the percussion family?
- Drumcorrect
- Flute
- Violin
- Trumpet
A drum is percussion because you make its sound by hitting it.
- True or falseLevel 1
15. A triangle is a percussion instrument.
Answer: True
This is true; you strike the metal triangle with a beater, so it is percussion.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
16. Which of these belong to the percussion family? Choose all that apply.
- Drumcorrect
- Cymbalscorrect
- Trianglecorrect
- Flute
- Violin
Drums, cymbals, and the triangle are all struck, so they are percussion; the flute and violin are not.
- Odd one outLevel 2
17. Which one does not belong with the percussion instruments?
- Flutecorrect
- Drum
- Triangle
- Cymbals
The flute is a woodwind you blow into; the drum, triangle, and cymbals are all struck.
- Sort into groupsLevel 3
18. Sort each percussion instrument into pitched, meaning it plays clear notes, or unpitched.
Answer: Xylophone = Pitched; Timpani = Pitched; Snare drum = Unpitched; Cymbals = Unpitched; Triangle = Unpitched
The xylophone and timpani can play definite notes, while the snare drum, cymbals, and triangle cannot.
The String Family
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
19. Which of these instruments belongs to the string family?
- Violincorrect
- Trumpet
- Flute
- Snare drum
The violin has strings you play with a bow, so it belongs to the string family.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
20. The smallest and highest-pitched instrument in the orchestral string family is the ____.
- violincorrect
- cello
- double bass
- harp
The violin is the smallest bowed string instrument and plays the highest notes.
- Guess the numberLevel 2
21. How many strings does a standard violin have?
Answer: 4 strings
A standard violin has four strings, tuned G, D, A, and E.
- Odd one outLevel 2
22. Which one does not belong with the string instruments?
- Trumpetcorrect
- Violin
- Cello
- Harp
The trumpet is a brass instrument; the violin, cello, and harp all have strings.
- True or falseLevel 2
23. The double bass is the smallest instrument in the string family.
Answer: False
This is false; the double bass is the largest string instrument, and the violin is the smallest.
- Choose all that applyLevel 3
24. Which of these instruments are usually played with a bow in the orchestra? Choose all that apply.
- Violincorrect
- Cellocorrect
- Double basscorrect
- Harp
- Guitar
Violins, cellos, and double basses are bowed; the harp and guitar are plucked instead.
The Woodwind Family
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
25. Which instrument is a member of the woodwind family?
- Flutecorrect
- Trumpet
- Cello
- Cymbals
The flute is a woodwind because you make its sound by blowing air.
- True or falseLevel 1
26. The trumpet is a woodwind instrument.
Answer: False
This is false; the trumpet is brass, because you buzz your lips instead of blowing through a reed.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
27. Which of these are woodwind instruments? Choose all that apply.
- Flutecorrect
- Clarinetcorrect
- Oboecorrect
- Trumpet
- Drum
The flute, clarinet, and oboe are all woodwinds; the trumpet is brass and the drum is percussion.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
28. A small, high woodwind that looks like a tiny flute is the ____.
- piccolocorrect
- tuba
- cello
- triangle
The piccolo is a small flute that plays the highest notes in the orchestra.
- Odd one outLevel 2
29. Which one does not belong with the woodwind instruments?
- Cellocorrect
- Clarinet
- Oboe
- Flute
The cello is a string instrument; the clarinet, oboe, and flute are all woodwinds.
- Type the answerLevel 2
30. Which silver woodwind do you play by blowing across a hole in its side?
Answer: flute
The flute is held sideways, and you blow across the mouth hole to make its clear tone.
Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.
How you practise
This unit mixes 10 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.
- Choose all that apply
- Fill the blank
- Guess the number
- Match the pairs
- Multiple choice
- Odd one out
- Put in order
- Sort into groups
- True or false
- Type the answer
Practise Instrument Families
116 questions across 23 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.
Play this unitRead about Instrument Families
Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.
More units in Music
- What is Music?What music is, where we hear it and why we make it
- Sounds and SilenceLoud and soft, high and low, fast and slow, and quiet
- Beat and RhythmThe steady beat, rhythm patterns and keeping time
- Singing and the VoiceThe singing voice, songs and melody
- Instruments to MeetFirst instruments and how they make sound
- Pitch and MelodyPitch, the musical alphabet and how melodies move
- Rhythm and MeterNote values, rests, beats and measures
- Dynamics, Tempo and ExpressionHow loud, how fast, and how music is shaped