All around the world, people play musical instruments.

Some instruments are known everywhere.

Other instruments are known in certain parts of the world.

One thing is the same for all instruments.

They make music!

Most instruments fall into one of  four families: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

Let's compare instruments from the  orchestra with traditional instruments.

We will see how they are alike and different.

STRINGS: The Violin and the Erhu

A string instrument makes music when its strings vibrate,

or move very quickly from side to side.

The violin is in this family.

The erhu is also in this family.

It is a traditional string instrument from China.

The shape of the violin  and the erhu are alike.

However, the instruments are different in one way.

Most violins have four strings.

The erhu only has two strings.

Woodwinds: The Flute and the Panpipes

A woodwind instrument makes music when air vibrates in a tube.

The flute is a woodwind instrument.

So are the panpipes, a traditional instrument played in Peru and other parts of South America.

The two instruments make similar sounds, but they are  different in other ways.

Flutes have one tube, while panpipes have many tubes.

Flutes are usually made of metal.

Panpipes are usually made of a different material such as bamboo or cane.

BRASS: The Tuba and the Didgeridoo

Brass players make music by vibrating their lips as they blow air into the instrument.

The tuba is a brass instrument.

The pitch, or sound, of the tuba is low when you hear it.

The didgeridoo is from Australia.

The sound of the didgeridoo is as low as the tuba's sound.

However, unlike the metal tuba, the didgeridoo is made of wood.

Also, the didgeridoo is not as curved as the tuba.

Percussion: The Snare Drum and the Djembe

Percussion instruments vibrate and make a sound when something hits them.

An orchestra snare drum and the West African djembe are both drums.

However, they are different in some ways.

Snare drummers use drumsticks to make a sound,

but djembe drummers use their hands.

An orchestra snare drum is usually 15 centimeters deep,

but a djembe can be over 60 centimeters deep.