The pinball or ping-pong ball game that we all know and love has inspired many different types of games, some more serious than others. Some are even considered to be art! One such type is called an orchestra. An orchestra consists of multiple instruments that when played together create music.

Music is one of the greatest tools we have as humans. It can lift our spirits and make us happy, it can motivate us into action and help focus us, and it can inspire awe and reverence. Given this importance, why not use music to teach important concepts?

In today’s lesson you will learn about how many musical instruments there are, and which ones make up the Pinwheeler Orchestra!

Disclaimer: The following paragraphs contain references to various musical genres and styles. If you are very tone deaf, these may sound weird and/or confusing. I recommend listening to several songs by each artist before making any assumptions.

Examples of instruments

The pinball ensemble consists of five main components- bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, and violin or viola. There are three types of musicians in this group: instrumentalists, vocalist, and music arrangers. Instrumentalists include people who play an instrument per se like the violin player, keyboardist, or guitarist. A vocalist is someone that sings; there have been instances where pinball teams consist solely of vocalists!

Arranger means to organize songs or pieces of music. For example, if you were given a song with no lyrics but had to make up words for it, then you would be considered an arranger because you made your own content out of nothing.

Vocalist/Music Arranger: These individuals do not need much explanation as they are just taking what already has lyrics and putting their own words to them.

Keyboardist: Technically speaking, a musician without a instrument! They use the computer program Music Software (like Garageband) to create new melodies and licks using notes and chords.

Guitarist: People who enjoy playing the guitar can join this team!

Drummer: This person plays either a real drum set made of metal shells or a virtual one such as Ableton Live, Origin, or any type of software that has rhythm modes.

Bass Player: This person is usually the backbone of the band, making sure everything else sounds good and keeping time.

Equipment needed

All pinball ensembles require some kind of music equipment to play. This could be something you have already or will need to buy!

There are two main pieces of gear that most pinball ensembles do not go without. These are the bass drum machine and the cymbal set up. The bass drum is used for keeping time, while the cymbals are used to create rhythm.

A standard setup for a pinball band would include either an electronic bass drum machine or a real bass drum. The former can be connected to any instrument in your collection that has a microphone input such as a guitar or violin.

The latter must first be tuned to make sound, which takes around twenty minutes to do properly. Once this is done, then it can be hit with a sine wave pattern generator pedal to produce the low notes. Then these can be recorded using software like GarageBand or Ableton so they don’t have to be played by hand every time.

Finding the right ensemble

Choosing an ensembl is like choosing your favorite food group. Some people are meat and potatoes, while others prefer vegetables or fruits or even all three!
As you know by now, pinpeas does not perform with just any band or orchestra. They have their own unique set of instruments they use to create music. These include things such as the tambourine, djembe (a large drum), castanets, cowbells, and other small percussion devices.

The tambourine can be used for rhythm or as a feature instrument depending on what part it is being used in. The djembe can also be used as a feature or lead instrument. This depends on how the piece is structured and what parts need more emphasis.

The cowbell typically rings one note but many times has a little bass tone that some use to add depth to the sound.

Guest conductor

As we mentioned before, Pinpeat ensemble does not have a set leader or composer. There is always at least one member that takes control of the music to perform it. This person is referred to as the guest conductor because they do not hold the position permanently, but for the duration of the performance.

The first piece performed by the group was “Ode To Joy” which has an opening fanfare with brass instruments. The second section was played using rhythm instruments such as marimba, djembe, and tambourine. Then strings were added into the mix along with more brass.

Music can be enjoyed by anyone and this show proves that.

Practice time

As mentioned before, there are many ways to learn how to play an instrument. Some of these include taking lessons at a music school or studio, self-teaching through books and YouTube videos, and practicing alone or with friends.

Practicing is probably the most important thing you can do to improve your instrumental skills. The more you practice, the better you will become!

It is very common for people who start playing an instrument later in life to feel discouraged when they look into the process of learning new materials. This seems especially true if they are not making much progress after several months/years of trying.

This article will talk about some things that may be causing this discouragement. Then, we will discuss some easy tips to help you out.

Dress code

For most of their history, Filipino dancers did not require formal clothing for performances unless they were participating in an academic event or performing for a general audience. This has changed recently as pinballer dance groups have emerged across the Philippines!

Many of these groups include members who play instruments so they must dress formally to perform. Members of these groups are usually very supportive of each other’s artistic growth and careers so they often collaborate on what clothes they wear.

Some people choose to coordinate their outfits with matching shirts or sweatshirts while others buy individual t-shirts or jeans and put together their own look. Either way, it is important that everyone involved agrees upon styles before she/he puts them on.

There is no rule saying you can’t show off your new shirt but try to be modest about it. Make sure your shoes match too! Avoid wearing too much jewelry since this could get stuck inside the instrument.

Making a plan

In addition to having an orchestra, pinët have another ensemble they are very well known for – their brass band! They typically play either trumpets or trombones, but never both at the same time. This is because there is only one of each type!

The percussion section has several members that play various instruments such as maracas, cowbells, cymbals, and even the taiko drum which is similar to a large bass drum.

There are also two people in the band who play the xylophone and glockenspiel, respectively. The xyphone is a board with metal bars attached and the glockenspiele looks like a gun but it rings instead of bangs. Both of these are fun to watch musicians play since you can see how they are made and then hear them being hit by stick or mallet.

These five pieces make up what is called the “Brass Section” and usually take around six people to be filled.

Know your audience

As mentioned before, there is no one right number of musical instruments for an orchestra or band. It depends on what type of music you want to play, how many people are attending the event, and the budget.

For example, if the event is meant to promote diversity, then having more than two white males playing guitars may not be the best choice. Or if the attendees enjoy listening to very rhythm-based songs with lots of drums, then having too few percussionists can make it hard to match that style.

On the other hand, if the event’s main goal is to have fun by dancing to popular songs, then having enough musicians to contribute to that effort is important!

We would like to emphasize that even though we discussed how many different types of instruments there should be in an orchestral setting, this does not mean that every member needs their own instrument.

This could be because some members do not own an instrument yet, or they already own several, so they feel comfortable starting with those. Another reason might be that some parts of the song cannot be played without them, so they get left out during the rehearsal process.

Charlie K

Charlie K is a music writer and blogger for Sounds of Gold. He also composes background music for a range of web-based businesses.