Reading Comprehension · Music Education
String Family Instruments Lesson
A printable music worksheet introducing the string family of instruments — the violin, harp, banjo, mandolin, and pedal steel guitar.
Subject
Reading
Grade Level
Grades 3–7
Resource Type
Worksheet
Skill Focus
Music Education — String Instruments
The String Family
Instruments in the string family make sound when their strings vibrate. There are three main ways to cause a string to vibrate: plucking (pulling the string and releasing it), bowing (drawing a bow across the string), and striking (hitting the string with a small hammer, as in a piano). The pitch of the note depends on the length, thickness, and tension of the string.
The violin is the smallest and highest-pitched instrument in the standard string family. It has an hourglass shape and is played by drawing a bow across its four strings. The violin is sometimes called a fiddle, especially in folk and country music. It is the most common instrument in the orchestra and plays many of the melody lines.
The harp is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. A harp can range in size from small and portable to very large concert harps. Players sit beside the harp and pluck the strings with their fingers. The harp produces a distinctive shimmering sound.
More String Instruments
The banjo has a circular body with a thin membrane stretched across it like a drum. It is plucked with the fingers or a pick. The banjo is common in bluegrass, folk, and country music. Its bright, twangy sound is distinctive and immediately recognizable.
The mandolin is a small, pear-shaped instrument with eight strings arranged in four pairs. Each pair of strings is tuned to the same note and played together. The mandolin is plucked with a pick and produces a bright, crisp tone. It is used in classical music, folk music, and bluegrass.
The pedal steel guitar is a flat instrument played while sitting. The player uses a metal bar to slide across the strings and foot pedals to change the pitch. It creates the distinctive “crying” sound associated with country music.
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