The word 'orchestra' itself comes from Greek, and refers to the front part of an ancient theater where the performers stood. The orchestra is a team with a leader and, and as in any team, certain players have specific duties. The conductor selects the music the orchestra will play and leads the rehearsals and the performances. The orchestral musicians are divided into sections based on the kind of instrument they play. However, the four members of the string family differ greatly in the range and tone of the sound they produce.
Violins have the brightest tone and the highest range, and basses the lowest range and darkest tone.
In general each section of the strings plays in unison, so for instance all the first violins for instance play the same part at the same time. This is easy to see during a performance. The woodwinds are seated just behind the strings. These instruments include the piccolo, the flute, the oboe, the clarinet, the English horn and the bassoon. As their name indicates, woodwinds sound when air travels through a hollow tube and comes out holes at the end and on the sides of the instrument.