A
musical ensemble, also known as a
music group, is a group of people who perform
instrumental or
vocal music, typically known by a distinct name. In
classical music,
trios or
quartets either blend the sounds of
musical instrument families (such as
piano,
strings, and
wind instruments) or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as
string ensembles or
wind ensembles. In
jazz ensembles, the instruments typically include wind instruments (one or more saxophones, trumpets, etc.), one or two chordal "comping" instruments (
electric guitar, piano, or
organ), a
bass instrument (bass guitar or
double bass), and a drummer or percussionist. In
rock ensembles, usually called
rock bands, there are usually guitars and keyboards (piano, electric piano,
Hammond organ,
synthesizer, etc.) and a
rhythm section made up of a bass guitar and drum kit.