The string family is comprised of two different groups. Those that are primarily plucked or strummed, such as the harp, guitar, banjo, mandolin, etcetera. And, those that are primarily bowed, such as the violin, viola, cello and contrabass. Strings that are bowed can also be plucked, called pizzicato, or strummed, but most of the time these instruments are played with a bow. String timbres tend to be the most homogeneous, especially the orchestral string section. The warm rich color is why the string section is the foundation of the orchestra. These instruments also tend to play at a softer dynamic level. That is why there are many more of these instruments in the orchestra as compared to the other families.