Timbre refers to the tone colors instruments make. Timbre can refer to a family of instruments, an individual instrument, or even a given part of that instrument's range. There are several other ways that a timbre can be achieved including: mutes, playing techniques, as well as electronic effects. The principal way that instruments are categorized reflects the way that the sound is initiated. The four families of the orchestra are strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion. The one family that is not a staple of the orchestra is electronic.