Woodwind Family

Bellingham Symphony Orchestra

What is a woodwind instrument?

❖ Instruments consist of a pipe with a mouthpiece, tone holes, and an opening at the end

❖ All woodwind instruments were made of wood at one point in time

How to make a sound

We know that sound is a VIBRATION!

❖ Woodwind players blow air through the mouthpieces of their instruments

❖ The mouthpiece creates the vibration with a reed or by splitting the air like a whistle

❖ With air vibrating, a pitch is made

How to change pitches?

❖ Players change what note they play by covering or uncovering tone holes

❖ Covering more holes makes the instrument “longer” creating a lower pitch

❖ Uncovering the tone holes makes the instrument “shorter” creating a higher pitch

Instrument Groups in the Orchestra

Flutes, Oboes, Clarinets, and Bassons

Photographer Leah Nash and the Oregon Symphony

Single Reeds

Clarinets

❖ There are many clarinets: EbBbAAltoBass

❖ Single reed instruments

❖ Reed secured to mouthpiece by a ligature

❖ Clarinets were made to sound similar to the trumpet

Photographer Leah Nash and the Oregon Symphony

Photographer Leah Nash and the Oregon Symphony

Double Reeds

Oboe and English Horn

❖ Double Reed Instruments

❖ High/Medium Woodwinds

❖ Double reed is the mouthpiece!

❖ Professional oboists make their own reeds

Photographer Leah Nash and the Oregon Symphony Photographer Leah Nash and the Oregon Symphony

Bassoon and Contrabassoon

❖ Double Reed Instruments

❖ The lowest woodwinds in the orchestra

❖ Very large range

❖ Professional bassonists make their own reeds

Photographer Leah Nash and the Oregon Symphony

Photographer Leah Nash and the Oregon Symphony

Non-reed Woodwinds

Flute and Piccolo

❖ High woodwinds

❖ Sound is made by blowing and splitting the air across mouthpiece, kind of like a whistle

❖ Once made of wood, but are now made of metal to project their sound

Photographer Leah Nash and the Oregon Symphony

Other Woodwinds

Other Woodwinds

❖ There are a lot of other woodwind instruments around the world.

❖ You may recognize some of these instruments that are not typically found in our orchestra

Pan Flute

HarmonicaTenor Saxophone

Other Woodwinds

ShengBagpipe

Accordion

Baritone Saxophone

Wood Flute

Video Clips

Video Clips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEt1Mm8sSkA&index=2&list=RDMP2_6OLummA

A quick and fun way to see and hear the orchestral woodwind instruments we learned about. A presentation with the BBC National Orchestra.

About 3 minutes long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enXi09_t57c

Ensemble Corrélatif, a woodwind quartet, performs Eugène Bozza’s Trois pièces pour une musique de nuit.

About 7 minutes long.

Questions

Questions Name a couple of woodwind instruments that create their

sound using two vibrating reeds.

Questions Name a couple of woodwind instruments that create their

sound similar to whistle.

Questions If you could play any woodwind instrument, which instrument

would you choose to play?

End

Thank you from the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra! We hope you enjoy your Music in the Schools performance

Photo Credits

• https://pngimg.com/imgs/objects/flute/• https://www.stickpng.com/img/objects/music/woodwind-instruments/yamaha-piccolo• https://www.google.com/search?biw=1083&bih=913&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=ayRTXYDcLcja0g

Ktzr4o&q=oboe+transparent+background&oq=oboe+transparent+background&gs_l=img.3..0.160866.161654..161782...0.0..0.118.345.2j2......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i7i30.icCvLgKqHqI&ved=0ahUKEwjAvfSz3oDkAhVIrVQKHS2nDwUQ4dUDCAY&uact=5#imgrc=ySzV9Z20kzATXM:

• https://www.jimlaabsmusicstore.com/store/schiller-elite-v-english-horn-ebonite/• https://www.musikalessons.com/blog/2016/10/types-of-clarinets/• https://www.stickpng.com/img/objects/music/woodwind-instruments/bassoon• https://www.stickpng.com/img/objects/music/woodwind-instruments/contrabassoon• https://www.kesslerandsons.com/product/kessler-custom-artist-series-oboe-reed/• https://www.nicepng.com/ourpic/u2w7u2w7r5a9t4i1_oboe-reed-nerf/• https://charlesmusic.com/shop/charles-pro-contra-bassoon-reed-medium/• https://www.quora.com/I-want-to-learn-the-clarinet-where-should-I-start• http://www.pngmart.com/image/tag/accordion• https://www.stickpng.com/img/objects/music/woodwind-instruments/pan-flute• http://www.pngall.com/saxophone-png• https://www.stickpng.com/img/objects/music/bagpipes/large-bagpipes• https://www.stickpng.com/img/objects/music/woodwind-instruments/native-american-flute• https://www.pinterest.com/pin/349732727285414410/• https://www.riffcityguitaroutlet.com/products/hohner-blues-harp-harmonica• https://www.long-mcquade.com/20491/Band/Saxophones/P_Mauriat/Le_Bravo_Baritone_Sa

xophone_w_Silver_Neck.htm• https://www.stickpng.com/img/objects/music/woodwind-instruments/yamaha-clarinet

Photos from the Oregon Symphony used with permission from:

Photographer Leah Nash and the Oregon Symphony