The Woodwinds

Woodwind Instruments

• Woodwind instruments, also known as Woodwinds, are part of the larger Wind Family of instruments along with Brass instruments.

• The Woodwind family gets its name from the fact that most of the instruments were traditionally made of wood and most still are.

Woodwinds continued

• Woodwind instruments can be divided into two main categories: Flutes and Reeds

• These categories can also be considered separate families within the woodwind family

• The reason for the distinction between them is in how they produce sound

Flutes

• Flutes produce sound when a player blows a stream of air across an opening, which has an edge that splits the air

• The split air vibrates, just like a string, and the vibrating air is what we hear as a sound.

• There are many flute instruments, such as recorders, ocarinas, and panpipes, but there are only two flute instruments in the orchestra: the Flute, and the Piccolo

Reed instruments

• Reed instruments produce sound through a thin piece of wood called a reed.

• These reeds are cut from a special plant called “Reed Cane” which looks similar to bamboo or sugarcane

• When a player blows air past the reed, the reed begins to vibrate back and forth and this causes the air inside the instrument to vibrate at a pitch that we can hear

Reed Instruments continued

• Reed instruments, also known as Reeds, come in two main categories: Single Reed and Double Reed

• These can be considered two even smaller families within the Woodwind Family

Single Reed Instuments

• Single reed instruments use only one reed, which vibrates against the mouthpiece part of the instrument

• The air travels between the reed and the mouthpiece, causing the reed to open and close the opening of the instrument rapidly. This is what makes it vibrate and causes the air inside the instrument to pulse at a certain frequency which we can hear

Single Reeds

• There are many single reed instruments, and most of them are in the orchestra

• These instruments include clarinets and saxophones

• The single reed gives these instruments a pure, even tone

Double Reed instruments

• As the name implies, double reed instruments use two reeds to create sound.

• These reeds are bound together so that they sit against each other, leaving only a small opening in the middle between them

• When the player blows air through the reeds, the reeds vibrate against each other simultaneously. This causes the small opening to open and close rapidly, which causes the air inside the instrument to pulse in a frequency we hear as a pitch

Double Reeds

• Double reed instruments are the oldest reed instruments, dating back to the stone age

• They produce a distinctive, more nasal sound than single reeds

• Modern double reeds produce a much softer, less nasal sound than earlier double reeds

Double Reeds Continued

• There are many double reed instruments, including pagpipes, shawms, and some organs

• The orchestra includes the oboe, the English horn, and the bassoon