Woodwind Instrument

Woodwind instrument - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Woodwind_instrument
Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments

within the more general category of wind instruments. Common
examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone.
There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed
instruments (otherwise called reed pipes). The main distinction
between these instruments and other wind instruments is the way in
which they produce sound.[1] All woodwinds produce sound by
splitting the air blown into them on a sharp edge, such as a reed or a
fipple. Despite the name, a woodwind may be made of any material,
not just wood. Common examples include brass, silver, cane, as well
as other metals such as gold and platinum. The saxophone, for
example, though made of brass, is considered a woodwind because it
requires a reed to produce sound. Occasionally, woodwinds are
made out of earthen materials, especially ocarinas.
Flutes Alto and tenor saxophone reeds
Reed instruments
Modern orchestra and concert band woodwinds
See also
References
External links
Flutes produce sound by directing a focused stream of air below the edge of a hole in a cylindrical
tube.[2] The flute family can be divided into two sub-families: open flutes and closed flutes.[3]
To produce a sound with an open flute, the player is required to blow a stream of air across a sharp
edge that then splits the airstream. This split airstream then acts upon the air column contained
within the flute's hollow causing it to vibrate and produce sound. Examples of open flutes are the
transverse flute, panpipes and shakuhachi.[4] Ancient flutes of this variety, including bamboo flutes,
were often made from tubular sections of plants such as grasses, reeds, bamboo and hollowed-out tree
branches. Later, flutes were made of metals such as tin, copper, or bronze. Modern concert flutes are
usually made of high-grade metal alloys, usually containing nickel, silver, copper, or gold.[5]
To produce a sound with a closed flute, the player is required to blow air into a duct. This duct acts as
a channel bringing the air to a sharp edge. As with the open flutes, the air is then split; this causes the
column of air within the closed flute to vibrate and produce sound. Examples of this type of flute
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Woodwind instrument - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodwind_instrument
include the recorder, ocarina, and organ pipes.[6]
Reed instruments produce sound by focusing air into a mouthpiece which then causes a reed, or
reeds, to vibrate. Similarly to flutes, reed pipes are also further divided into two types: single reed and
double reed.[7]
Single-reed woodwinds produce sound by fixing a reed onto the opening of a mouthpiece (using a
ligature). When air is forced between the reed and the mouthpiece, the reed causes the air column in
the instrument to vibrate and produce its unique sound. Single reed instruments include the clarinet,
saxophone, and others such as the chalumeau.[8]
Double-reed instruments use two precisely cut, small pieces of cane bound together at the base. This
form of sound production has been estimated to have originated in the middle to late Neolithic
period; its discovery has been attributed to the observation of wind blowing through a split rush. The
finished, bound reed is inserted into the instrument and vibrates as air is forced between the two
pieces (again, causing the air within the instrument to vibrate as well).[9] This family of reed pipes is
subdivided further into another two sub-families: exposed double reed, and capped double reed
instruments.
Exposed double-reed instruments are played by having the double reed directly between the player's
lips. This family includes instruments such as the oboe, cor anglais (also called English horn) and
bassoon, and many types of shawms throughout the world.
On the other hand, capped double-reed instruments have the double reed covered by a cap. The
player blows through a hole in this cap that then directs the air through the reeds. This family
includes the crumhorn.
Bagpipes are unique reed pipe instruments since they use two or more
double or single reeds. However, bagpipes are functionally the same as a
capped double reed instruments since the reeds are never in direct contact
with player's lips.[10]
Free reed aerophone instruments are likewise unique since sound is

produced by 'free reeds' – small metal tongues arranged in rows within a
metal or wooden frame. The airflow necessary for the instruments sound is
generated either by a player's breath (e.g. harmonica), or by bellows (e.g.
accordion).[11][12]
A piper playing the

bagpipes in Newport,
Rhode Island
The modern orchestra's woodwind section typically includes: flutes, oboes,

clarinets, and bassoons. The piccolo, cor anglais, bass clarinet, E-flat clarinet, and contrabassoon are
commonly used supplementary woodwind instruments. The section may also on occasion be
expanded by the addition of saxophone(s).
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Woodwind instrument - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodwind_instrument
The concert band's woodwind section is typically much larger and more diverse than the orchestra's.
The concert band's woodwind section typically includes piccolos, flutes, oboes, B♭ clarinets, bass
clarinets, bassoons, alto saxophones, tenor saxophones, and baritone saxophones. The alto flute, cor
anglais, E♭ clarinet, alto clarinet, contra-alto clarinet, contrabass clarinet, contrabassoon, and
soprano saxophone are also used, but not as frequently as the other woodwinds.
Brass instrument
Musical instrument
Wind instrument
Percussion instrument
1. "Woodwind" Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

2. “Flutes”; Encyclopædia Britannica.
3. Carroll, Paul “Baroque Woodwind instruments” p. 45. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate, 1999
4. Carroll, Paul “Baroque Woodwind instruments” p. 45. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate, 1999.
5. “Flutes” Encyclopædia Britannica Online
6. Carroll, Paul “Baroque Woodwind instruments” p. 45. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate, 1999
7. "Woodwind" Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
8. "Wind Instruments" Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
9. Carroll, Paul "Baroque Woodwind instruments" pp.88. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate, 1999.
10. "Bagpipes" Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
11. "Harmonica" Encyclopædia Britannica Online
12. "Accordion" Encyclopædia Britannica Online
How do Woodwind Instruments work (http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/woodwind.html)

Woodwind Fingering Chart (http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/fing.html)
Woodwind Reference – ClassicalMusicHomepage.com (http://www.classicalmusichomepage.com/
reference/woodwind-reference)
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Woodwind instrument - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.

Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments

Flutes Alto and tenor saxophone reeds

include the recorder, ocarina, and organ pipes.[6]

Free reed aerophone instruments are likewise unique since sound is

A piper playing the

The modern orchestra's woodwind section typically includes: flutes, oboes,

1. "Woodwind" Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

How do Woodwind Instruments work (http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/woodwind.html)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Woodwind_instrument&oldid=1011829648"

This page was last edited on 13 March 2021, at 02:06 (UTC).

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