WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS

WHAT MAKES A WOODWIND

INSTRUMENT?•Originally all made of wood•Clarinet, Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, and Saxophone• Instruments have mouthpieces

–Single reed, double reed, fixed hole•All woodwinds require air or breath

–Embouchure

What makes a woodwind?

CLARINET• Invented in 1690• Clarinet is a single reed instrument•Often made of African wood

–Mpingo or Grenadilla • Largest range of all the woodwinds• Range and tone allows for different styles

–Classical, Jazz, Klezmer, and more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nENXs6n_ITI

FLUTE• Oldest discovered flute is over 43,000 years old• Mouthpiece is a fixed hole that the player

blows across• Does not require a reed• Range is much higher than other woodwinds• Used to be made of wood, now mostly

silver, nickel or gold• Held horizontal

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

DOUBLE REEDS

•Oboe–Made out of rosewood– Instrument is a cone-shaped pipe–Provides the orchestra’s tuning

note•Bassoon

–Made of Yugoslavian maple wood–Plays the lowest notes in the

orchestra with the double bass–Made up of two side by side tubes,

connected by a “U” tube at the bottom

Oboe Reeds

Bassoon Reeds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNBsgfh4UMYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kmy-hm3ai4

SAXOPHONE • Single reed instruments like the clarinet • Invented in 1840 – Most recent of the other woodwinds• Usually made of brass•Mostly plays jazz•Not typically found in orchestras

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czCM6ZNwHK8

FUN FACTS

• In jazz, the clarinet is known as the “licorice whip”• The earliest flutes were made out of bone• The Muppet Zoot was named after Zoot Sims• Double reed players make their own reeds• The bassoon has NINE thumb keys