Humans have played early woodwind instruments, like the Hohle Fels flute, since the Paleolithic Period. Keep reading Woodwind Instruments: An Introductory Guide to learn more.
The modern-day woodwind family includes the saxophone, clarinet, flute, oboe, and bassoon and spans the entire pitch range of the orchestra with the piccolo flute at the upper end and the contrabassoon at the lower end. Playing woodwinds instruments is similar to brass instruments in that the player blows air through the instrument. However, the source of the vibrations that generates the sound differs between the two families. Woodwind instruments use the air flow over a reed or edge to vibrate the air inside the instrument and generate sound.
Woodwind Design
The woodwind family of instruments are generally tube shaped with either conical or cylindrical air chambers. Some woodwinds, like the saxophone and bass flute, have bends along the sounding length to help make handling the instrument more manageable. Various notes are achieved by pressing keys that cover tone holes along the length of the tube. These holes, when open, reduce the effective length of the instrument. Reducing the effective length increases the pitch. The lowest pitch on a woodwind instrument is played by covering every hole.
Flute Instruments
Flute instruments have a sharp edge built into the mouthpiece. The player blows air over this edge. The edge splits the air and causes air to enter and exit the instrument in an oscillating manner. These oscillations cause the air inside the flute to vibrate, creating sound. The pitch is dependent on the sounding length of the tube and the opening or closing of the tone holes.
The typical modern orchestra would be composed of four flute players, or flautists. Three of the four would play standard concert flute and one would play piccolo flute.
Other flute instruments that are sometimes are utilized in an orchestral setting include the alto flute, bass flute, and contrabass flute.
Standard Concert Flute
The standard concert flute is an instrument in the modern symphony orchestra. There are other variations of the standard flute that are higher or lower in pitch. However, the standard flute is the first flute instrument learned by an aspiring flautist. Once the player develops expertise with the standard flute, the player may then move to the piccolo, or one of the less common flute instruments like the bass flute.
Musical composition featuring the concert flute include Tea (Chinese Dance) from The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Face of Pan from Hook by John Williams, and California Dreamin’ by The Mamas & The Papas.
The “Yazz Flute” scene in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy with Will Ferrell.
Piccolo Flute
The pitch range of the piccolo is one octave higher than the concert flute making the piccolo the highest pitched instrument in the flute family. While the standard flute is made from metal, the piccolo is typically made from wood.
Before moving to the piccolo, the player will typically start by learning the standard flute. The piccolo is considered more difficult to play. Although the piccolo requires less airflow to play than the concert flute, the player must provide a higher air speed to create and sustain each note in this higher pitch range. Creating notes that are in tune is more challenging than with the flute.
The American march Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa features the piccolo flute.
Reed Woodwind Overview
Reed woodwind instruments like the clarinet, saxophone, and oboe generate vibration by the player blowing over a special, thin piece of wood called a reed. Blowing over the reed causes the reed to vibrate which causes the air inside the instrument to vibrate and create sound.
The reed is made from the woody stalk of a cane plant. Some modern reeds may also be made from synthetic material.
Single Reed Instruments
Instruments including the clarinet and saxophone use a single reed. The reed attaches to a mouthpiece using metal clamp called a ligature. When the player blows air over the mouthpiece, the reed vibrates against the mouthpiece. This vibration creates soundwaves inside the instrument.
Clarinet
The clarinet is cylindrical with a cone end. This cylindrical shape helps the clarinet generate a darker sound. A dark sound means less overtones. In other words, less harmonics above the fundamental note are sounded.
The clarinet is occasionally used in the jazz genre although not as commonly as the saxophone.
Songs featuring the clarinet include America by Simon & Garfunkel, The Tale of Viktor Navorski from The Terminal by John Williams, and When I’m Sixty Four by The Beatles.
Saxophone
The saxophone is found in music from nearly every genre. Examples include Crash, by The Dave Matthews Band, to Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev, to Last Friday Night by Katie Perry.
The continuous conical shape of the saxophone emits more overtones, or harmonics, from the fundamental note which generates a brighter, louder sound than the clarinet.
The key components of the saxophone include the body, neck, and mouthpiece.
Additional popular songs featuring the saxophone include Just The Way You Are by Billie Joel, Who Can It Be Now? by Men at Work, and Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing by Bill Medley and Jennifer Wernes.
Double Reed Instruments
Instruments including the oboe and bassoon use double reeds. Double reeds are made from two reeds joined together. When the player blows air through the double reed, the reeds vibrate against each other. This vibration creates soundwaves inside the instrument.
Oboe
The oboe’s sound stands out from the rest of the symphony due it’s distinct timbre. Also, the oboe provides a more reliable pitch compared with the strings or other instruments. For these reasons, the entire orchestra is tuned to the oboe’s A note prior to practice or a concert.
Watch the video below for an exciting and comedic take on tuning up the orchestra with the oboe.
Well known songs featuring the oboe include Crazy for You by Madonna, Across the Stars from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones by John Williams, and I Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher which features both the oboe and bassoon.
Bassoon
Bassoon plays in the lower pitch range of an orchestra. Like the oboe, the bassoon reed is also made from two separate pieces of wood joined together. The reed assembles to the end of a metal tube. The tube connects to the body of the instrument.
The bottom segment of the bassoon, called the boot, contains parallel sounding paths and a cap at the end with a connecting the two paths. This bend results in a sounding length of over eight feet which provides the instrument its pitch range.
However, with an instrument height of over four feet tall, the bassoon can be difficult to play for young kids and some adults. Additionally, the hole spacing is more spread out than the clarinet and therefore requires a minimum hand size to play comfortably.
Known musical pieces featuring the bassoon include Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, I’m not the man by 10,000 Maniacs, and the grandfather’s theme from the 1946 Disney animated short film Peter and the Wolf, originally written by Wolf Sergei Prokofiev.
Another lesser known but culturally interesting composition featuring the bassoon is The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins by Leonard Nimoy otherwise known as Spock from Star Trek. The ballad’s story is about the feature character from The Hobbit written by J. R. R. Tolkien
Other Woodwind Instruments
Variations on the primary instrument types also exist, for example, the contrabassoon, the soprano sax, and the bass flute.
Many genres of music outside of the western symphony orchestra use woodwind instruments. These genres use woodwinds including the bamboo flute, pan flute, daegeum, and the fue.
Other notable woodwind Instruments include the tin whistle, featured in My Heart Will Go On from Titanic, and the ocarina flute from the Legend of Zelda.
Materials and Construction
Woodwind material and manufacturing process varies based on the instrument type, material and quality.
Clarinets, oboes, and piccolo flutes are typically made from African blackwood. The bassoon is made from maple. Beginner woodwind instruments are commonly made from plastic or resin.
Wooden instruments are hollow-ed out and machined using a lathe. Tones holes are precisely drilled. Attachment points for the keys are added. The keys and key mechanisms are then added.
The standard flute starts from a metal tube which is the drilled. Keys and key mechanisms are then added. Depending on the material, the standard flute may be lacquered to help reduce corrosion.
The saxophone is made from sheet metal, typically brass. The brass sheet is welded and formed into shape before tone holes are added. A lacquer applied to the brass reduces corrosion.
Reed material and construction depends on the instrument and quality. Bassoon reeds, for example, are made from cane and constructed by hand. Professional bassoonists commonly make their own reeds. Synthethic reeds for the clarinet are becoming increasingly popular because they last longer than wood reeds and have less reed-to-reed variation in performance.
Woodwind Instrument Accessories
Additional accessories help playing and maintaining a woodwind instrument. Many woodwind instruments include accessories. Alternatively, purchase them separately, as needed:
- Cork grease
- Extra reeds
- Reed Case
- Instrument stand
- Cleaning cloth
- Neck strap
Woodwind Handling Before and After Playing
Woodwind instruments are typically stored in an instrument case. Each time before playing, the pieces are removed from the case and assembled. Assembly varies somewhat between the different instruments. For instance, the clarinet assembly includes the mouthpiece, barrel, upper and lower sections, and bell. The reed is secured to the mouthpiece using the ligature.
Woodwinds should be wiped clean and polished after each use. The instruments should also be disassembled and returned to the storage case. Moisture inside the instrument should be removed with swab, or cleaning rod.
Maintaining a Woodwind Instrument
Instrument maintenance is an important part of the Woodwind Instruments: An Introductory Guide. In addition to the care given after playing the instrument, certain periodic maintenance is also necessary. Professional maintenance should be performed every six months and whenever additional maintenance is needed, for example, if the keys are sticking or if the cork is damaged.
The mouthpiece should be cleaned regularly. Cleaning the mouthpiece can be performed using warm water and a mouthpiece cleaning brush or similar tool.
Certain Instruments like the clarinet and bassoon use cork at the joints. The cork helps seal these joints. Cork grease should be applied to the joints for these instruments. However, the joints on a flute are designed to very tight tolerances. Applying grease to a metal flute could potentially damage these joints.
Good Luck on Your Musical Journey!
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