WIND INSTRUMENTS
• Wind instruments are classified in:
1. Woodwinds
2. Brass winds
1- WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS:
-These instruments are aerophones, where they produce sound with a small
column of air vibrating within a pipe that has fingerholes along its length.
- The methods used to set up vibration: blowing across a mouth hole (flute),
blowing into a mouthpiece that has a single reed (clarinet and saxophone),
or blowing into a mouthpiece fitted with a double reed (oboe and bassoon).
• The wood winds have:
1. Either mouth hole or reed (single or double)
2. Have keys
3. Are mainly made of wood, except some wood wind that
are made of silver like the flute, and the saxophone which
is made of brass. So, is not only the material of the
instrument that defines if it is wood or brass wind, but
also the keys and the reeds.
• Mouth hole:
• Single reed:
• Double reed:
FLUTE
-The flute is the
soprano voice of the
woodwind family.
-The flute has a mouth
hole; doesn’t have any
reed.
• The piccolo is the highest pitched instrument in the
orchestra. It is half the length the flute. It has a
mouth hole like the flute. No reed.
• Listen:
• Flute: Flight of the Bumblebee
Https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=li3wihfqkak
• Piccolo: “Viva Italia” fantasy for flute-piccolo
on themes Rossini and Verdi
Https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=y-twgdzeys4
OBOE (HAUTBOIS)
The Oboe is a wood wind
instrument. It is played
when the player blows
directly into a double
reed.
• The English horn is an alto oboe. Its wooden tube is wider and
longer than the oboe’s and ends in a pear-shaped opening called bell.
It has a lower pitch than the normal oboe, for this reason it is called
alto-oboe. It is also double- reed.
• Listen:
• Enrico Morricone: Gabriel’s Oboe (The Mission:
Movie)
Https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=2wjhax7jmxs
• Dvorak” Symphony N.9- 2nd mvt:
• Https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=0hhrxvx1ztc
The clarinet
• The clarinet is a wood wind
instrument. It is played
when the player blows
directly into a single reed.
• It is called the cello of the
woodwinds, due to its warm
register
- The bass clarinet is lower in pitch than the clarinet. It has a
rich dark tone. It is also single reed.
• Listen:
• Clarinet: Martin fröst plays klezmer dances by göran fröst:
Https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=o7oaqmijc3o
• Bass Clarinet:
Https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=kf_0algdj3i
The saxophone
• The saxophone: is a single reed wood
wind.
• There are different types of saxophone:
soprano sax, alto, tenor and baritone
• It is classified within the woodwinds
because it has keys, and reed (single)
although it is made of brass
• LISTEN:
• Https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=g7gp9gzihu8
The bassoon
- The bassoon is a double-reed
instrument. It sounds low in register
and has a deep and fuller sound.
- It is sometimes called the clown of
the orchestra due to its humorous
sound quality .
- The contrabassoon produces the lowest tone of the
woodwinds. It has a longer tube than the normal bassoon. It
is also double-reed.
LISTEN:
• Bassoon concerto in F major, op.75 by Carl Maria Von weber:
• Https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=cz1nz3uooas
• TAKE FIVE - Camaleon bassoons:
Https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=ckbrnjxlkgu
• G. Rossini duetto for bassoon and contrabassoon:
Https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=0xslee9i2a4
Brass instruments:
These instruments are aerophones.
- The main instruments of this family are the trumpet, the French horn, trombone
and tuba.
- The brass instruments are made of brass, do not have any reed and do not have
keys but valves.
- Going from one pitch to another requires muscular control to vary the pressure of
the lips and the breath.
TRUMPET
• The trumpet possesses the highest pitch
in the brass family.
• It is called the soprano of the brass family
• Doesn’t have keys but valves
• Listen:
• Ibrahim Maalouf: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyKf8OUC
MmA
• (min:6…)
FRENCH HORN
• The French horn has a lower pitch
than trumpet
LISTEN:
• Viva la Vida // French horn loop pedal
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m
w3ay9fryem
TROMBONE
• Listen:
• Brilliant trombone solo...Czardas.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eapmystf
vfi
• 1’:48
TUBA
• The tuba is the biggest one in
size, lowest one in pitch.
• Listen:
• Czardas - tuba solo
• https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=fyosnp4o7au
BRASS- QUARTET
- Listen:
- Flight of the bumblebee - Canadian brass
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzo5ktjtwhe
