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An overview of the woodwind family of musical instruments, including their history, construction, and playing techniques. It covers the flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone, explaining how each instrument produces sound and how the musician plays it. The document also includes links to instructional videos and interactive resources.
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Think about a coach blowing a whistle to get your attention. The noise may sound harsh. It is not too different from original woodwind instruments. The first woodwind instruments were hollow pieces of wood: one end was open and the other end was closed. By blowing into the open end, people made whistles. Over time these instruments became more complicated. Since they were made of wood, they became known as the woodwind family. Today, woodwind instruments are made of wood, metal, plastic or some combination. They are all basically narrow cylinders or pipes, with holes, an opening at the bottom end and a mouthpiece at the top. Keys cover the holes of most woodwind instruments. They are played by blowing air through the mouthpiece (that's the "wind" in "woodwind") and opening or closing the holes with your fingers to change the pitch. The mouthpieces for some woodwinds, including the clarinet, oboe and bassoon, use a thin piece of wood called a reed , which vibrates when you blow across it. The clarinet uses a single reed made of one piece of wood, while the oboe and bassoon use a double reed made of two pieces joined together. The smaller woodwinds play higher pitches, while the longer and larger instruments play the lower notes. The woodwind family of instruments includes these basic instruments, from the highest sounding instruments to the lowest: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEt1Mm8sSkA
The flute is the oldest of all instruments that produce pitched sounds (not just rhythms), and was originally made from wood, stone, clay or hollow reeds like bamboo. Modern flutes are made of silver, gold or platinum. A standard flute is a little over 2 feet long and is often featured playing the melody. Flutists play by holding it sideways with both hands and blowing across a hole in the mouthpiece, much like blowing across the top of a bottle. Their fingers open and close the keys, which changes the pitch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLUjWLHZDfY
The piccolo is a smaller version of the flute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw-wheB4gcM
The oboe uses a double reed, which vibrates when air moves quickly through it. This vibration of the reed makes the air inside the oboe move, creating sound. The oboe is about the same length as the flute and clarinet. To play it, the oboist holds the oboe upright, blows through the double reed in your mouth, and uses both hands to press down on the keys to open and close the holes and change the pitch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLTJsWCbDJ
The clarinet looks very similar to the oboe, except for the mouthpiece, which uses a single reed. Clarinets come in a number of different sizes, and the standard B-flat clarinet is just over 2 feet long. You play the clarinet as you do an oboe, by holding it upright, blowing through the reed, and using your hands to change the pitches by opening and closing the keys with your fingers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMYMkQzVWfU