Tooting your Horn with a Woodwind Instrument

Articles on Musical Instruments | Topics: instruments, instrument

by Lamar Underwood

Tooting your Horn with a Woodwind Instrument

Woodwind instruments represent one half of the group of wind instruments. They are defined by three factors. The first is that originally they were all made from wood. Times have changed and this is not necessarily the case anymore. The second concerns the mouthpieces used. The third is perhaps the most interesting. When woodwind instruments are played you will notice that the sound sends itself out in all directions unlike the brass instruments, which are heard only straight ahead. The woodwind family of instruments is made up of five groups. They are the saxophones, bassoons, flutes, clarinets and oboes.

Once you've decided you want to learn to play. How do you decide which one is the right one for you? In part that depends on what sound you want to make as well as how large an instrument you want to play.

The flute family has much to offer. Flutes have been around for more than five thousand years. Although a woodwind instrument they are now more likely to be made of metal. Flutes make their unique sound more like the way a whistle works. They come in four different sizes. The largest of this group is the bass flute. It is so big that the piece where is the air is blown into is U shaped to enable the musician to hold it properly. The bass flute has a very low sound. The next largest is the alto flute; it is slightly higher in pitch. The next on is simply called a flute. It is the most popular. Lastly is the smallest member of the family the piccolo. It makes a very high-pitched almost shrill sound.

The clarinet on the other hand is a thicker instrument that has a large opening at the end. There are several kinds of clarinets. The B-flat, the most common kind, can be loud and clear or play soft, mellow notes. Then there is the smaller E-flat, which plays the highest and most sharp notes of the clarinet family. There are two others, though they are rather unknown, not used nearly as often as the rest, these are the alto and the bass clarinets. The bass clarinet is interesting as it curls at the bottom, making it look almost like the letter J. It is made like this to enable the musician to sit while playing. Clarinets have been around since the seventeen hundreds and Mozart so liked their sound that he included pieces for them in his symphonies.

Quote of the Day

My books and instruments shall be my company,
On them to look and practise by myself.

—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

Perhaps you are looking to play some jazz. The best woodwind instrument for this is the saxophone. The sax is the newest of the woodwind instruments it has only been around since the middle eighteen hundreds. So popular is this instrument that composers have written many solo pieces for it. One reason for its popularity is that is the easiest of the woodwinds to play. There are a wide variety of mouthpieces available to use with the sax depending on what type of music you are trying to play.

The oboe is different than the other three as it is a double reed instrument making its sound from the vibration of the two reeds against one another. The sound has been described as almost crow like. The oboe d'amore, which is the medium sized one of the group, has a much mellower sound. It is of a slightly different shape as it's longer and has a bulbous end. Its known for the mellow notes it plays. Bach wrote some beautiful pieces for this instrument. There is one more instrument that belongs in this group; it's the English horn. It is the largest of this group and is known for its low, mournful, melodious sound.

The last member of the woodwind family is the bassoon. Overall its the largest instrument of the group and can be almost as tall as a person. There are two types. The regular one that utters expressive sounds; those are rich and mellow. Or there's the contrabassoon, which is often compared to the kazoo since it makes a sound that reminds more of a buzzing bee.

So loosen up your fingers and take a deep breath. Its time to play!

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