Instruments of the Band and Orchestra

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Instruments of the Band and Orchestra

• Woodwind Family

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Woodwind Family

• Woodwinds get their name by the make of the
  instrument (primarily wood).
• All woodwind instruments are made out of a tube,
  usually with holes in it. When all holes are
  covered, air goes all the way to the end of the
  tube and makes a low sound. When the holes are
  open, the air goes only a little way and makes a
  high sound.
• To further increase their range of notes, most of
  the woodwind instruments come in different sizes
  (eg. soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor
  saxophone, etc.).

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Woodwind Family

• Woodwind instruments may make sounds in three
  different ways
• Some, like the flute, make a sound by blowing air
  across a tone hole.
• Single reed instruments, like the clarinet and
  saxophone, use a single piece of cane, which
  vibrates, to produce a sound.
• The oboe, English horn, and bassoon used a double
  reed, or two pieces of cane vibrating against
  each other, to make a sound.

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Tone Holes

• Sound is produced by blowing across the tone hole
  of the flute, like blowing across the top of a
  bottle. The keys on the flute allow you to change
  pitch.
• Flute and Piccolos are the tone hole woodwind
  instruments.

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Flute
Ancient Flute

• The most ancient of woodwind instruments. Even
  though flutes are made of brass now, the
  earliest form of a flute was a hollow wooden
  stick with holes in it.
• Modern flutes are made of a metal tube in three
  pieces.

Modern Flute
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Flute
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Piccolo

• Half the size of the flute and has two pieces.
• It sounds one octave higher than the flute.
• It is the smallest instrument in the orchestra.

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Double Reed

• Double reed instruments are made up of two very
  thin reeds tied at the end.
• The sound is produced when the player focuses the
  air through the reed at high pressure.
• The reeds vibrate against each other to get a
  sound.
• The double reeds consist of English Horn, Oboe,
  Bassoon, and Contra Bassoon.

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Oboe and English Horn

• The English horn has a lower, richer sound than
  the oboe.
• The oboe is smaller than the English horn. Its
  bell flares out like a clarinet.
• The English horn has a curved bell like a light
  bulb and is slightly longer than the oboe.

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Oboe and English Horn
English Horn
Oboe
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Oboe
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Bassoon and Contra Bassoon

• The contra bassoon is one octave lower and much
  bigger than the bassoon.
• These are the tenor (bassoon) and bass (contra
  bassoon) of the woodwind family.
• They are the lowest instruments in the woodwind
  family.
• The bassoon is shaped like a pole while the
  contra bassoon is curved.

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Bassoon and Contra Bassoon
Bassoon
Contra Bassoon
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Single Reed

• Single reed instruments consist of one reed
  placed on a mouthpiece. The reed is held
  together on the mouthpiece by a ligature.
• Air is blown through the mouthpiece which causes
  the reed to vibrate and produces a sound.
• Single reed instruments include Clarinet, Bass
  Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone,
  Tenor Saxophone, and Baritone Saxophone.

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Clarinet and Bass Clarinet

• The bass clarinet is one octave lower than the
  clarinet.
• The clarinet is very flexible in the orchestra.
  It has a very wide range. It has a rich low
  sound, smooth middle sound, and shrill upper
  sound.
• The bass clarinet is much larger than the
  clarinet and sits on the ground while you play
  it.
• There are many other types of clarinets that are
  less commonly used. All the clarinets make up a
  clarinet family.

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Clarinet Family
There are up to 27 different types of clarinets.
Only about 3 or 4 types are primarily used in
orchestras and band. The two most commonly used
are the B flat soprano clarinet and the B flat
bass clarinet.
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Clarinet and Bass Clarinet
Clarinet
Bass Clarinet
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Clarinet Bassoon
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Clarinet SpotlightBenny Goodman

• Benny Goodman (May 30, 1909 June 13, 1986) was
  an American jazz musician and clarinetist, known
  as "King of Swing".
• Over the years he played with the greatest
  figures in jazz Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday,
  Ella Fitzgerald and countless others.
• That crowded career, spanning more than six
  decades, had an almost unparalleled impact on
  popular music and the importance of the clarinet
  in both jazz and classical music. Thousands of
  youngsters throughout the world were influenced
  to play the clarinet through listening to Benny
  Goodmans recordings and live performances, and
  the style of those who turned to jazz was
  universally patterned after what they heard Benny
  play, whether or not they realized it. The
  popularity of the big band format is another of
  the legacies of this musical giant.

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Saxophone Family

• The saxophone was invented in 1840. It is newer
  than other musical instruments.
• It is mainly used in jazz bands.
• They are usually made of brass. Saxophones are
  categorized in the woodwind family because they
  use reeds. Some saxes are actually made of
  wood, which is extremely rare.

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Saxophone Family
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Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Baritone Saxophone

• The soprano sax is the highest pitched instrument
  and is shaped like a clarinet.
• The alto sax (the most commonly played) has a mid
  range pitch. The bell curves out of the body.
• The tenor sax is slightly larger with a lower
  pitch than the alto.
• The baritone sax is the largest saxophone and has
  an extremely low sound.

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Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Baritone Saxophone
Soprano Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
Alto Saxophone
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Saxophone SpotlightJohn Coltrane

• John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 July
  17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist and
  composer. From 1957 onward he recorded and
  produced dozens of albums, many of them not
  released until years after his death. He achieved
  extraordinary popularity, while also responding
  to a religious awakening that has made him a
  source of spiritual inspiration.
• He was called to military service during WWII,
  where he performed in the U.S. Navy Band in
  Hawaii. After the war, Coltrane began playing
  tenor saxophone.

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Woodwind InstrumentsReview

• Name these woodwind instruments

Piccolo
Flute
Bassoon
Saxophone
English horn
Oboe
Clarinet
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Woodwind InstrumentsReview
What are the double reed instruments? What are
the single reed instruments?