WOODWIND
INSTRUMENTS
INSTRUMENTS PLAYED BY AIR.
FOUR FAMILIES
●FLUTE AND PICCOLO
●OBOE AND ENGLISH HORN
●CLARINET AND BASS CLARINET
●BASSOON AND CONTRABASSOON
THE FLUTE
● Its sound is silvery or liquid
● It can play rapid and brilliant scale
passages.
● Its tone is cool and velvety in the low
register but in its upper register , the sound is
bright, thin and stands out against orchestral
mass.
THE PICCOLO
● This is smaller than flute.
● Tones produced are piercing and
shrill.
THE OBOE
● Oboe timbre is generally described as
plainitive, nasal and reedy.
● This instrument is associated with
pastoral effects and with nostalgic
melodies.
THE ENGLISH HORN
● Has a soft , somewhat mournful timbre
● Its range is slightly lower than that of
oboe
THE CLARINET
● Has a small a single reed, a small
elastic piece of cane fastened against its
chisel-shaped mouthpiece.
THE BASSOON AND CONTRABASSOON
● One of the most flexible and useful of the bass
instruments.
● Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with
a few notable differences.
BASSOON
CONTRABASSOON
THE SAXOPHONE
● This wind instrument has a single reed that
combines the reed mouthpiece of a clarinet
with a curved metal tube.
● It blends well with either woodwind or
brass.
THE BRASSES
● Consist of trumpet, horn, trombone and
tuba.
● They are indispensable for their ability to
play very loudly, for melody, for sustaining
harmony, for rhythmic accent and for the
flamelike sonority they contribute to the
climaxes.