Woodwind family instruments

1. The Woodwind Family
 The woodwind
section of the
world-famous
Philharmonia
Orchestra.

2. The Flute
Flute
Piccolo
Although it is now commonly
made of metal (nickel), the
flute was originally made out
of wood, with metal keys.
Some modern flutes are still
made of wood.
The piccolo is like a miniature
flute. It is the smallest and
highest pitched instrument in
the woodwind family.

3. The Oboe
Oboe
Reed
Cor Anglais
(English Horn)
The Oboe is directly
descended from the
Shawm which originated in
the Middle East in ancient
times. Today, it is usually
made of Ebony and has
silver or silver-plated keys.
The Cor Anglais is
slightly larger than an
Oboe and has an
“onion” shaped bell. It is
lower in pitch than the
Oboe.

4. The Clarinet
Clarinet
Reed
Mouthpiece
Unlike the Oboe (or Bassoon), the Clarinet uses a SINGLE
reed, which is attached to the mouthpiece with a LIGATURE.
The Clarinet was invented in the mid-
late eighteenth century. It is
traditionally made of Ebony with silver
or silver-plated keys.

5.  The Clarinet also
has a number of
woodwind
“relatives”, the
most common of
which is the Bass
Clarinet. It is
bigger, heavier and
lower-pitched than
the Clarinet.

6. The Saxophone
Although not
made of wood, the
Saxophone IS a
woodwind
instrument. Like
the Clarinet, it
uses a single reed
fixed to the
mouthpiece with a
ligature.
There are four
types of
saxophone. From
highest pitched to
lowest, they are –
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
This picture is of an
Alto Saxophone.

7. The Bassoon
 The Bassoon, like the
oboe, is played using a
double reed.
The reed is similar to the
one used by the Oboe,
but it is bigger and
“fatter”.

8. The Contra-Bassoon
 The Bassoon’s “big
brother”, the
Contra (or Double)
Bassoon is the
lowest pitched
woodwind
instrument.