The first instruments in the woodwind family were made of wood. This is why they are called woodwinds. Today, they can be made of wood, metal, plastic or some combination of materials. They are all basically narrow cylinders or pipes with holes, an opening at the bottom end, and a mouthpiece at the top. You play them by blowing air through the mouthpiece and opening or closing the holes with your fingers to change the pitch. Metal caps called keys cover the holes of most woodwind instruments.
The mouthpieces for some woodwinds 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. Some instruments, such as the flute, don't use a reed at all. Just as with the stringed instruments, the smaller woodwinds play higher pitches while the longer and larger instruments play the lower notes. The woodwind family of instruments includes the piccolo, flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone.
The flute is the oldest of all instruments that produce pitched sounds. Flutes were originally made from wood, stone, clay, or hollow reeds like bamboo. Modern flutes are made of metal. A standard flute is a little over 2 feet long and is often featured playing the melody. You play the flute by holding it sideways with both hands and blowing across a hole in the mouthpiece, much like blowing across the top of a bottle. Your fingers open and close the keys, which changes the pitch.
A shorter version of the flute is called the piccolo. At half the size of a standard flute, piccolos play the highest notes of all the woodwinds. In an orchestra one of the flute players will also play piccolo if that instrument is required. The high piping sound of the piccolo is also heard in marching band music.
The oboe is a 2 foot long black cylinder with metal keys covering its holes. Its mouthpiece uses a double reed, which vibrates when you blow through it. This vibration of the reed makes the air inside the oboe move, creating sound. To play it, hold the oboe upright, blow through the double reed in your mouth, and use both hands to press down on the keys to open and close the holes and change the pitch.
The bassoon is a long pipe, doubled in half, made of wood, with many keys. The bend in the pipe makes it possible for musicians to play it comfortably. If it were straight, the bassoon would be around 9 feet long! Like the oboe, the bassoon uses a double reed, which is fitted into a curved metal mouthpiece. Bassoons usually play lower harmonies, but you will sometimes hear their hollow low notes featured in a melody. You play the bassoon by holding it upright and blowing through the double reed. The air travels down the tube and then makes a u-turn and goes up and out the top. Just like the oboe, you use both hands to press on the keys to open and close the holes and change the pitch.
The clarinet could easily be mistaken for an 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. Clarinets have a dark rich sound in their lower notes, while the upper part of the clarinet's range is bright and resonant. 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.
A saxophone is a musical instrument that is made of brass and often just called a "sax". Due to the fact it is made from brass many people believe that it is a member of the brass family. However, it is not a true brass instrument but a member of the woodwind family of instruments because to play a sax the musician must blow through the reed in the mouthpiece. It was developed from the clarinet and shares many similarities to the clarinet. There are several different kinds of saxophone. However, the most commonly used saxophones in middle and high school bands are the alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones.
Woodwind instruments add unique color to any musical arrangement and are an important part of modern ensembles.