The woodwind family of instruments includes, from the highest sounding instruments to the lowest, the piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon and contrabassoon .
What family does the woodwind belong to?
The woodwind family instruments make sound when a musician’s air or a reed vibrates. The main woodwind family instruments in an orchestra are the flute, oboe, clarinet or bassoon. Other somewhat common woodwind instruments are the piccolo, english horn, and bass clarinet.
How many instruments are in the woodwind family?
The woodwind section of a band or orchestra usually consists of three flutes , one piccolo, three oboes, one English horn, three clarinets, one bass clarinet, three bassoons, and one contrabassoon.
What is the woodwind family for kids?
Common examples include flute , clarinet, oboe, saxophone, and bassoon. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed instruments (otherwise called reed pipes). The main distinction between these instruments and other wind instruments is the way in which they produce sound.
What is the youngest instrument in the woodwind family?
Clarinet The clarinet is also a reed instrument, but it uses a single reed. Made from the same type of cane as the oboe reed, it vibrates inside of a plastic mouthpiece. The clarinet is one of the youngest instruments in the orchestra – it was created in the 1700s.
What is the biggest woodwind instrument?
Which is the highest woodwind instrument? The highest woodwind instrument in the orchestra is the piccolo , which is a half-sized flute capable of playing an octave higher.
What are five instrumentalists playing together called?
Quintet —Quintets are five musicians performing together, pieces of music meant to be played by five musicians, or a piece of music that includes five instruments. For example, Schubert’s Piano Quintet in A major is composed of a piano, bass, cello, violin, and viola.
Why is it called woodwind?
The reason reed woodwind instruments are identified as “woodwind” is based on the way they produce their sound which is by splitting the player’s air stream on a sharp edge, such as a reed . Many people are confused by the name woodwind, thinking that these instruments should be made exclusively from wood.
What are the 3 members of the flute family?
It is not unusual for a performer who plays the flute to switch to other members of the flute family: the piccolo, alto flute and bass flute .
What is the deepest sounding instrument in the string family?
Double Bass : Here is the big one. The double bass is the biggest and lowest pitched instrument in the string family. The deep, very low sounds of the double bass are often used to help hold together the harmonies and to help carry the rhythm. There are 6-8 double basses in an orchestra.
What instrument is the biggest and has the lowest pitch in the woodwind family?
Bassoon : This is the largest of the woodwind instruments. It has the lowest pitch. Some people think of this instrument as the clown of the orchestra. It is a double reed instrument.
Is flute and saxophone similarities?
Both the alto and soprano sax are in a nearly identical register as flutes with likewise similar fingerings . ... Saxes and flutes both end on a low C note below the staff and go up three whole octaves. With such a similar range, it’s easy to follow along to familiar scales and other patterns.
What family is the trumpet in?
The brass family members that are most commonly used in the orchestra include the trumpet, French horn, trombone, and the tuba.
What is the most expensive woodwind instrument?
The Hammer Stadivarius was crafted during Stradivarius’ aforementioned ‘golden era’ in 1707. The Hammer also shattered the Lady Tennant Strad’s record when it sold to an anonymous bidder in 2006 for a jaw-dropping $3.54 million after 5 minutes of bidding.
What instrument has the highest range?
The Piccolo
It is famous for being the highest and most piercing instrument in the orchestra. It has a range of slightly less than 3 octaves, as we can see in the range diagram below.
How old is the oldest woodwind instrument?
Crafted from the bones of crane birds, the flutes still maintain accurate intonation today. Dating back to 7,800 to 9,000 years ago , the Jiahu bone flute is the oldest Chinese musical instrument discovered by archaeologists, as well as the earliest known wind instrument in the world.
