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handy dandy information about woodwinds

High Winds

high and low winds

Double Reeds: Contrabassoon, bassoon, english horn, oboe

high wind – a very strong wind; “rain and high winds covered the region”air current, current of air, wind – air moving (sometimes with considerable force) froman area of high pressure to an area of low pressure; “trees bent under the fierce winds”;”when there is no wind, row”; “the radioactivity was being swept upwards by the air currentand out into the atmosphere”

All instruments in the woodwind family used to be made of wood, giving them their name. Today, they are made of wood, metal, plastic or some combination.

They are basically narrow conical, cylinders or pipes, with holes, an opening at the bottom end and a mouthpiece at the top. Wind instruments are played by blowing air through a mouthpiece (that’s the “wind” in “woodwind”) and opening or closing the holes with fingers to change the pitch. Metal caps called keys cover the holes of most woodwind instruments.

The mouthpieces for most woodwinds, including the clarinet, oboe and bassoon, use a thin piece of wood called a reed, which vibrates when you blow into 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. Just as with the stringed instruments, the smaller woodwinds play higher pitches while the longer and larger instruments play lower notes.

The woodwind family of instruments includes, from the highest sounding instruments to the lowest, the piccolo, flute, alto flute, bass flute, musette (piccolo oboe) oboe, oboe d’amore, English horn, bass oboe, Eb soprano clarinet, Bb soprano clarinet, Eb Alto clarinet, Bb bass clarinet, bassoon and contrabassoon. A saxophone is also included in the woodwind instrument family though it is made of brass metal.

flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, contrabassoon

Winds and Weather

Temperature alert!

Heat-makes all aerophones (wind instruments) sharp. Opposite for piano and string instruments and metal percussion.
Excessive heat and/or open windows in hot weather will have negative affect.
Cold-makes all aerophones flat (opposite for piano and string instruments and metal percussion)
Excessive air conditioning and/or open windows in cold weather will have a negative affect.
Dampit humidifier for wind instruments

Humistats for wind and stringed instruments

Individuality of Instruments

Instruments are allot like snowflakes – No two instruments are alike, including same exact models due to condition (extra solder not seen inside, etc.) All instruments have some notes that can use a “tuning fingering” or alternate fingering to assist in controlling pitch tendencies. These alternate fingerings are different for every player due to their: instrument, mouthpiece, embouchure, reed, reed strength, ligature, air stream, and breathing/blowing prowess.

Temp and Tune

Temperature increases during concerts makes pitch rise on wind instruments due to body heat and lighting. Conversely, string instrument go flat, therefore, a full orchestra has an opposite tuning affect between sections of the orchestra. Good orchestras tune after each song because of this.

Humidity and Winds

Humidity has a negative affect on wooden instruments over a long period of time. A dry environment will cause a wooden instrument (wood piccolos, clarinets, marimbas) to shrink. Winter is particularly a difficult season for most woodwind instruments due to the heat inside homes and lack of moisture in the air and the instrument may crack. Rainy weather will cause the wood to swell.