Instrument of the month: Woodwinds family
Contrary to the name, woodwinds are not always made of wood.
The woodwind family consists of instruments that, at one point, were made from only wood, but nowadays, the family includes instruments made of different materials.
Woodwinds are played by pushing air through the head joint or mouthpiece of the instrument and pressing different combinations of keys along the body of the instrument.
Instruments of the woodwind family include the flute, clarinet, oboe, saxophone and bassoon. Each instrument also has an instrument family.
The flute family is composed of the piccolo, flute, alto flute, bass flute and contrabass flute.
The clarinet family is made of the E-flat clarinet, soprano clarinet, B-flat clarinet, bass clarinet and contra bass clarinet.
The oboe family relatives are the oboe, oboe d’amore and the cor anglais (aka the english horn).
The saxophone family is made of the sopranino saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass saxophone and contrabass saxophone.
Last but not least, the bassoon family is composed of the bassoon and the contrabassoon.
In a wind ensemble or band setting, woodwinds typically take up the first two rows of the group. In an orchestra setting, they are placed behind the string players.
