Woodwind musical instrument. woodwind group

The importance of wind instruments, both solo and in any type of orchestra, is very high. According to music experts, they are the ones that unite the sounds of strings and keyboards, even out the sound, despite the fact that their technical and artistic qualities are not so outstanding and attractive. With the development of new technologies and the use of new materials for the manufacture of wind musical instruments, the popularity of wood has decreased, but not so much that they are completely excluded from use. Both in symphony, and in folklore orchestras, and in instrumental groups, various pipes, pipes made of wood are widely used, since their sound is so unique that it is impossible to replace them with something.

Types of Woodwind Instruments

Clarinet - capable of producing a wide range of sound, with a soft and warm timbre. These unique abilities of the instrument provide the performer with unlimited possibilities for playing with the melody.

The flute is a wind instrument with the highest sound. She is considered unique tool in terms of technical capabilities in the performance of melodies, which gives her the right to solo in any direction.

The oboe is a wooden instrument with a slightly harsh, nasal, but unusually melodious voice. It is most often used in symphony orchestras, for playing solo parts or excerpts from works.

Bassoon is a bass wind instrument that produces only a low sound. It is much more difficult to control and play it than other wind instruments, but, nevertheless, in the classical symphony orchestra they use at least 3 or 4.

Folklore orchestras use various pipes, pity pipes, whistles and ocarinas made of wood. Their structure is not complex, like that of symphonic instruments, the sound is not so diverse, but it is also much easier to control them.

Where are woodwind instruments used?

IN contemporary music wooden wind instruments are no longer used as often as in past centuries. Their popularity is unchanged only in symphonic and chamber orchestras, as well as in folklore ensembles. When performing music of these genres, they often occupy a leading position, and it is they who are given the solo part. It is not uncommon for wooden instruments to sound in jazz compositions and pop. But connoisseurs of such creativity, unfortunately, is becoming less and less.

How and from what modern wind instruments are made

Modern woodwind instruments only superficially resemble their predecessors. They are made not only of wood, the air flow is regulated not by fingers, but by a multi-level system of keys-valves that make the sound shorter or longer, increase or decrease its tone.
For the production of wind instruments, maple, pear, walnut or the so-called ebony - ebony are used. Their wood is porous, but resilient and durable, it does not burst during processing and does not crack during use.

Basic information Avlos - ancient woodwind musical instrument. Avlos is considered a distant predecessor of the modern oboe. It was distributed in Asia Minor and Ancient Greece. The performer usually played two aulos (or double aulos). Playing the aulos was used in ancient tragedy, in sacrifice, in military music (in Sparta). Solo singing accompanied by playing the aulos was called aullodia.


Basic information The cor anglais is a woodwind musical instrument, which is an alto oboe. English horn got its name from a misapplication French word anglais (“English”) instead of the correct angle (“curved angle” - in the form of a hunting oboe, from which the English horn originated). Device According to the device, the English horn is similar to the oboe, but has a larger size, pear-shaped bell


Basic information Bansuri is an ancient Indian woodwind musical instrument. Bansuri is a transverse flute made from a single piece of bamboo. Has six or seven playing holes. Bansuri is widespread in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. Bansuri is very popular with shepherds and is part of their customs. It can also be seen in Buddhist painting around 100 AD.


Bass clarinet (Italian: clarinetto basso) is a woodwind musical instrument, a bass variety of the clarinet that appeared in the second quarter of the 19th century. The range of the bass clarinet is from D (large octave D; on some models, the range is extended down to B1 - B flat contra octave) to b1 (B flat first octave). Theoretically, it is possible to extract higher sounds, but they are not used.


Basset horn is a woodwind musical instrument, a kind of clarinet. The basset horn has the same structure as a regular clarinet, but it is longer, which makes it sound lower. For compactness, the basset horn tube is slightly curved at the mouthpiece and at the bell. In addition, the instrument is equipped with several additional valves that extend its range down to the C note (as it is written). Basset horn tone


Basic information, history The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument from the family of whistling wind instruments, such as the flute, ocarina. The recorder is a type of longitudinal flute. The recorder has been known in Europe since the 11th century. It was widespread in XVI-XVIII centuries. Used as a solo instrument, in ensembles and orchestras. A. Vivaldi, G. F. Telemann, G. F.


Key information Brelka is a Russian folk wind wooden musical instrument that existed in the past in the pastoral environment, and now occasionally appears on concert venues in the hands of musicians folklore ensembles. The key fob has a strong sound of a very bright and light timbre. The keychain is essentially nothing more than an ancient version of the oboe, however, compared to the shepherd's pity,


Basic information Whistle is a woodwind musical instrument, a Celtic folk pipe. Whistles are made, as a rule, from tin, but there are also wooden, plastic and even silver versions of the instruments. Whistle is very popular not only in Ireland, but throughout Europe. Most whistles, however, are made in England and Ireland, and are the most popular among whistlers. Whistles exist


Oboe is a soprano register woodwind musical instrument, which is a conical tube with a valve system and a double reed (tongue). The instrument has a melodious, but somewhat nasal, and in the upper register - a sharp timbre. Instruments that are considered the direct predecessors of the modern oboe have been known since antiquity and have been preserved in their original form in different cultures. Folk instruments such


Basic information The oboe d'amore is a woodwind musical instrument, very similar to an ordinary oboe. The oboe d'amore is slightly larger than the regular oboe and, in comparison, produces a less assertive and softer and calmer sound. In the oboe family, it is set as a mezzo-soprano or alto. The range is from salt of a small octave to re of the third octave. oboe d'amour


Basic information, origin Di (hengchui, handi - transverse flute) is an ancient Chinese woodwind musical instrument. Di is one of the most common wind instruments in China. Presumably imported from Central Asia in the period between 140 and 87 BC. e .. However, during recent archaeological excavations, bone transverse flutes about


Basic information The didjeridoo is the oldest woodwind musical instrument of the aboriginal peoples of northern Australia. One of the most ancient musical instruments on Earth. The didgeridoo is the European-American name for Australia's oldest musical instrument. In northern Australia, where the didgeridoo originated, it is called yidaki. The didgeridoo is unique in that it usually sounds on one note (the so-called


Basic information Dudka is a folk wind wooden musical instrument, consisting of a wooden (usually elderberry) reed or reed and having several side holes, and a mouthpiece for blowing. There are double pipes: two folded pipes are blown through one common mouthpiece. In Ukraine, the name sopilka (snot) has survived to this day, which is rare in Russia, in Belarus it


Basic information Duduk (tsiranapokh) - a woodwind musical instrument, is a pipe with 9 playing holes and a double reed. Distributed among the peoples of the Caucasus. Most popular in Armenia, as well as among Armenians living outside of it. traditional name Armenian duduk- tsiranapokh, which can literally be translated as "apricot pipe" or "soul of an apricot tree." Music


Basic information Zhaleika - an old Russian folk wind wooden musical instrument - a wooden, reed or cattail tube with a bell made of horn or birch bark. Zhaleika is also known as zhalomeika. Origin, history of zhaleyka The word "zhaleyka" is not found in any ancient Russian monument writing. The first mention of a zhaleyka is in the notes of A. Tuchkov dating back to the end of the 18th century.


Basic information Zurna is an ancient woodwind musical instrument common among the peoples of Transcaucasia and Central Asia. A zurna is a wooden tube with a socket and several (usually 8-9) holes, one of which is on the opposite side. The range of the zurna is about one and a half octaves of the diatonic or chromatic scale. The timbre of the zurna is bright and piercing. Zurna is in close proximity


Basic information Kaval is a shepherd's woodwind musical instrument. The kaval is a longitudinal flute with a long wooden barrel and 6-8 playing holes. At the lower end of the barrel there can be up to 3-4 more holes for tuning and resonating. The kavala scale is diatonic. The length of the kaval reaches 50-70 cm. The kaval is widespread in Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania, Macedonia, Serbia,


Basic information, device Kamyl is an Adyghe wind wooden musical instrument, a traditional Adyghe (Circassian) flute. Kamyl is a longitudinal flute made from a metal tube (most often from a gun barrel). There are 3 play holes at the bottom of the tube. It is possible that the instrument was originally made of reed (as the name indicates). The length of the reed is about 70 cm.


Basic information Kena (Spanish quena) - woodwind musical instrument - longitudinal flute used in the music of the Andean region Latin America. The kena is usually made of reed and has six upper and one lower playing holes. Typically, kena is done in G (G) tuning. The quenacho flute is a lower pitched variant of the quena, in D (D) tuning.


Basic information The clarinet is a woodwind musical instrument with a single reed. The clarinet was invented around 1700 in Nuremberg, and has been actively used in music since the second half of the 18th century. Used in a wide variety of musical genres and compositions: as a solo instrument, in chamber ensembles, symphony and brass bands, folk music, on the stage and in jazz. Clarinet


Basic information Clarinet d'amour (Italian: clarinetto d'amore) is a woodwind musical instrument. Device Like the species instrument, the d'amore clarinet had a single reed and a cylindrical tube, but the width of this tube was less than that of a conventional clarinet, sound holes were also narrower. In addition, the part of the tube to which the mouthpiece was attached was slightly curved for compactness - the body


Basic information Kolyuk - a woodwind musical instrument - an ancient Russian variety of a longitudinal overtone flute without playing holes. For the manufacture of thorns, dried stems of umbrella plants are used - hogweed, shepherd's pipe and others. The role of a whistle or beep is played by the tongue. The height of the sound is achieved by overblowing. To change the sound, the bottom hole of the tube is also used, which is clamped with a finger or


Basic information Contrabassoon is a woodwind musical instrument, a kind of bassoon. The contrabassoon is an instrument of the same type and device as the bassoon, but with a twice as large column of air contained in it, which makes it sound an octave lower than the bassoon. The contrabassoon is the lowest sounding instrument of the woodwind group and performs a contrabass voice in it. Names of the contrabassoon


Basic information Kugikly (kuvikly) is a woodwind musical instrument, a Russian variety of the multi-barreled Pan flute. Kugicle device Kugicles are a set of hollow tubes of various lengths and diameters with an open upper end and a closed lower one. This tool was usually made of kugi (reed), reed, bamboo, etc. stems, the trunk knot served as the bottom. Nowadays, plastic, ebonite


Basic information Kurai is a national Bashkir woodwind musical instrument similar to a flute. The popularity of kurai is associated with its timbre richness. The sound of kurai is poetic and epicly sublime, the timbre is soft, accompanied by a throaty bourdon sound when played. The main and traditional feature of playing kurai is the ability to play with a chest voice. A light whistle is forgiven only for novice performers. The professionals play the melody


Basic Information Mabu is a traditional woodwind musical instrument of the Solomon Islanders. Mabu is a wooden pipe with a socket, hollowed out from a piece of a tree trunk. A half of a coconut was attached to the upper end, in which a game hole was made. Large specimens of mabu could reach up to a meter in length with a mouth width of about 15 cm and a wall thickness of about


Basic information Mabu (mapu) is a traditional Tibetan woodwind musical instrument. Translated from the nose, “ma” means “bamboo”, and “bu” means “pipe”, “reed flute”. Mabu has a bamboo stem with a single scoring tongue. There are 8 playing holes made in the flute barrel, 7 upper ones, one lower one. At the end of the trunk is a small horn socket. Mabu is also sometimes made


Basic information, characteristics Small clarinet (clarinet-piccolo) is a woodwind musical instrument, a kind of clarinet. The small clarinet has the same structure as the regular clarinet, but is smaller in size, which is why it sounds in a higher register. The timbre of the small clarinet is harsh, somewhat noisy, especially in the upper register. Like most other instruments of the clarinet family, the small clarinet is transposing and is used


Basic information, device Nay - Moldavian, Romanian and Ukrainian woodwind musical instrument - a longitudinal multi-barreled flute. Nai consists of 8-24 tubes of different lengths, reinforced in an arched leather clip. The length of the tube determines the pitch of the sound. Sound row diatonic. On the nai, folk melodies of various genres are performed - from doina to dance motifs. The most famous Moldovan naists:


Basic information Ocarina is an ancient woodwind musical instrument, a clay whistle flute. The name "ocarina" is translated from Italian means "gosling". The ocarina is a small egg-shaped chamber with four to thirteen finger holes. The ocarina is usually made in ceramic, but is sometimes also made of plastic, wood, glass or metal. By


Basic information Pinquillo (pingulo) - an ancient woodwind musical instrument of the Quechua Indians, a reed transverse flute. Pinkillo is common among the Indian population of Peru, Bolivia, Northern Argentina, Chile, Ecuador. The Pinkillo is the ancestor of the Peruvian quena. Pinkillo is made from cane, traditionally cut "at dawn, away from prying eyes." It has 5-6 side playing holes. Pingulo length 30-32 cm. Pingulo range approx.


Basic information, application A transverse flute (or just a flute) is a woodwind musical instrument of the soprano register. Names of the transverse flute on different languages: flauto (Italian); flatus (Latin); flute (French); flute (English); float (German). The flute is available in a wide variety of performance techniques; it is often entrusted with an orchestral solo. The transverse flute is used in symphony and brass bands, and also, along with the clarinet,


Basic information Russian horn is a woodwind musical instrument. Russian horn has different names: in addition to "Russian" - "shepherd", "song", "Vladimir". The name "Vladimir" horn acquired relatively recently, in late XIX century as a result of the success that the performances of the horn choir under the direction of Nikolai Vasilievich Kondratiev from Vladimir region. Horn tunes are divided into 4 genre varieties: signal, song,


Basic information Saxophone (Sax - the name of the inventor, phone - sound) is a woodwind musical instrument, belonging to the wood family according to the principle of sound production, despite the fact that it is never made of wood. A family of saxophones designed in 1842 by a Belgian music master Adolf Sax and patented by him four years later. Adolf Sachs named his first constructed instrument


Basic information Svirel is an ancient Russian woodwind musical instrument of the longitudinal flat type. Origin, history of the flute The Russian flute has not yet been sufficiently studied. Experts have long been trying to correlate existing whistle instruments with ancient Russian names. Chroniclers most often use three names for instruments of this type - a flute, a sniff, and a forearm. According to legend, the son of the Slavic goddess of love Lada played the flute


Basic information Suling is an Indonesian woodwind musical instrument, a longitudinal whistle flute. The suling consists of a bamboo cylindrical trunk, about 85 cm long and equipped with 3-6 playing holes. The suling sound is very gentle. Usually sad melodies are played on this instrument. The suling is used both solo and as an orchestral instrument. Video: Sulingna video + sound Thanks to these videos you


Basic information, device, application Shakuhachi is a woodwind musical instrument, a longitudinal bamboo flute that came to Japan from China during the Nara period. Chinese name shakuhachi flutes - chi-ba. The standard length of a shakuhachi flute is 1.8 Japanese feet (which is 54.5 cm). It determined itself Japanese name instrument, since "shaku" means "foot", and "hachi" means "eight".


Basic information Tilinka (calf) is a Moldavian, Romanian and Ukrainian folk woodwind musical instrument, which is an open pipe without playing holes. Tilinka is common in rural life, most often used by peoples living near the Carpathian Mountains. The sound of the tilinka depends on how much the musician closes the open end of the tube with his finger. The transition between notes is carried out by overblowing and closing / opening of the opposite

Woodwind instruments are the most ancient along with the drum and some other percussion instruments. On many plots of the pastoral, pictures of antiquity, you can see all kinds of pipes and pipes that our ancestors played.

The material was at hand. Reed reeds, bamboo and other branches served as the basis for future pipes. Who and when guessed to make holes in them, no one knows. However, wind instruments made from improvised materials have forever taken a place in the hearts of people.

People realized that as the barrel got bigger, the pitch changed, and this understanding was the impetus for improving the instruments. Gradually they changed until they were transformed into modern woodwind instruments.

To this day, musicians affectionately refer to these instruments as “wood” or “pieces of wood,” although this name has long ceased to reflect the material from which they are made. Today, these are not tubes of natural origin, but metal for flutes and saxophones, ebonite for clarinets, plastic for recorders.

Authentic wooden tools

However, wood remains the material of authentic woodwind instruments that are very popular and played on many stages around the world. These include, for example, duduk, zurna, zhaleyka, transverse flutes peoples of the world and other instruments. The voices of these instruments awaken the call of the ancestors in the souls of people.

All these tools have in common general system holes - holes that are created so that you can increase or decrease the length of the tool barrel.

Relationship between wood and brass instruments

Woodwinds, however, have some affinity with brass instruments. This relationship lies in the fact that in order to extract sound, air is needed, which is released by the lungs. Other common features these two groups of instruments do not. Wood and brass instruments can be combined into.

Funny! One conductor, himself a violinist, was very fond of wind instruments. Sounds string instruments seemed to him very transparent and weightless. He called the sounds of "copper" "meat", and the sounds of "wood" for him were like a good seasoning for the main course. Listening to wind instruments, he felt the music better, felt it.

Labial and reed woodwind instruments

According to the way the sound is extracted, woodwinds are labial , which include flute And reed or reed , which include clarinet, saxophone, bassoon and oboe .

In the first case, the musician does not have to spend money on reeds and mouthpieces, while in the second, on the contrary, he has to worry about changing them periodically. Nevertheless, these expenses are justified by the beauty of the sound and the timbre of the instruments.

Which tool is right for a child?

For young children, woodwind instruments are just what you need. As a rule, on brass instruments they begin to train when strength appears and the muscular corset is strengthened, although there are exceptions. As for woodwinds, the recorder is a great choice for kids. It is simple and easy to play because it does not require any effort on the part of the breathing apparatus.

Woodwind instruments are instruments of great possibilities and great potential. Throughout the history of mankind, they have repeatedly proved this. Let's rate them too!

Collection of clarinets - representatives of woodwind instruments

Classification of musical instruments According to the sounding body According to the method of influencing the sounding body

Plucked(String Idiophones)

By control mechanism By sound conversion Electronic

woodwind instruments- a group of wind musical instruments, the principle of playing which is based on sending a directed stream of air into a special hole and to adjust the height of the sound, closing the special holes with valves.

Some modern instruments of this type (for example, the modern orchestral flute) are almost never made of wood; for the manufacture of others, wood is used along with materials such as the most common plastics, silver or special silver-plated alloys. And the saxophone, which, according to the principle of sound extraction, is a woodwind, has never been made of wood.

Woodwind instruments include modern flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone with all their varieties, old recorder, shalmey, chalumeau, etc., as well as a number of folk instruments, such as balaban , duduk , zhaleyka , flute , zurna , albok .

History of woodwinds

In the early stages of their development, these instruments were made exclusively from wood, from which historically they got their name. Woodwinds include a large group of musical instruments united by the material and method of extracting air. One of the most ancient is the syringa pipe, which is a tube clogged on one side, in which sound is caused by the vibration of the air column enclosed in it.

Classification of woodwind instruments

Woodwind instruments are divided into two types according to the way the air is blown:

  • Labial (from lat. labium - lips), in which air is blown through a special transverse hole in the head of the instrument. The blown air jet is cut against the sharp edge of the hole, due to which the air column inside the tube begins to oscillate. This type of instrument includes the flute and its folk version pipe.
  • Reed (lingual; from lat. lingua - tongue), in which air is blown through a tongue (cane), fixed in the upper part of the instrument and which is the causative agent for fluctuations in the air column inside the instrument. Canes are of two types:
    • Single reed is a thin reed plate that closes the hole in the mouthpiece of the instrument, leaving in it narrow gap. When air is blown in, the reed, vibrating at a high frequency, assumes a different position, either opening or closing the channel in the instrument's mouthpiece. The vibration of the reed is transferred to a column of air inside the instrument, which also begins to vibrate, thus producing sound. Instruments using single reeds include the traditional clarinet and saxophone, as well as a number of rare instruments such as the aulochrome, heckel clarinet, and others.
    • Double the cane consists of two thin reed plates tightly connected to each other, which, vibrating under the influence of the blown air, close and open the gap formed by themselves. Instruments with a double reed include modern oboe and bassoon, ancient shawls and krummhorn, most folk wind instruments - duduk, zurna, etc.

The use of woodwind instruments in music

In a symphony orchestra, woodwinds (flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons, as well as their varieties) form one of its main groups. In the score, their parts are written above the parts of other instruments. Some of the instruments of this group (first of all, flutes and clarinets, more rarely oboes, even more rarely - bassoons) are also used in a brass band and sometimes in chamber ensembles.

Woodwind instruments are more often used as soloists than other wind instruments.


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