Low woodwind instrument. Woodwinds. History of woodwind instruments

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 closing the special holes with valves to adjust the pitch.

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

Woodwind instruments include modern flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone with all their varieties, ancient recorder, shalmay, chalumeau, etc., as well as a number of folk instruments such as balaban, duduk, zhaleika, flute, zurna, alboka.

History of woodwind instruments

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

Classification of woodwind instruments

According to the method of blowing a stream of air, woodwind instruments are divided into two types:

• Labial (from Latin labium - lips), in which air is blown through a special transverse hole in the head of the instrument. The blown-in air stream is cut by the sharp edge of the hole, causing the air column inside the tube to vibrate. This type of instrument includes the flute and its folk version, the pipe.
• Reed type (lingual; from Latin lingua - tongue), in which air is blown through a reed (cane) fixed in the upper part of the instrument and which causes vibration of the air column inside the instrument. There are two types of canes:
  • Single The reed is a thin reed plate that covers the hole in the mouthpiece of the instrument, leaving a narrow gap in it. When air is blown in, the reed, vibrating at high frequency, takes on different positions, either opening or closing the channel in the mouthpiece of the instrument. The vibration of the reed is transmitted to the column of air inside the instrument, which also begins to vibrate, thus producing sound. Instruments that use a single reed include the traditional clarinet and saxophone, as well as a number of rare instruments such as the aulochrom, heckel-clarinet, and others.
  • Double the cane consists of two thin reed plates, tightly connected to each other, which, vibrating under the influence of blown air, close and open the gap formed by themselves. Instruments with a double reed include modern oboe and bassoon, ancient shawl 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 the other instruments. Some instruments of this group (primarily flutes and clarinets, less commonly oboes, and even more rarely bassoons) are also used in brass bands and sometimes in chamber ensembles.

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

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

Basic information The English horn is a woodwind musical instrument, which is an alto oboe. The English horn received its name due to the erroneous use of the French word anglais (“English”) instead of the correct angle (“curved at an angle” - in the shape of a hunting oboe, from which the English horn originated). Design The structure of the English horn is similar to the oboe, but has a larger size and a 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 among shepherds and is part of their customs. It can also be seen in Buddhist paintings around the year 100 AD

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

Basic information The Bassethorn is a woodwind musical instrument, a type of clarinet. The basset horn has the same structure as a regular clarinet, but is longer, causing it to 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 note C (as written). Basset horn tone

Basic information, history The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument from the family of whistled wind instruments, such as the pipe and ocarina. A recorder is a type of longitudinal flute. The recorder has been known in Europe since the 11th century. It was widespread in the 16th-18th centuries. Used as a solo instrument, in ensembles and orchestras. A. Vivaldi, G. F. Telemann, G. F. wrote for the recorder.

Basic information Brelka is a Russian folk wind wooden musical instrument that was used in former times in a pastoral environment, and now occasionally appears at concert venues in the hands of musicians of folk ensembles. The keychain has a strong sound with a very bright and light timbre. The keychain, in its essence, is nothing more than an ancient version of the oboe, however, compared to the shepherd's pity,

Basic information The whistle is a woodwind musical instrument, a Celtic folk pipe. Whistles are usually made 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 they are also the most popular among whistlers. Whistles exist

Basic information The oboe is a wind wooden musical instrument of the soprano register, which is a conical tube with a valve system and a double reed (reed). The instrument has a melodious, but somewhat nasal, and sharp timbre in the upper register. The instruments, 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 a regular oboe. The oboe d'amore is slightly larger than a regular oboe and, in comparison, produces a less assertive and softer, calmer sound. In the oboe family he is placed as a mezzo-soprano or alto. The range is from G of the small octave to D of the third octave. Oboe d'amore

Basic information, origin Di (henchui, handi - transverse flute) is an ancient Chinese wind wooden musical instrument. Di is one of the most common wind instruments in China. Presumably it was brought from Central Asia between 140 and 87 BC. BC. However, during recent archaeological excavations, bone transverse flutes were discovered that were about

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

Basic information The pipe 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 tubes are blown through one common mouthpiece. In Ukraine, the name sopilka (sopel) has been preserved to this day; in Russia it is rare; in Belarus it is

Basic information Duduk (tsiranapokh) is a wooden wind musical instrument, it is a tube with 9 playing holes and a double reed. Common among the peoples of the Caucasus. It is most popular in Armenia, as well as among Armenians living outside its borders. The traditional name of the Armenian duduk is tsiranapokh, which can be literally translated as “apricot trumpet” or “soul of the apricot tree.” Music

Basic information Zhaleika is an ancient 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 zhaleika The word “zhaleika” is not found in any ancient Russian written monument. The first mention of pity 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 to the others. 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 close

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

Basic information, structure 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 playing holes at the bottom of the tube. It is possible that the instrument was originally made from reeds (as the name indicates). The length of the kamyl is about 70 cm. The scale of the kamyl

Basic information Kena (Spanish quena) is a woodwind musical instrument - a longitudinal flute, used in the music of the Andean region of Latin America. The ken is usually made of reed and has six upper and one lower playing holes. As a rule, kena is done in G (sol) 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. It is used in a wide variety of musical genres and compositions: as a solo instrument, in chamber ensembles, symphony and brass orchestras, folk music, on stage and in jazz. Clarinet

Basic information Clarinet d'amore (Italian: clarinetto d'amore) is a woodwind musical instrument. Structure Like the species instrument, the d'amore clarinet had a single reed and a cylindrical tube, but the width of this tube was smaller than that of a regular clarinet, and the 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 Kolyuka is a woodwind musical instrument - an ancient Russian type of longitudinal overtone flute without playing holes. To make thorns, dried stems of umbrella plants are used - hogweed, shepherd's pipe and others. The role of a whistle or squeak is performed by the tongue. The height of the sound is achieved by overblowing. To change the sound, the lower hole of the tube is also used, which is clamped with a finger or

Basic information The contrabassoon is a woodwind musical instrument, a type of bassoon. The contrabassoon is an instrument of the same type and structure as the bassoon, but with a column of air enclosed in it that is twice as large, which is why it sounds an octave lower than the bassoon. The contrabassoon is the lowest-sounding instrument in the woodwind group and plays the contrabass voice in it. Contrabassoon names on

Basic information Kugikly (kuvikly) is a woodwind musical instrument, a Russian variety of the multi-barrel pan flute. Kugikl device Kugikl are a set of hollow tubes of various lengths and diameters with an open upper end and a closed lower end. This tool was usually made from the stems of kugi (reeds), reeds, bamboo, etc., with the stem knot serving as the bottom. Nowadays, plastic, ebonite

Basic information Kurai is a national Bashkir wind wooden musical instrument similar to a flute. The popularity of kurai is due to its timbre richness. The sound of the kurai is poetic and epically sublime, the timbre is soft, and when played it is accompanied by a guttural bourdon sound. The main and traditional feature of playing the kurai is the ability to play with a chest voice. Light whistling is forgiven only to beginner performers. Professionals perform the melody

Basics The Mabu is a traditional woodwind musical instrument of the Solomon Islanders. A mabu is a wooden pipe with a socket, hollowed out from a section of a tree trunk. A half of a coconut was attached to the upper end, in which a playing hole was made. Large specimens of mabu could reach up to a meter in length with a bell 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 trunk with a single scoring tongue. There are 8 playing holes made in the flute barrel, 7 upper, one lower. At the end of the trunk there is a small horn bell. Mabu is also sometimes made

Basic information, characteristics Small clarinet (piccolo clarinet) is a woodwind musical instrument, a type of clarinet. The small clarinet has the same structure as a 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 loud, especially in the upper register. Like most other instruments in the clarinet family, the small clarinet is transposing and is used

Basic information, device Nai is a Moldavian, Romanian and Ukrainian wind wooden musical instrument - a longitudinal multi-barreled flute. Nai consists of 8-24 tubes of different lengths, mounted in an arched leather clip. The pitch of the sound depends on the length of the tube. Diatonic scale. Folk melodies of various genres are performed on the naya - 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” translated from Italian means “gosling”. The ocarina is a small egg-shaped chamber with holes for fingers ranging from four to thirteen. The ocarina is usually made in ceramic, but is sometimes also made of plastic, wood, glass or metal. By

Basic information Pinquillo (pingullo) is an ancient woodwind musical instrument of the Quechua Indians, a reed transverse flute. Pinquillo is common among the Indian populations of Peru, Bolivia, Northern Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador. Pinquillo is the ancestor of the Peruvian Kena. Pinquillo is made from reeds, traditionally cut “at dawn, away from prying eyes.” Has 5-6 side playing holes. Pingulio length is 30-32 cm. Pingulio range is approx.

Basic information, application The transverse flute (or simply flute) is a woodwind musical instrument of the soprano register. The names of the transverse flute in different languages ​​are: flauto (Italian); flatus (Latin); flute (French); flute (English); flote (German). The flute is available in a wide variety of performance techniques; it is often assigned orchestral solos. The transverse flute is used in symphony and brass orchestras, and also, along with the clarinet,

Basic information The Russian horn is a wooden wind musical instrument. The Russian horn has different names: in addition to “Russian” - “shepherd”, “song”, “Vladimir”. The name “Vladimir” horn acquired relatively recently, at the end of the 19th century, as a result of the success of the performances of a choir of horn players led by Nikolai Vasilyevich Kondratiev from the Vladimir region. Horn tunes are divided into 4 genre varieties: signal, song,

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

Basic information The flute is an ancient Russian wind wooden musical instrument of the longitudinal flet type. Origin, history of the pipe The Russian pipe has not yet been sufficiently studied. Experts have long been trying to correlate existing whistle instruments with ancient Russian names. Most often, chroniclers use three names for instruments of this type - flute, nozzle and foregrip. 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. Suling consists of a bamboo cylindrical trunk, about 85 cm long and equipped with 3-6 playing holes. The sound of suling is very gentle. Usually sad melodies are played on this instrument. Suling is used as a solo and orchestral instrument. Video: Sulingna video + sound Thanks to these videos you

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

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

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

The material was at hand. Reed reeds, bamboo and other twigs served as the basis for future pipes. Nobody knows who and when guessed to make holes in them. However, wind instruments made from scrap materials have forever taken a place in people's hearts.

People realized that as the barrel grew larger, the pitch of the sound changed, and this understanding was the impetus for the improvement of instruments. Gradually they changed until they transformed into modern woodwind instruments.

To this day, musicians lovingly call these instruments “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 instruments

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

All these instruments are united by a common system of holes - holes that are created so that the length of the instrument barrel can be increased or decreased.

Relationship between wooden and copper instruments

Woodwind instruments, however, have some kinship with brass instruments. This relationship lies in the fact that to produce sound, air is needed, which is released by the lungs. These two groups of instruments have no other common features. Wooden and copper instruments can be combined into .

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

Labial and reed woodwind instruments

According to the method of producing sound, woodwinds are divided into labial , which includes 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, but in the second, on the contrary, he has to worry about periodically changing them. However, these expenses are justified by the beauty of the sound and timbre of the instruments.

Which instrument is suitable for a child?

For young children, woodwind instruments are just what they need. As a rule, one begins to learn how to play brass instruments when strength appears and the muscle corset is strengthened, although there are exceptions. As for woodwinds, a recorder is an excellent choice for kids. It is simple and easy to play because it does not require any effort from the breathing apparatus.

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

An orchestra is a large composition of musicians consisting of groups. In these groups, the musicians play in unison. There are orchestras of different composition and musical direction. It can be: symphonic, wind, string, pop, jazz, military, school, folk instruments.
The instruments of a symphony orchestra are combined into groups: strings, winds, and percussion. In turn, wind instruments can be made of copper or wood, depending on the material from which they are made.

About woodwind instruments in general

Woodwind instruments of a symphony orchestra are bassoon, oboe, flute, clarinet and, of course, their varieties. Woodwinds include the saxophone and bagpipes with their own variants, but they are extremely rarely used in this orchestra.

Basically, any of these instruments performs its part. It is generally accepted that woodwind parts should be placed at the top of scores. The overall timbre of woodwind instruments is very bright, compact, but also powerful. This sound is more similar to a human voice than others.

The very name of woodwind instruments comes from the fact that initially they were all made of wood. Over time, other materials began to be used in their manufacture, but the name wooden was retained.
Shortening the sounding column of air through opening the holes is the principle of sound production of these instruments. The holes are located on the body.

Woodwind instruments, based on the method of directing a stream of air, in turn, come in two types: labial - flute and duduk - and reed instruments (with a single reed - saxophone, clarinet - and with a double reed - duduk, zurna, oboe, bassoon, shawl).

And now in more detail.

Flute

The flute is a labial woodwind instrument. It appeared a long time ago, when people made holes on cut reeds with a closed end and extracted sounds from it. In the Middle Ages, two types of flutes were common: straight, which was held straight, like a clarinet, and transverse, which was held at an angle. Over time, already on the threshold of the 19th century, it became more in demand and eclipsed the straight line with its practicality.

In the group of woodwind instruments, it is the flute that has the highest sound. This is the most technically flexible instrument of all. It is difficult to play slow melodies and sustained notes, since a large amount of air is used when playing it (the air breaks up on the sharp edge of the hole and is partially lost). This creates the characteristic sound of a flute. The range of the transverse flute is from the first to the fourth octaves.

Main types of flute

The recorder is a longitudinal flute of the whistle family. The head part uses an insert. A distinctive feature is 7+1 finger holes. The timbre is soft.

The piccolo flute is a transverse flute. Twice as long as usual. Has the highest sound. The timbre is very bright, and with Music dynamic forte.svg it is very shrill.

Svirel is a Russian woodwind instrument, longitudinal flute. It can have two barrels of different lengths, tuned together into a clear quart.

Syringa is a longitudinal flute. It can be single-barrel or multi-barrel. In ancient times, shepherds played it.

Panflute is a multi-barrel flute. This is a bundle of several tubes of varying lengths.

Di is an ancient Chinese woodwind instrument. It is transverse and has six holes.

Kena is a longitudinal flute made of reed. Used in Latin American music.

The Irish flute is widely used in the performance of Irish folk tunes. This is a transverse flute.

All these types of flutes are woodwind instruments. The list can also be replenished with such representatives of the family as the pyzhatka, the whistle and the ocarina.

Oboe

The next instrument from the woodwind section is the oboe. It is known that the oboe does not lose its tuning and therefore the entire orchestra is tuned to the mood that this particular instrument provides.

The oboe is also a woodwind instrument with a double reed. Just like an ancient representative of the pipe family. Its ancestors were bombarda, bagpipes, duduk, zurna. The oboe, thanks to its melodiousness and soft timbre (although it is harsh), is a favorite instrument of both professional composers and musicians, and amateurs. Technically, it is also flexible, but in this regard it is inferior to the flute. Externally, it is a cone-shaped tube, the upper end of which is a double reed, and the lower end is a funnel-shaped bell.

Main varieties of oboe

Modern oboe: musette, conical oboe, baritone horn, English horn.

Baroque oboe: baroque oboe d'amour, oboe da caccia or hunting oboe.

Clarinet

The clarinet is the most common reed woodwind musical instrument. It has a single reed and a wide range of sounds. In appearance, it is a wooden tube in the form of a cylinder, at one end of which there is a single reed, and the other end is a corolla-shaped bell.

The timbre of the instrument is soft and somewhat dramatic. No other woodwind instrument in a symphony orchestra has the ability to change the intensity of sound like the clarinet. Thanks to this quality, the clarinet is considered one of the most expressive instruments of the orchestra. The scope of application of the clarinet in music is wide and varied. In addition to symphony, brass and military orchestras, it is actively used in jazz, pop and even folk music.

Main types of clarinet

Large or soprano clarinet is the main variety, an instrument of alto and soprano registers.

Small clarinet - rarely used, has a loud timbre.

Bass clarinet - its sound is an octave lower than the large clarinet. This woodwind instrument, sounding in a low register, is often used in orchestras to enhance bass voices. Has dramatic power. The bass clarinet is widely used in jazz.

Basset horn - for extending down the range of a regular clarinet. It has a calm and solemn timbre.

Bassoon

Bassoon is a reed woodwind instrument. His range covers low registers: partial alto, tenor and bass. The bassoon replaced its predecessor - the ancient bass pipe bombard. Unlike the bombard, which has a hoarse sound, the bassoon has a gentle, melancholic sound.

The barrel of the bassoon is wooden, long and therefore foldable. A metal tube with a cane attached is attached to the top of the barrel. It is suspended from the musician's neck using a cord.
In an orchestra, the bassoon can serve as a support for the bass or have an independent part. Large-scale air consumption is required when playing this instrument, especially in the low register with a loud sound.

The only type of bassoon

The only variety of modern bassoon is the contrabassoon. This deep-voiced woodwind instrument is considered the lowest-range instrument in the orchestra, second only to the pedal organ basses. It has a thick organ timbre.

Saxophone

The above instruments with their varieties are woodwind instruments. The list can only be replenished with one more representative of this group - the saxophone.

The saxophone is rarely used in a symphony orchestra. It is often played in brass bands. It has a powerful sound. It is one of the central instruments in jazz and pop music. Has a melodious timbre. From a technical point of view, he is very agile. It reaches from 15 centimeters to 2 meters. The saxophone is made of copper, and this is further proof that the name of woodwind instruments does not always coincide with the material from which they are made.

Main types of saxophone

Soprano saxophone. Can be straight or curved. Not recommended for beginners. It has a piercing and strong timbre.

Alto saxophone or classical saxophone. A curved, commonly used type of instrument. Recommended for those who are just starting to learn the game. Has the smallest mouthpiece. Endowed with a bright and expressive timbre. It is mainly a solo instrument.

The type is used more than others in jazz. Its size, mouthpiece, bore and stems are larger than the alto saxophone. It has a hoarse, rich timbre. It is easier to play technically complex passages.

Baritone saxophone. It is the largest in size, so it is more susceptible to damage than others. It has a thick and strong timbre.

The range of any saxophone is two and a half octaves. With good technical preparation, it is possible to produce higher notes.

Bagpipes

The bagpipe is a kind of traditional wind instrument. In appearance, the bagpipe is a leather bag covered with fur and filled with air. Several wooden tubes are inserted into it. One of the tubes has holes, a melody is played on it, the other (smaller in size) is used to pump air. The rest provide continuous sound of several sounds, the pitch of which remains unchanged. Has a strong shrill sound. Bagpipes accompany the performance of many European (and not only) folk dances.

Thus, woodwind instruments are instruments of different genres, with different timbres and ranges, used in various musical compositions.

(generic instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon)

The group of woodwind instruments is very heterogeneous in its timbre and technical capabilities. Possessing much less flexibility, less mobility, and more limited possibilities in the field of nuance than string instruments, the woodwind group plays a much smaller role in the orchestra than bowed instruments. Starting from the first quarter of the 19th century, the importance of this group of instruments increased, and orchestral literature was enriched with a number of expressive solos and episodes for woodwinds. From about the same time, so-called specific woodwind instruments systematically appeared in the orchestra (see orchestra table, Chapter 2 (Possibly a typo, the table of orchestra compositions with specific instruments is in Chapter III - Musstudent)).

The timbre of each of the woodwind instruments is very uneven. Throughout the entire range (scale) of each of the woodwind instruments, three “register timbres” can (conditionally) be distinguished. This circumstance allowed many composers to subtly use the different timbre capabilities of each of these instruments, mixing the timbres of two, three or more instruments in various combinations, various cases of comparison, etc. Pointing out these features of woodwinds, N.A.

Rimsky-Korsakov (“Fundamentals of Orchestration”) notes that each of these instruments has its own area of ​​“expressive playing,” in which the instrument is most capable of shades, changes in dynamics, subtle nuances, etc. This area lies mainly in range of the middle register of the instrument. Outside the “area of ​​expressive playing,” it can provide the orchestrator with only timbral colors, with more limited dynamic shades.

The sounding body - the vibrator - in wind instruments is the air that fills the body of the instrument. Under the influence of a special exciter (sound generator), the air column enclosed in the instrument begins to oscillate periodically, creating a musical sound of a certain height. This kind of sound can be observed when the wind hums in a chimney, in fans, etc. The timbre of this tool depends on:

1. the shape of the volume of air contained in the instruments, which are given different appearances;

2. on the type of sound generator;

3. and partly from the material from which the instrument is made.

All woodwind instruments consist of a wooden tube (grenadilla or coconut wood) with holes drilled along the body of the instrument. Some of the holes are closed with valves. With all the holes closed, the instrument produces the lowest sound - the fundamental tone of its range due to the fact that the entire column of air contained in the instrument is vibrating (“sounding”) at the moment. With the gradual opening of the holes, the column of air contained in the instrument is shortened, and we obtain, using a well-known fingering, a complete chromatic scale within an octave (for example, in a flute) or within a duodecima (in clarinets).

To obtain higher sounds, within two, three or more octaves, the “overblowing” technique is used.

The pitch of the instrument's fundamental tone is determined by the length of the tube, that is, the longer the tube, the lower the instrument's sound. Air injection can be done strongly or weakly. If you blow air strongly, then the air column enclosed in the instrument comes into significant vibration and breaks up into two, and with even stronger blowing into three or more parts, causing the main sound to increase by an octave interval (at the first blowing), duodecima ( during the second blowing), etc., according to the natural scale. In this way the full volume of the instrument is obtained.

Sound generators for woodwinds are divided into two main types:

1. Labial (“labial”).

2. Lingual (“tongue”).

In instruments with a labial sound generator (flute), the sound is obtained from the friction of a stream of air against tense lips and the edges of a hole drilled in the head of the instrument. Thus, flute instruments do not have any additional “peeper” to produce sound. Sound production in this case is completely similar to the sound produced by whistling through a drilled door key.

Reed sound generators are built basically like a children's toy, a squeaker made from an acacia pod.

When two elastic plates do not fit tightly together, a stream of air rushes into the narrow gap with force, causing the sharp edges of the plates to vibrate. This is how a sound generator called a “reed” is built (from a special type of reed from which woodwind reeds are made). For oboe and bassoon, a double reed consisting of two plates is used; in the clarinet, one reed plate is attached to the sharply beveled edge of the instrument's head. The principle of sound formation remains the same here.

The high sound of the peep vibrates the column of air in the instrument and causes the latter to vibrate and produce a musical sound.

A wind instrument can only produce one sound at a time. In the future, when becoming familiar with wind instruments, students will more than once have to encounter the concept of so-called “transposing instruments.” For a variety of technical reasons and due to some historical background, some instruments read lower or higher by a certain interval, compared to its notation on the staff. The scope of the textbook does not allow us to talk in detail about the circumstances that have forced us to this day to use a method of recording some instruments that is so inconvenient for a novice instrument player. But a student of instrumentation should learn to fluently transpose to fp from the very first lessons. batches of such instruments.

Flute (Flauto); volume

The performer holds the instrument in a horizontal position. The flute is a very flexible instrument, allowing you to write fast scale-like sequences, wide leaps, arpeggios, trills and other passages for it. The timbre of the flute is light (especially in the middle), somewhat dull, cold and weak-sounding in the lower register, bright and somewhat harsh, “whisking” in the upper register. The middle and upper registers of the flute have been used continuously by all orchestral composers since ancient times. Lowercase, with rare exceptions, has not been used for a long time. But, starting (approximately) with J. Bizet (1833-1875), a whole series of French composers (Delibes, 1836-1891), (Massenet, 1842-1912), followed by many later composers, both French and outstanding orchestrators among Russian and German authors write a number of interesting solos for flute in the low register. On the flute, a special effect is possible, achieved by double blowing the tongue (quick interruption of the sound - staccato).

Small flute (Flauto piccolo). Volume:

It is written an octave lower than the actual sonority. Used in an orchestra mainly as an additional instrument, increasing the volume of the large flute in the upper register, or to double the large flute part by an octave (for example: in the large “tutti”). The small flute has a sharp and strong sound. In Russian and Western orchestral literature there are a number of solos for piccolo flute.

The alto flute, sounding a fourth or fifth lower than the large flute, began to appear in the orchestra relatively recently and is not yet very widespread.

Oboe, volume: The performer holds the instrument at a downward angle. The oboe is less mobile than the flute, and it is more characterized by cantilena (singing) melodies. Nevertheless, short passages, trills, and arpeggios at a fairly agile tempo are quite accessible to him.

The timbre of the oboe in the lower register is somewhat harsh, the middle register is soft and light, and the upper register is sharp. The timbre of the oboe has a certain nasality, reminiscent of the sounds of a shepherd's horn. It is these timbre features of the oboe that composers often use when depicting pictures of nature, shepherd tunes, etc.

English horn (Corno inglese), volume:

sounds a fifth lower than the notated sounds. The English horn is played by a second oboist or a special performer (with a three-piece composition: two oboes and an English horn). The timbre of the English horn is even more condensed and nasal than that of the oboe. Its sound resembles the timbre of some oriental wind instruments.

The English horn became widespread among Russian composers, starting with Glinka, who often resorted to the specific timbre of this instrument to depict an oriental flavor.

Clarinet (clarinetto), volume:

tool. The clarinet has great beauty of timbre and considerable flexibility in nuance. The clarinet sounds excellent in arpeggios, scales, trills and a wide variety of passages in a very dynamic theme. The middle register of the clarinet is soft and rich; the lower one is somewhat dull and gloomy; the upper one is piercingly sharp. The clarinet began to be used in orchestras relatively recently. His invention dates back to approximately 1700. Only in the second half of the 18th century did the clarinet become a permanent member of the orchestra. Haydn and Mozart used it with great caution (some works of these composers were instrumented without clarinets), and only starting from the time of Weber, the clarinet began to occupy almost one of the main places in the family of wind instruments.

Due to the special design of the valves, it is inconvenient to perform pieces with a large number of symbols on the clarinet. To avoid this inconvenience, a modern orchestra uses two clarinet tunings: for sharp keys the clarinet is in tuning A, and for flat keys it is in tuning B. Thus, the clarinet is a transposing instrument.

Melody

on the clarinet in tuning A it will sound:

and on the clarinet in tuning B it will sound:

When modulating in a piece in the clarinet part, several pauses are given to change the tuning (change the clarinet). (In the part it is written: “muta A in B”, that is, replace clarinet A with clarinet B.)

Bass clarinet (Clarinetto basso), transposing instrument. Somewhat less mobile than the clarinet. Used in tunings A and B (the latter more often).

To make it easier to play, his part is written in treble clef.

Letter volume:

Sounds:

The timbre of the bass clarinet is gloomy and gloomy; the sound is strong.

Small clarinets (Clarinetti piccoli), starting with Berlioz, are sometimes introduced into the symphony orchestra. The timbre of the small clarinet is sharp and piercing. Used in D and Es tunings.

Bassoon (Fagotto), volume:

playing with a curved metal tube. The bassoon part is written in bass and tenor keys.

Lower and middle registers are the most beautiful and common. Higher sounds are somewhat dull. The bassoon can perform fairly fast passages, especially arpeggios. Jumps at almost any interval, trills, staccato technique, etc. are very common.

Contrafagotto, volume:

Sounds an octave lower than the notated sounds. A very bulky instrument, little moving, with a powerful sound. It is used in some cases to double the bassoon part by octave in large orchestras (in large tutti), to strengthen the bass group, etc.

In addition to the main and most commonly used type instruments of the woodwind group discussed here (in the scores of ancient composers and newer ones and our contemporaries - Western and Russian composers), a number of instruments have been and are being used, either completely not used in modern musical practice, or not who have still found a place that is quite strong in the orchestral score. Such instruments include ancient basset horns, oboe d'amour, or, for example, saxophones, heckelphone, etc. The purpose of our short course is not to consider these rare members of the symphony orchestra.

The woodwind group in its main composition, just like the string group, provides a complete harmonic complex: flutes play the role of the soprano voice, oboes - the alto voice, clarinets - the tenor voice, bassoons - the bass voice.

This is exactly what a woodwind “quartet” will sound like if you arrange the instruments according to their nominal height:

But, as will be seen from what follows, any of the instruments in the wind group can play the role of a soprano voice, and the rest can serve as accompaniment.

Specific instruments (piccolo flute, cor anglais, bass and piccolo clarinets, counter-bassoon) serve mainly for special effects, to enhance the group of wooden instruments and to increase the volume (main scale) of generic instruments.

During the time of the Viennese classics, the woodwind group was only established in its paired composition; but often these composers used an incomplete pair composition, either including the 2nd flute part in the score, or not using clarinets at all, etc.

The parts of each pair of main instruments of the woodwind group are usually written on one line (one staff) and only occasionally on two, using the following conventions. When both instruments play in unison, they write at the top: “a2”, which means together. If two instruments play different parts, their notes are written with stems in different directions. Indications “1 solo”, “2 solo” indicate a solo performance of a given passage by one of two instruments