Woodwind Instruments 7 th Grade General Musical Families

Woodwind Instruments 7 th Grade General Musical Families Unit

Ancestors of Woodwind Instruments • Recorders • Shawm • Traverse Flute

Flute • Modern day flutes made of metal • Held side ways – with your left hand in front of the instrument and your right behind • To make sound you need to blow over the mouthpiece like you blow over the top of a soda bottle.

Flute • Plays music written in treble clef. • Plays very high notes. • Often used to portray birds or something flying in orchestra or band music

Clarinet • Modern clarinets are made of plastic or wood. Wood clarinets sound better. • Held in front of your body and played with both hands • To produce sound air is blown through a mouthpiece that has a reed on it. The reed vibrates back and forth to produce the sound.

Clarinet • Plays music written in treble clef. • Can play both high and low notes. • The sound is sometimes used to make you think of something sneaky or curious.

Alto Saxophone • Saxophones have always been made from metal. • Very similar to a clarinet by the way that it is held and played. • Uses a reed mouthpiece just like the clarinet. Only a little bigger.

Alto Saxophone • Plays music written in the treble clef. • It is not included in the orchestra, but it is included in concert bands. • The Saxophones strongest type of music that is plays is Jazz.

Flute Cousins • Piccolo • Alto Flute • Bass Flute

Clarinet Cousins • Soprano Clarinet • Alto Clarinet • Bass Clarinet

Saxophone Cousins • Soprano Sax • Tenor Sax • Baritone Sax