What is Woodwind instrument?
A '''woodwind instrument''' is an instrument belonging to the '''woodwind family'''. Traditionally they were always made of [[wood]], although some of them are now made of [[metal]] or [[plastic]]. In an [[orchestra]] there are four main types of woodwind instruments. Each of these also has related instruments of different sizes: The [[flute]] is the highest of the four main instruments. The lowest note is Middle C and it has a range of 3 [[octave|octaves]]. The [[piccolo]] is the smallest and highest instrument in the orchestra. It plays one octave higher than the flute. There is also an [[alto flute]] which sounds a [[musical intervals|fifth]] lower than the ordinary flute. Flutes are still sometimes made of wood, but mostly they are metal. The [[oboe]] can play slightly lower than the flute. There is a larger version called the [[cor anglais]] (which means: “English horn”). The [[clarinet]] plays nearly an octave lower than the flute. The [[bass clarinet]] plays an octave lower than the clarinet. The [[bassoon]] is the lowest of the four main members, but the [[contrabassoon]] plays right down to the bottom B flat of the [[piano]]. The [[recorder]] is one of the oldest and most popular woodwinds and has been used to great effect by greats, such as [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]], [[Georg Philipp Telemann|Telemann]] and [[Antonio Vivaldi|Vivaldi]]. The general public is normally only familiar with the plastic, child's version of the recorder, but professional and high-quality recorders are still made of wood. The [[saxophone]] may look like a [[brass instrument]], but it is played like a clarinet and therefore it is a woodwind instrument. It is usually played in [[band (music)|bands]] and [[jazz]] groups. == Use == Woodwind instruments are played in several ways. The flute is played by blowing across the top of the mouthpiece. It is like blowing across the top of an empty bottle. The oboe and bassoon both have a double [[Reed (instrument)|reed]]. It is like blowing through a drinking straw.