Woodwinds: Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone, Oboe/Bassoon

Introduction to Woodwinds

Four distinct families of instruments make up the woodwind section of the modern symphony orchestra: Flutes, Clarinets, Oboes and Bassoons. The saxophone, arguably the most popular woodwind in popular music, is not an official member of the orchestra.

Although today some of these instruments are no longer made of wood, they still keep the woodwind name, and are divided by the shape of their bore (either cylindrical or conical).

Early woodwind instruments such as the curtal, shawm and racket, were not only difficult to play in tune, but also made harsh sounds. (Thus the expression "making a racket".) As such they were not popular, and in the mid 17th century they were excluded from Lully's orchestra, France's leading band. Jean Hotteterre and Michel Philidor designed and produced the modern woodwinds, including the transverse flute and the three-section recorder.  The shawm was redesigned to create the oboe and the bassoon was a development of the curtal. The new instruments had a refinement and flexibility that enabled them to co-exist with Lully's violin orchestra, and he accepted them back into his band.

In the 1830s the woodwind instruments were redesigned again, this time by Theobald Boehm, who developed the modern system of keys.