Woodwinds (Clarinet)

Clarinet

The clarinet, a member of the woodwind family, usually consists of a long tube with a mouthpiece at one end and a bell-shaped opening at the other end. Usually made of wood, the clarinet has tone holes that are covered by small metal levers. To create sound, the musician blows on a flat cane reed that is attatched to the mouthpiece. As the reed vibrates, a full, rich tone is produced. By pushing the keys to close and open the tone holes on the instrument, the pitches of the tone can be changed. Clarinets are manufactured in four keys; the most common band instrument is the B-flat clarinet. This clarinet has a range of about three-and-one-half octaves.

Clarinet

History:

The clarinet was invented in the early 18th century by Johann Cristoph Denner, a German flute maker, as a modification of a folk reedipe, the chalumeau. By the 1840s two complex systems of keywork had been developed for the instrument. Clarinets became common in orchestras by about the 1780s. Early works featuring the clarinet include an overture written by George Frideric Handel for two clarinets and a horn and the clarinet concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

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Woodwinds (Oboe and English Horn)

Oboe

The Oboe is the smallest and highest pitched double reed instrument. It has a cylindrical wooden body with keys along the length of its body. The oboe has a range of about three octaves but is extremely difficult to play. The oboe requires a lot of air to play, and the musician must learn proper breathing techniques.

Oboe

History:

The oboe was invented in the 17th century by Jean Hotteterre and Michel Philidor, two French musicians. They modified the louder shawm into a new instrument, the hautbois. The hautbois had a narrower body than the shawm and was split into three sections. By the 18th century most orchestras had incoporated oboes into the ensemble. Throuhgout history, several copmosers have written solo pieces for the oboe. These composers include George Frideric Handel, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Motzart, and Ludwig van Beethoven.

English Horn

The English Horn is part of the oboe family. It is also called an alto oboe because it is tuned one-fifth lower in pitch than an oboe. Its shape is similar to that of an oboe and is often played by the third oboe player in an orchestra.

History:

Prototypes of the English Horn appeared before the end of the 17th century. These instruments were curved and leather covered with holes in the body. The holes were usually bored at an angle to accomodate the stretch of the fingers. It is believed that the oboe da caccia (hunting oboe) which was used by Johann Sebastian Bach was almost identical to the English Horn. Its distinctively dark and plaintive tone has been featured by such composers as Hector Berlioz, Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, and Richard Wagner.

Oboe and English Horn Duet:

CU Flute Ensemble: Four Flutes Concerto Vivaldi

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Bass Flute

The bass flute was for many years the lowest member of the flute family. However, in recent years the rise in popularity of flute choirs and developments in low flute design have resulted in the addition of contrabass and subcontrabass models in G and C.

Pitched in C, the bass flute sounds one octave lower than the standard concert flute (C flute), and the standard bass flute has a workable range of almost three octaves from the C one octave below middle C.

Different makes of standard-model bass flute are relatively similar to each other in terms of design; all have curved headjoints, to reduce the amount of arm stretch required of the player, and the vast majority are held horizontally to the side of the player.

The basic design of a standard-model bass flute is the same as the C flute, with the specifications proportionally larger and extra levers and touchpieces added to some of the keys to allow for more comfortable hand positions. The standard model has a C footjoint and closed holes, and may not have trill keys. As a result, there are many constraints in terms of extended techniques, especially in the area of multiphonics, which often need additional venting in order to sound. The tube length is around 146cm and the instrument requires a large capacity of air at slow speeds. The instrument can be slow to respond, especially when cold, and it is not unusual for the bass flute to be amplified in performance, especially when heard with large ensembles.

Specification:
Level	Professional	Tone Holes	Drawn
Key of	C	Key Types	Plateau
Body Style	Type-1	Key System	Offset G
Body Material	Gold Brass; Wooden Hand Rest	Key Mechanism	N/A
Headjoint	Curved; Gold Brass Sterling Silver Lip Plate and Riser	Spring Type	Blue Steel
Key Material	Nickel Silver (posts and ribs)	Screw Type	Tapered Pivot
Footjoint	C	Bumper Type	Leather
Plating	Silver (keys)	Options	N/A

Alto Flute in G

Alto Flute in G is one of the most sought-after alto flutes in the world. It is characterized by an agile response and precise intonation, but its best feature is its warm, beautiful sound.

The alto flute is a lower and somewhat more unusual member of the flute family than the piccolo and concert C flute. Sounding a perfect fourth lower than the flute in C, it has a sounding range from G below middle C to the G three octaves higher. Its sound differs from that of the C flute, despite its similar compass, due to the fundamental differences in size necessary to enable to lowest pitches to sound. The internal diameter (bore size) of the alto may be up to seven millimetres larger than that of the C flute, and is considerably longer, measuring approximately 880mm, compared to the 685mm of the C flute. 

Alto Flute in G

The basic design of a standard alto flute is the same as the C flute, with the specifications proportionally larger and extra levers attached to some of the keys to allow for the large space between tone holes.

The exact origin of the alto flute is unknown, although large flutes have been in existence for several hundred years. Early flutes were tuned to different pitches, to cover a wider range of pitches than was possible with the limited compass of instruments without keys. Early use of flutes was predominantly military. Flutes were later used to add an instrumental colouring to vocal lines, and eventually became exponents of instrumental music in the form of a consort of similar sounding instruments with different pitch ranges. 

There are thought to have been soprano, alto, tenor and bass flutes, tuned a perfect fifth apart with a pitch range limited to approximately an octave. The modern C flute, with a much greater extension of range than the earlier instruments, is an amalgamation of the alto and tenor versions of these early flutes. The bass member of the family, pitched in G, suffered from a number of impracticalities due to its necessary size, and became virtually obsolete until Boehm's work to modernise it in the mid 19th century.

Specification:
Level	Professional	Key Types	Plateau
Key	G	Key System	Offset G
Body Style	Type-1	Key Mechanism	N/A
Body Material	Gold brass	Spring Type	Blue Steel
Headjoint	Straight; Curved; Gold brass Sterling silver lip plate and riser	Screw Type	Tapered Pivot
Key Material	Nickel silver (posts and ribs)	Options	Curved Headjoint (YFL-A421UII); Straight and Curved Headjoints (YFL-A421BII)
Footjoint	C	Key Types	Plateau
Tone Holes	Drawn	Key System	Offset G

Woodwinds (Flute)

Flute

The flute is the instrument that serves as the soprano voice in most bands, orchestras, and woodwind groups. Most flutes are made of metal and consist chiefly of a tube with a mouthpiece near one end. The musician holds the flute horizontally and blows across an oval shaped hole in the mouthpiece.

At the same time, the musician presses levers on the flute, called keys. The keys, when depressed and released, open and close tone holes on the flute to produce different notes. The concert flute, which is tuned in the key of C, is the most popular flute and has a three octave range. Other members of the flute family include the piccolo, the alto flute, and the bass flute.

History:

The transverse flute, the flute that is most commonly used in Western music, was known to have existed in China about 900 BCE. The flute reached Europe during the 12th century where it became most used as a military instrument in German speaking areas. This led to its formal name, the German flute. The flute then evolved into a chamber music instrument during the 16th and 17th centuries. These early flutes were often made in one piece with six fingerholes. 

Bohem flute

Demo For Bohem Flute:

During the 1600s, however, the flute was redesigned and was built in three sections with joints which connected them together. Gradually, more keys were added to the flute, and it began to replace the recorder in orchestral pieces. By 1800, a four-keyed flute was most common, but during that century, an eight-keyed flute was also developed. Currently, the cylindrical Bohem flute is the most commonly used with thirteen or more tone holes controlled by a system of padded keys

Professional Handmade Piccolo> YPC-82

YPC-82

Only the finest Grenadilla woods go into this entirely handcrafted piccolo.

These piccolo are handcrafted by accomplished artisans and have bodies of top grade grenadilla. The YPC-82 features a sterling head-joint while the YPC-81 features a head-joint of grenadilla.

Specifications

Level	Handcrafted	Tone Holes	Undercut
Key of	C	Key System	N/A
Body Style	Standard	Key Types	Concave contoured with ribbed key post
Body Material	Grenadilla Wood	Key Mechanism	Split E
Headjoint	Sterling Silver / Conical	Spring Type	Stainless Steel
Key Material	Nickel Silver	Screw Type	Straight
Footjoint	N/A	Bumper Type	Neoprene
Plating	Silver (keys and posts)	Tone Holes	Undercut

Demo:

Professional Handmade Piccolo> YPC-81R

YPC-81R

The wave cut head-joint on this professional handmade piccolo provides improved response and a wider dynamic range.
These piccolo are handcrafted by accomplished artisans and have bodies of top Grenadilla. The YPC-81R features a head-joint of grenadilla.

Specifications

Level	Handcrafted	Tone Holes	Undercut
Key of	C	Key System	N/A
Body Style	Standard	Key Types	Concave contoured with ribbed key post
Body Material	Grenadilla Wood	Key Mechanism	Split E
Headjoint	Grenadilla Wood / Wave Cut	Spring Type	Stainless Steel
Key Material	Nickel Silver	Screw Type	Straight
Footjoint	N/A	Bumper Type	Neoprene
Plating	Silver (keys and posts)	Tone Holes	Undercut