Questions tagged [woodwinds]
A group of wind instruments that includes flutes and all reed instruments (saxophone, bassoon, etc).
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Will a soak in mouthwash hurt mouthpieces?
I’m teaching wind instruments to grade 7 and 8’s after a decade of teaching primary music. Since covid, my school board mandates a specific cleaning solution must be used for sanitation. Brass and ...
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Alternate tempo indications in Janáček's Mládí
What is the reason for the alternate tempo markings in Janáček's Mládí here and elsewhere? Is one of them aimed at players who are no longer in the first flush of 'Youth' maybe?
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What woodwind instruments have easier embouchure?
I've been stuggling playing the trumpet because of the lip position. Do woodwind instruments have less pressure on the lips or have easier embouchure compared to brass?
If you had to rank the ...
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What woodwind & brass instruments are most air efficient?
So I am trying to compose this woodwind quintet and other pieces relating to woodwind and brass instruments, and I need to figure out whether I can let some instruments breathe or keep playing. After ...
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How well can woodwind instruments leap large intervals?
I've composed this passage:
I'm concerned about it due to the large leaps in three of the four instruments. I have tried to find some information online about leaps and woodwind instruments, but ...
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Tune of wind instruments and the strength of blow
First of all I want to inform you that I wasn't that close with music in my life so I might not know the obvious and mix up terminology. I am gathering information for an engineering project involving ...
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What's this flat squiggly line below the notes at the end of this clarinet jazz solo?
This is from cuphead.
Youtube link here:
It kind of sounds like vibrato.
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Diatonic harmonica: draw bends from Hole 1 to Hole 6 - principles
Why the diatonic harmonica have different draw bends available? What is the principle behind this setup?
Like:
Hole 1 draw bend has only 1 semitone down.
Hole 2 draw bend has 2 choices of semitones ...
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Diatonic harmonica: How to play the draw bend with the three semitones down (effectively)?
For the diatonic harmonica, in the 3rd draw position B, how to play the draw bend with the three semitones down (marked in blue rectangle) B, Bb, A?
I could play a semitones down, most easily in the ...
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Which version of notating dynamics for woodwinds is more clear?
As in title - which is better (if any)? Specifically for flutes and oboes.
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What is the name of this brass (most likely) instrument? [closed]
I'm not sure if this is considered an appropriate post, I hope it is but if not, my apologies. I've heard this distinct instrument a couple times. I'm not sure what it is but am really fond of it, and ...
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Can I start playing on this clarinet?
Me: no money at all and no experience with wind instruments.
Goal: learn how to play clarinet and to read music.
Found this "French-styled clarinet from URSS" for 40 dollars.
Is it ...
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Why are end-blown flutes shorter than their ideal length?
A flute is an open cylinder air column instrument. This means that an idealised flute, the fundamental pitch of the flute should have a wavelength of twice the length of the flute.
This isn't exactly ...
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Is it difficult to transition from German fingering to Baroque fingering?
Just for fun, I am looking into learning how to play the recorder. I might be able to get a soprano recorder from a friend who doesn't play it anymore, but it seems like it requires German fingering. ...
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How can I find out which woodwind instruments have the same (or almost the same) fingering so it makes transitioning between those instruments easier?
Just for fun, I want to begin learning woodwind instruments. Unfortunately, I have to put some financial constraints on that project. Therefore, I am looking into learning how to play the recorder, ...
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Do nickel-free bassoons exist?
I am allergic to nickel. I come up in itchy bumps after contact.
I would like to try playing bassoon but all the ones I have looked at have nickel silver keys, which isn't silver at all but is nickel.
...
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Slurs for flute
In writing for the flute when the composer does not play the instrument himself, how does he know where to put the slurs?
To my understanding slur markings for woodwind indicate to play with a certain ...
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LilyPond: modifying woodwind diagrams
Regarding woodwind diagram in LilyPond such as:
\markup {
\center-column {
\override #'(size . 0.7) {
\woodwind-diagram #'flute #'((cc . (oneF two three four five six))
(...
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Tin whistle material
What are the principle differences between tin whistles constructed of brass vs. nickel, other than price. They would be used by beginners. Does either instrument possess a more desirable timbre ...
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The interaction between strings and woodwinds in an orchestral setting
I have only worked with relatively small orchestras, and in that time, one of the biggest problems is the combination of strings and woodwinds, especially in contrapuntal writing where the main voice ...
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wind instrument tone - good practice routine?
I understand that to get a good tone the best exercise is to play long tones. There are tons of variations of long tone exercises:
a) starting pianissimo and ending fortissimo for as long as you can ...
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Influence of room acoustics on practicing (woodwind) instruments
While practicing flute I noticed I find it much easier to have a good tone when I practice in my living room then when I practice in my normal (music)room. I was thinking that this could be because of ...
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Instrument Switching Question: B flat to Bass Clarinet
I'm writing for a classical style orchestra: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, timpani, strings — two parts each, except timpani and strings.
There is one spot where I think a ...
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What is up with the bell on the English horn?
What is the story behind the shape of the bell on the English horn (AKA the cor anglais)?
But first, a quick look at the clarinet family for a comparison.
The standard clarinet (in Bb or A) has a ...
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Circular breathing technique on "mouthpieced" woodwind instruments (clarinet, recorder, saxophone and so on)
I'm trying to learn circular breathing to extend my range of "advanced" techniques. I had asked my teacher for advice, but he said he was a "natural" at circular breathing (meaning ...
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How much air comes out of the tone holes in a woodwind or brass instrument
When a woodwind or brass instrument is played, how much air, if any, comes out of the tone holes?
Or does the air go into the tone holes due to the Bernoulli / venturi effect?
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Wind instruments: why is the left hand on top?
Every wind instrument which require the two hands to press keys (saxophone, clarinet, oboe…) have the left hand of the player being the top one. This consistency makes it easier to switch from one ...
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What specific practice exercice would you recomend for woodwind during extreme hot days ? (There's no air !)
Practice during summer and extremely hot weather is really difficult, (for me, and may be for you as well).
Would you have any specific exercise to ease the practice session ?
I tend to feel like a ...
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Circular breathing: same technique regardless of instrument?
Is the technique of circular breathing the same across all wind instruments? For example, if I learn to circular breathe on a didgeridoo, will it be easy for me to learn how to do so on a trumpet?
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Breath Marks (different symbols)
Breath marks (related to caesurae) often appear in scores for woodwind instruments where it is acceptable to take a breath of air. They are placed in a passage where the phrasing will not be ...
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Alto sax screw fell out
I have a Jupiter alto saxophone, and in the middle of practicing I suddenly heard something fall into the bell. It turned out to be a small screw. I scoured the sax trying to find an empty hole but ...
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How Do I Utilize My Practice Time So It Is Efficient (Clarinet)?
As a high school clarinetist, I have showed skill and potential. I play a Buffet E12F, with a Vandoren Black Diamond mouthpiece, and use 3 1/2 strength V12 Vandoren reeds. I made all-state this past ...
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Woodwind instrument key bumper material choice
Some wind instruments' keys feature bumpers at the bottom to protect material from scraping against material (and for a few other reasons). The ones on my saxophone are made from something resembling ...
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Washing a soft (flute) case and removing mould
I am not sure if this question is a valid question as far as the Help Centre rules go.
I have recently purchased a used flute (Trevor James Cantabile) which comes with a hard case and a soft case. ...
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What is required in a hollow "tube" to resonate?
What is required in a hollow piece of tube of any shape to resonate and generate musical stable pitches and harmonics?
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How similar (or not) are recorder, fife, and flute fingerings?
I don't play any of these instruments, but have at least tried them enough to play a scale.
My impression is the basic holes down the pipe are tuned to a diatonic scale. The more holes covered, the ...
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What are the common instrument blends in classical/romantic symphonies? [closed]
The motivation of my question "What are the common instrument blends in classical/romantic symphonies?" is to learn which instrument combinations (e.g. clarinet + violin, horn + oboe + bassoon etc..), ...
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Learning the sounding of classical orchestra instruments with Noteperformer, Sibelius Sounds 7
This question is a follow-up of: How to distinguish between different instruments in a classical orchestra?
If I transcript some of my compositions (which are now written for piano) and make ...
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How to distinguish between different instruments in a classical orchestra?
I want to train myself into distinguishing the instruments being played simultaneously in orchestral music (primarily Wagner and Bruckner, maybe Mahler). Ideally I want to be able to say at each point ...
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Coming from Trumpet: Which woodwind? [closed]
I've played trumpet for 3 years, and I'm thinking about picking up a simple woodwind instrument. I think personally, either clarinet or alto sax. But please, based on what I have played, price, and ...
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Which types of woods or materials make good reeds?
A reed is often attached to a musical instrument. They come in different quantities, such as double or triple. I wonder which type of wood and/or other material is available for making an effective ...
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Recommended Breathing Exercises to Play Woodwinds
Can you recommend good breathing exercises to play woodwinds such as Flute and Bansuri.
Other than continual practice of these beautiful instruments, what are some breathing exercises to improve lung ...
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Orchestration question: Should I change which woodwinds get which lines?
I have orchestrated the exposition of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and gotten several comments. Here I will concentrate on a single comment that I got, that the oboes are too high in bar 11. I got no ...
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Want to buy a wooden flute, but I don't know what the specifications entail
So I'm in a country where, when I browse flutes online, they have notes written next to the name of the flute in the syllabic form. So for instance you have a "Kaval flute" with "Si", "Sib", "Re", or "...
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Double and Triple Tonguing Syllables?
Brass and Woodwind players use specific syllables like ta-ka-ta for triple tonguing...
I would like to know:
What are the most common used syllables for double and triple tonguing?
Are they ...
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How many tone holes are there actually in different orchestral woodwind instruments?
I'm trying to make my own bamboo flute or perhaps "saxophone" of sorts, and before wasting any material I want to have the right construction plans.
I've seen some examples of simple types of bamboo ...
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Choosing an instrument to double on
I am a saxophonist who has been contemplating the idea of doubling on another wind instrument for a long time. My teacher recommends doubling on flute (closed tone holes), but professional-level ...
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Music Physics Question - Automatic Trumpet Embouchure Mouthpiece
So this might be a bit of a newbie question. I'm a working musician who mainly plays guitar and piano, and uses a lot of sampled instruments and synths as well. I don't mean this to be offensive to ...
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What are the mechanics behind flute keys used to play chromatic notes?
I recently listened to recordings of the bansuri, a bamboo flute used in Indian (Hindu) music, and I thought about trying to make one myself from scratch. A tutorial I found on wikiHow makes the ...
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Pitch and Volume Compensations for Different Instruments
I'm curious if various instruments require that the player compensate in any way (in terms of technique, e.g., force used to bow, force used to blow, or embouchure alterations) when playing low vs. ...
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