The WOODWIND Family

 The woodwind family is comprised of wooden instruments that the player must blow into to create a musical sound. Most members of the modern woodwind family are "reed"instruments (a piece of wooden reed attached to its mouthpiece adds character to the sound). The complete woodwind family became a standard part of the orchestra by the early 1800s. Common woodwind instruments include

• the piccolo (very high) and various-sized flutes

 • the oboe and the "English" Horn (a tenor oboe) 

 • various-sized clarinets

 • the bassoon and contrabassoon (very low bassoon) 

 • various-sized saxophones 

• various-sized recorders (ancestors to the modern flute family) 

The standard range categorization of this family is as follows:

 • Flute (soprano), 

 Oboe (alto),

 • Clarinet (tenor)

• Bassoon (bass)Note: The organ is essentially a wind instrument (when its keys are pressed, compressed air is passed through a series of pipes)