Wind instrument

1. CLARINET
The clarinet is a family of woodwind instruments that have a single-reed mouthpiece, a straight cylindrical
tube with an approximately cylindrical bore, and a flaring bell. A person who plays any type of clarinet is
called a clarinettist or clarinetist.
The word clarinet may have entered the English language via the French clarinette (the feminine diminutive
of Old French clarin orclarion), or from Provençal clarin, "oboe".[2] It would seem however that its real roots
are to be found amongst some of the alternative names for trumpets used around
the renaissance and baroque eras. Clarion, clarin and the Italian clarino are all derived from the medieval
term claro which referred to an early form of trumpet.[3] This is probably the origin of the Italian clarinetto,
itself a diminutive of clarino, and consequently of the European equivalents such as clarinette in French or
the German Klarinette. According to Johann Gottfried Walther, writing in 1732, the reason for the name is
that "it sounded from far off not unlike a trumpet". The English form clarinet is found as early as 1733, and
the now-archaic clarionet appears from 1784 until the early years of the 20th century.[4]
While the similarity in sound between the earliestclarinets and the trumpet may hold a clue to its name, it is
also worth noting that at this period of the baroque era, contemporary composers such
as Bach and Handel were making new demands on the skills of their trumpeters, who were often required
to be play difficult melodic passages in the high, or as it came to be called, clarion register. Since the
trumpets ofthe era had no valves or pistons, melodic passages would often require the use of the highest
part of the trumpet's range, where the harmonics were close enough together to produce scales ofadjacent
notes as opposed to the gapped scales or arpeggios of the lower register. The trumpet parts that required
this speciality were headed by the term clarino and this in turn came to apply to the musicians themselves.
It is possible that the term clarinet may partly owe to this and it has even been suggested that clarino
players may have helped themselves out by playing particularly difficult passages on these newly
developed "mock trumpets". [5]
Johann Christoph Denner is generally believed to have invented the clarinet in Germany around the turn of
the 18th century by adding a register key to the earlier chalumeau. Over time, additional keywork and
airtight pads were added to improve the tone and playability.
The term clarinet now normally refers to the B♭ clarinet (also B♭ soprano clarinet). However, the clarinet
in A, just a semitone lower, is commonly used in orchestral music. Since the middle of the 19th century the
bass clarinet(nowadays invariably in B♭ but with extra keys to extend the register down a few notes) has
become an essential addition to the orchestra. The clarinet family ranges from the (extremely rare) BBB
♭ octo-contrabass to the A♭ piccolo clarinet. Today, the clarinet is commonly used in classical
music(such as concert bands, orchestras, chamber music, and solo repertoire), military bands, marching
bands, klezmer, and jazz.

2. TROMBONE
The trombone (/trɒmˈboʊn/;[1] Italian pronunciation: [tromˈboːne]) is a musical instrument in
the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips
(embouchure) cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate. Nearly all trombones have
a telescoping slide mechanism that varies the length of the instrument to change the pitch. Variants such
the valve trombone and superbone have three valves like those on the trumpet.
The word trombone derives from Italian tromba (trumpet) and -one (a suffix meaning "large"), so the name
means "large trumpet". The trombone has a predominantly cylindrical bore like its valved counterpart
the baritone and in contrast to its conical valved counterparts, the euphonium and the horn. The most
frequently encountered trombones are the tenor trombone and bass trombone. The most common variant,
the tenor, is a non-transposing instrument pitched in B♭, an octave below the B♭ trumpet and an octave
above the B♭ tuba. The once common E♭ alto trombone became less widely used as improvements in
technique extended the upper range of the tenor, but it is now enjoying a resurgence due to its lighter
sonority which is appreciated in many classical and early romantic works. Trombone music, along with
music for euphonium and tuba, is typically written in concertpitch, although exceptions do occur, notably in
almostall brass-band music where tenor trombone is presented as a B♭ transposing instrument, written in
treble clef.

3. FRENCH HORN
The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the "horn" in professional music circles) is a brass
instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B♭ (technically a
variety of German horn) is the horn mostused by professional bands and orchestras. A musician who plays
any kind of horn is called a horn player (or less frequently, a hornist).
Pitch is controlled through the adjustment of lip tension in the mouthpiece and the operation of valves by
the left hand, which route the air into extra tubing.[2] Most horns have lever-operated rotary valves, but
some, especially older horns, use piston valves (similar to a trumpet's) and the Vienna horn uses double-
piston valves, or pumpenvalves. The backward-facing orientation of the bell relates to the perceived
desirability to create a subdued sound, in concert situations, in contrast to the more piercing quality of the
trumpet. A horn without valves is known as a natural horn, changing pitch along the natural harmonics of
the instrument (similar to abugle). Pitch may also be controlled by the position of the hand in the bell, in
effect reducing the bell's diameter. The pitch of any note can easily be raised or lowered by adjusting the
hand position in the bell.[3]
Three valves control the flow ofair in the single horn, which is tuned to F or less commonly B♭. The more
common double horn has a fourth valve, usually operated by the thumb, which routes the air to one set of
tubing tuned to F or another tuned to B♭. Triple horns with five valves are also made, tuned in F, B♭, and
a descant E♭ or F. Also common are descant doubles, which typically provide B♭ and Alto F branches.
This configuration provides a high-range horn while avoiding the additional complexity and weight of a
triple.
A crucial elementin playing the horn deals with the mouthpiece. Mostofthe time, the mouthpiece is placed
in the exact center of the lips, but, because of differences in the formation of the lips and teeth of different
players, some tend to play with the mouthpiece slightly off center.[4] Although the exact side-to-side
placementofthe mouthpiece varies for most horn players, the up-and-down placement of the mouthpiece
is generally two-thirds on the upper lip and one-third on the lower lip.[4] Usually, in order to play higher
octave notes, the pressure exerted on the lips from the mouthpiece is increased. But, although some
pressure is needed, excessive pressure is not desirable. Playing with excessive pressure makes the
playing of the horn sound forced and harsh as well as decreases endurance of the player by about half.

4. OBOE
Oboes /ˈoʊboʊ/ OH-boh are a family of double reed woodwind musical instruments. The most common
oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. Oboes are usually made ofwood, butthere are also oboes made
of synthetic materials. A soprano oboe measures roughly 65 cm (25 1⁄2 in) long, with metal keys, a
conical bore and a flared bell. Sound is produced by blowing into the reed and vibrating a column of air.
The distinctive oboe tone is versatile, and has been described as "bright".[1] When the term oboe is used
alone, it is generally taken to mean the standard treble instrument rather than other instruments of the
family, such as the cor anglais (English horn) or the oboe d'amore.
In English, prior to 1770, the standard instrument was called a "hautbois", "hoboy", or "French hoboy"
(pronounced /ˈhoʊbɔɪ/ HOH-boy, borrowed from the French name, a compound word made of haut ["high",
"loud"] and bois ["wood", "woodwind"]).[2] The spelling of oboe was adopted into English c. 1770 from the
Italian oboè, a transliteration in that language's orthography of the 17th-century pronunciation of the French
name. A musician who plays the oboe is called an "oboist" or simply an "Oboe Player."
Today, the oboe is commonly used in concert bands, orchestras, chamber music, film music, in some
genres of folk music, and as a solo instrument, and is occasionally heard in jazz, rock music, pop music,
and popular music.