One of the largest families of instruments in the symphonic band is the wind instruments family. They are called wind instruments because, in order to produce sound, you need to blow into the instrument, so as to make a column of air inside its bore vibrate. For this reason, they are also classified as aerophones. There are two types of wind instruments: woodwind instruments and brass instruments. This division was initially based on the construction material of these instruments. Nowadays, due to their evolution, the division between 'woodwind' and 'brass' instruments is not based on their construction material, but on the type of embouchure - the term embouchure can also designate the relationship between the mouth and the instrument - that is, the part of the instrument where you blow into.
piccolo
The piccolo is the highest-pitched instrument in the orchestra. Sound is produced by blowing into a conical bore towards the edge of a small oval hole. The piccolo is held transversely to the right in relation to the player's position.
TRANSVERSE FLUTE
The transverse flute is played like the piccolo, but is longer, so it produces lower sounds. Nowadays, transverse flutes are usually made of silver. However, they can be made of metal alloys, gold or platinum.
E-FLAT CLARINET
The E-flat clarinet is the smallest clarinet and, therefore, the one that produces the highest-pitched sounds. It is similar to the clarinet, except for its size and subsequent tessitura. It is often referred to as 'sopranino/piccolo clarinet'.
SOPRANO CLARINET
The instrument we usually just call the clarinet is the B-flat (B♭) clarinet, which is the most commonly used in the overwhelming majority of the orchestral repertoire.
ALTO CLARINET
The alto clarinet is slightly larger than the clarinet and, therefore, produces lower-pitched sounds. Due to its size, unlike the clarinet and the E-flat clarinet, its shape is not completely cylindrical along its length. It has a small angle in the mouthpiece area and a curved, pipe-shaped bell.
BASS CLARINET
The bass clarinet is much larger than the clarinet, so it produces much lower-pitched sounds. Due to its size, it rests on a metal spike. Its shape shows the same changes as that of the alto clarinet for the same reasons, but they are more marked due to the fact that it is larger.
SOPRANO SAXOPHONE
The soprano saxophone is held forward, and the soprano saxophone is the only one with a rectilinear shape, as it is the smallest one in this family. All the others are curved due to their size.
ALTO SAXOPHONE
This is the most commonly used saxophone in lighter musical genres, and is the most recognisable one due to its pipe-shaped bell.
TENOR SAXOPHONE
The tenor saxophone is, together with the alto saxophone, the other type of saxophone most commonly used in light repertoires. They are very similar at first glance, but the tenor saxophone is slightly larger than the alto saxophone. Usually, the tenor saxophone generally has a slight curvature in the part of the bore closest to the mouthpiece, a characteristic that allows distinguishing them immediately.
BARITONE SAXOPHONE
We can distinguish the baritone saxophone from the others by its lower-pitched sounds, which are a result of its larger size.
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed woodwind instrument. When blowing into this instrument, you channel air into a double reed consisting of two pieces of cane that vibrate against each other, causing the column of air inside the conical bore to vibrate. The oboe is usually made of ebony.
ENGLISH HORN
The English horn is an instrument from the woodwind family. More specifically, it belongs to the oboe family, which is one of the subgroups of the woodwind instrument family. Like the oboe, the English horn is usually made of ebony and has a double reed. We can distinguish the English horn from the oboe by its lower-pitched sound, which is the result of its size. In addition to this, we can also point out two other important differences: in the English horn, the reed socket (metal piece where the double reed fits) is curved and longer than in the oboe, and the bell is pear-shaped.
BASSOON
The bassoon is one of the largest instruments in the woodwind family and, therefore, one that produces the lowest-pitched sounds. Like the oboe and the English horn, it also has a double reed, only wider. The bassoon is held obliquely in relation to the player's position. It is held around the neck by a strap and can also be supported by a strap, which is held under the legs when the player is seated.
TRUMPET
The trumpet has a bowl-shaped mouthpiece, a cylindrical bore, usually with three pistons, which widens at the end towards the bell. The trumpeter plays holding the trumpet forward, horizontally. The cornet and the flugelhorn belong to the trumpet family.
CORNET
The cornet has a different timbre because it has a mostly conical bore, starting very narrow at the mouthpiece and gradually widening towards the bell, unlike the trumpet, which has a cylindrical bore up to the bell section.
FLUGELHORN
The shape of the flugelhorn is very different from that of the cornet, as its bore becomes even more conical than the cornet's. It therefore has a very distinctive timbre. We can say that, having the same tessitura, what distinguishes these three instruments of the trumpet family is, essentially, their timbre.
HORN
The horn has a conical mouthpiece and a very long bore, also conical, which is coiled and ends in a bell. It has three or four pistons different from those of the trumpet, which are the rotating cylinders. The horn player holds the horn down, with the left hand on the pistons and the right hand inside the bell.
TROMBONE
The trombone is the only instrument in the woodwind family that has slides. The slides are two U-shaped tubes fitted one inside the other that slide to increase or decrease the length of the tubing and, consequently, produce lower or higher-pitched sounds, respectively. There are also trombones with pistons; however, the tenor slide trombone is the most commonly used. The trombone has a cylindrical bore that widens at the end towards the bell. The trombonist holds the trombone forward, moving the slide with the right hand.
BASS TROMBONE
The bass trombone has a longer and wider bore than the trombone, or tenor trombone, to produce lower-pitched sounds.
BOMBARDON
The bombardon works like a higher-pitched tuba. Despite having a similar shape, it is smaller. The bombardon, like the tuba, is held vertically with the bell facing upwards. It is also commonly referred to as 'euphonium'.
TUBA
The tuba is the lowest pitched of all brass instruments, because it has the largest bore and mouthpiece. The bore is conical and ends at the bell.