FLUTE:
The flute has basically three registers, each with a unique timbral quality: low, medium and high.
The low register is the weakest as far as volume is concerned. However, it is also a very rich and colourful part of the flute’s range. We will consider the entire lowest octave as belonging to this timbral area. In the lowest octave, the flute has difficulty competing with other instruments, particularly in an orchestral setting.
N.B. a unique use of the flute in this register can be heard in Strawinski’s Symphony of Psalms, 2nd movement, where the flute is given the bass part in a fugal exposition. Since it is the ONLY instrument in the lower range at that moment, it ends up carrying over the other woodwinds by default. Had there been other lower instruments present, the flute would in all likelihood have been completely masked.
The next octave up has considerably more carrying power, and is where the large majority of flute music resides. Here the tone quality is rich and vibrant, with enough carrying power to carry its own weight in the proper orchestral setting. This octave also is very rich in overtones, giving the flute its unique timbre.
The “extreme” high range of the flute has a shrill and piercing quality to it. It is a little bit more difficult to control in very soft nuances, but again, with a good musician this is not an issue. In loud passages, this range is an excellent doubling of upper partials to solidify an orchestral mass.
The piccolo, the most commonly seen auxilliary instrument of the flute family, extends the flute range up by another octave. Written to sound one octave higher, its most common use is to brighten and strengthen the upper partials of an orchestration, however, it should not be totally relegated to this position. The piccolo’s lower octave (its lowest note is a D, unlike the flute) has a very special “dry” quality to it. Anyone who has had the pleasure of hearing John Williams’ score to E.T. The Extraterrestrial might have noticed the piccolo solo in the very opening measures of the filmscore.
OBOE:
The oboe has basically two registers – low and high. The differences between them are important, but maybe not quite as marked as with the flute or clarinet.
Here, however, we find a completely different acoustic effect from that which happens with the flute – the lower the instrument plays, the louder it gets. The lowest octave of the oboe is its strongest register. The very lowest notes are somewhat more difficult to control for volume and a certain “honking” quality (which CAN be put to good use, as you may witness in numerous pieces of P.D.Q. Bach).
The next octave up loses the “duck-call” quality of the lowest octave, and gains in the traditional sweetness we associate with the oboe. Here, however, the oboe loses in strength as it gets higher. There is certain “tightness” to the oboe timbre as it reaches the top of this octave. In pianissimo passages it has a quite ethereal quality. The extreme high register of the oboe gets a bit thin, and isn’t quite as useful as the extremes of the other woodwinds.
The oboe’s auxilliary instrument is a very special case. The cor anglais (english horn) is basically an alto oboe. It sounds a perfect 5th lower than written, and has the same fingering as the oboe. It is, however, missing the lowest Bb, so the Cor Anglais has as its lowest note the E below middle C. The Cor anglais also has one particularity: its lowest range does not suffer as strongly from the “honk” effect as the oboe. However, it’s highest notes are pretty much useless.
CLARINET:
The clarinet is probably the woodwind that has the most schizophrenic personality. It has four timbral registers, and each one is quite unique. If you want an instrument with multiple personalities, then the clarinet is the instrument for you. You get four distinct instruments in one.
One important piece of information that bears repeating, the clarinet is “in Bb”, which means that a written note will sound a whole-tone lower. A written C sounds Bb, D sounds C, etc… there are clarinets in other keys as well. The clarinet in A is often substituted for the Bb instrument without the composer’s knowledge, often to deal with tricky fingering passages or awkward key signatures. There is no real discernable difference in tonal quality between the two instruments. There IS however an additional semitone down at the low end of the range. There are literally nearly a dozen different kinds of clarinet (from a tiny sopranino in Ab, to a huge contrabass in Bb). I don’t recommend writing for anything too out of the ordinary unless you are ASSURED that your clarinetist has access to the instrument in question. The safest bet is to stick to the three “known” clarinets: Bb (and its quazi-identical twin “in A”), the bass clarinet in Bb, and the little clarinet in Eb. Even this last one is not quite as common as one could hope. Now, back to our regular programming for clarinet enthusiasts.
The low register, called “chalumeau” has a deep, rich colour. It is very dark and mysterious. Rapid figurations in this register have a quite spectacular effect. It is capable of all dynamics.
The medium register (throat tones and “break”) is a little bit brighter than the low register. There is one difficulty with fingering at what is called “the break” (written Bb – B natural), however, unless you are specifically writing for a beginner, this should not be an issue. (The difficulty is that the Bb uses almost no fingers from either hand, while the B natural uses almost all fingers in both hands)
The next octave up, the “clarino” register, has a bright and almost trumpet-like quality to it. This is not to be understood as meaning that the clarinet only plays loudly in this register. It has quite complete control over dynamics throughout the entirety of its range.
The extreme high notes (from the C two octaves above middle C and up) lose some of the characteristic qualities of the clarinet, and in soft dynamics have an almost flute-like quality. This higher register is more difficult to control in soft dynamics, and does have a tendency towards shrillness.
BASSOON:
Like the oboe, also a double-reed instrument, the bassoon has a tendency to loudness in its very lowest register, and a gradual shift towards a “tighter” sound as it reaches the top of its range. The bassoon has quite a large usable range, which sadly is often neglected, relegating the bassoon to only a “bass instrument” position.
The lowest octave is the most characteristically “double reed”. Fingering in the very lowest 4th of the instrument’s range (Bb – Eb) can be treacherous since most of those notes require shifting of the thumb across a series of keys. It is best to avoid active figurations in that range in rapid tempos. While the bassoon CAN be ponderous in long held notes, it is also capable of a surprisingly light touch in its low register. Staccato notes in the bass will have a quality akin to a cello’s pizzicato.
The bassoon is surprisingly uniform in timbral quality up to middle C, even with the aforementioned “tightening” of the timbre as it rises. Above middle C, however, the bassoon becomes a unique instrument. Here, that “tight” quality gives the bassoon a very powerful singing voice that is quite unique. One need only listen to the opening of Le Sacre du Printemps. The bassoon very comfortably plays up to the first G in treble clef, and notes higher than this (up to the next C) should be part of a professional bassoonist’s playable range.
The bassoon family also has its auxilliary instrument: the rather cumbersome contra-bassoon. It is also a transposing instrument, sounding one octave lower than written. Because of its large size, bassoonists will often remove the last section of the contrabassoon when the music in question does not require the very lowest notes of its range (below C). This instrument’s lowest notes are considerably more “growly” than those of the bassoon. It has the same agility as the bassoon, but because of its size and the length of the body of the instrument, may be a little slower in responding to extremely rapid figurations.
Please see the lesson discussion thread for the exercises that go with this segment of the course.