 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ClariBone
Date: 2005-09-11 18:19
Hello
This has intrigued me for awhile. When one says winds, why do people think ONLY woodwinds?? Brass players are winds too, right?? I mean, we BLOW (i.e. wind) into our instruments as well. Or am I wrong, and the term winds, is a sort of nickname for woodwinds?? HELP!!!
Clayton
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-09-11 18:21
I always assume 'winds' covers all wind instruments without being specific.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-09-11 18:24
It depends on the performing group.
Orchestral conductors will usually call for "winds" when they want the woodwinds to play and will say "brass" if they want only the brass instruments.
If an orchestral conductor wants both groups to play, he will usually say "winds and brass".
(Let's not even start the debate as to where the orchestral saxophones fall into ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif) )
In my jazz group, there would be "winds" and "rhythm". When we rehearse, and call for "winds", it would encompass saxes, trombones and trumpets. ...GBK
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Author: Contra
Date: 2005-09-11 18:25
I've always heard 'winds' as a meaning for everyone except percussion. That's how our directors have always used it. I suppose it could be everyone except percussion and strings, but we've never had any strings.
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Author: ClariBone
Date: 2005-09-11 18:38
OKAY. Thanks Chris, GBK, and Brian!! Now my next question. What do you do if the conductor will change his own meaning for "winds" (i.e. he wants woodwinds only, then wants both woodwinds and brass while using the same term)!?!?!?
Clayton
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-09-11 18:55
As usual GBK and others say it well. I have seen, in one of our lesser-known "good books" on [our] winds [in general], the use of {I believe} the term aerophon as a "generic" , all encompassing, perhaps. My dictionaries are not that large, Help. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: D
Date: 2005-09-11 19:51
Personally I have only ever heard 'wind' used to refer to woodwind. Brass is always brass, strings are strings and percussion is persussion. Brass has never been under wind in any orchestra or music group I have played in. Having said that, I am a) in the UK and b) have never played in a pro orchestra, so things might be different elsewhere.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-09-11 20:26
We have 'windbands' here in the UK, containing both brass and woodwind instruments of most types, and symphonic windbands, county windbands, youth windbands, etc.
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Author: Kel
Date: 2005-09-11 21:31
When our community band director calls for woodwinds, he wants only flutes, clarinets and oboe...no saxes or bassoons. He's obviously thinkling of the lines they play, not the instrument classification.
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Author: dummer musiker
Date: 2005-09-11 22:31
One of my conductor uses the term 'winds' to refer to just the woodwinds. Maybe because he was professional trombonist in the Buffalo Philharmonic...and its an orchestra thing...
The rest of my conductors always refer to winds as being everything but percussion (in a band setting).
"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats."
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Author: Kevin
Date: 2005-09-12 01:19
Same here. My orchestra conductor has always called woodwinds "winds" and brass "brass".
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Author: hans
Date: 2005-09-12 02:21
There is a company called "Woodwind and Brasswind". QED?
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Author: BassetHorn
Date: 2005-09-12 04:40
When our concert band's conductor says "only the woodwinds", he meant only flutes, oboes, and clarinet, I guess he doesn't consider bassoon, bass clarinets and saxophone woodwinds.....
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2005-09-12 09:43
"Let's not even start the debate as to where the orchestral saxophones fall into."
Hopefully they fall into a very deep well never to be found again 
"I always think of winds as every instrument that takes 'wind' to play with."
I agree, and in this case accordion, bandoneon, and even pipe organ are wind instrumnets, and imo they are.
Lucky me, we don't speak English here so we don't have this problem
Post Edited (2005-09-12 09:45)
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2005-09-12 13:46
"Orchestral conductors will usually call for "winds" when they want the woodwinds to play and will say "brass" if they want only the brass instruments."
This is of course because most orchestral conductors are incapable of using words of more than one syllable.
"What do you do if the conductor will change his own meaning for "winds" (i.e. he wants woodwinds only, then wants both woodwinds and brass while using the same term)!?!?!?"
If you are playing clarinet and he says "winds," play and you should always be right. If you are playing trombone, and he says "winds", don't play. If he wants you to play, he'll tell you soon enough. (If you're really concerned about this, give up the trombone and you won't have to worry about it.)
"When our concert band's conductor says "only the woodwinds", he meant only flutes, oboes, and clarinet, I guess he doesn't consider bassoon, bass clarinets and saxophone woodwinds....."
The correct term for bassoon, saxophone, bass clarinet (and trombone, BTW) as a group is "broken winds."
"There's now't wrong wi' saxes!"
If you really believe this, you're on the wrong bulletin board.
![[rotate]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley25.gif)
jnk
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-09-12 14:06
When our cond's say "only clarinets", uncertainity causes me [on B C /A C] to play softly until called upon ! IMVHO, saxes in bands and also in symphs, playing ?modern music?, [how about Bizet's L'Arles, Musso's Pics and lesser-known Fr composers] are fine contributors to our sounds! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2005-09-12 16:45
One must consider the context to determine the speaker's intent.
When our band conductor says "woodwinds only", he too usually means upper woodwinds. If he wants lower woodwinds, he'll say "low woodwinds." Or "all woodwinds," for all woodwinds, of course. Likewise "clarinets" usually means soprano clarinets, but if I know my part at that point is similar to that of the sopranos, I'll chime in with my bass clarinet. ("Saxophones" usually means all saxes.)
With brass, if he says "brass" it usually means all. Otherwise, he's either specific (e.g., "trumpets and horns") or says "low brass."
And we don't run into the question of whether winds includes brass because if he wants all wood and brass winds, he says "everyone except percussion."
But others may do it differently and my main point is that it's best to consider context. For example, if a conductor asks "woodwinds" or "clarinets" to play a passage where they have runs or a complex rhythm and the bass clarinet part is whole notes, it's usually safe to assume that bass clarinets are not being asked for. Likewise, if he says "bassoons and baritones" and the bass clarinet part is identical to the bassoon and baritone parts, it's probably safe to assume that he overlooked that fact and wants anyone who has the same part to play.
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