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Within the orchestra's oboe section, one player may bring out an English horn. Pitch wise, the oboe is lower than the flute and generates a more mellow sound. The vibrations from the reed direct the sound, causing the body to vibrate, and the player then uses the various keys and holes along its length. While also roughly two feet long, the oboe is a double-reed instrument made of wood and metal. Related to the flute is the piccolo, essentially a shorter version of the instrument that plays the highest pitches in an orchestra's wind section. Unlike with other woodwinds, flute players hold the instrument to the size and blow into an open mouthpiece. Silver, platinum or gold is used for modern-day versions, and traditionally, it measures about two feet long - although alto flutes, more common in jazz, are wider and longer. The flute is considered one of the oldest pitched instruments, with predecessors made from wood, bamboo and even stone. These instruments are also essential to the sound of a marching band and are used throughout jazz and other popular styles. Today's orchestra typically has multiple flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons, in addition to a piccolo, English horn and even a saxophone on occasion. Oboists and bassoonists, meanwhile, use a double-reed mouthpiece, in which two narrow pieces of wood are bound together. A single reed, usually made of wood, is used by clarinet and saxophone players. With the exception of the flute and piccolo, woodwinds require a reed to produce a sound.
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As the player directs air through the reed, the wooden or metal tube vibrates. The player then blows into the instrument and, by pressing on keys or covering the holes, generates various pitches. Most, but not all, use a single or double reed as a mouthpiece. Holes, sometimes with keys on top, help the player render specific pitches. The modern woodwind instrument features a cylindrical design that's either straight or curved in some form. Most originated as a wood instrument the player blew through, utilizing a hole or reed. Today's woodwind family utilizes several materials: wood for instruments like the clarinet, bassoon and oboe and metals for the flute and saxophone.