Final answer:
The double-reed woodwind instrument with the highest voice is the oboe, which uses resonance to amplify sound. It's made from materials like wood, plastic, or metal, and requires skilled use of reeds and air control. Other instruments also use resonance in carefully shaped chambers to create their unique sounds.
Step-by-step explanation:
The double-reed woodwind instrument that is described as having the highest voice among reed instruments is most likely the oboe. This instrument can be constructed from various materials such as wood, plastic, or metal. Playing the oboe requires considerable effort. The player must force exhaled air through a small opening between two carefully crafted wooden reeds, as illustrated in Figure 16.3.3.
Wind instruments like the oboe use resonance in an air column to amplify the sounds created by the vibrations of the reeds. The concept of air resonance is also applied to other musical instruments, such as stringed instruments and percussion.
For example, the violin, guitar, and marimba have sounding boxes or gourds that serve as resonance chambers, enhancing the volume and quality of the sound they produce. The complexity of these sounding boxes matters; the more intricate the shape, the broader the range of frequencies that can resonate, which contributes to the distinct tonal quality or timbre of the instrument.
It is interesting to note that many wind instruments, including the oboe, are essentially modified tubes with openings that allow musicians to change the length of the resonating air column. This, in turn, alters the frequency of the note played, a principle that is also utilized in larger instruments like tubas that have coiled tubes to accommodate their length.