Wind Musical Instruments
As name shows, these are the instruments that produce sound with the help of air. Wind instruments are the instruments that contain resonator, a column of air usually a hollow tube like bamboo with different holes in it, and mouthpiece (Reed). Air blows through mouthpiece (Reed) and resonator produce sound of different pitches by vibration. The pitch of sound depends upon length of tube by opening and closing of holes with the help of fingers.
Types of Wind Musical Instruments
There are mainly two types of Wind Musical Instruments.
- Brass musical instruments
- Woodwind musical instruments
Brass Musical Instruments
A brass instrument is indeed a musical instrument that makes sound by rhythmically vibrating air in a cylindrical resonator with the lips of the player.
Woodwind Musical Instruments
Woodwind instruments are the more general family of music instruments. Examples of wood wind instruments are flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone.
Types of Woodwind Musical Instruments
- Flutes
- Reed Instruments
Flutes
Flutes are the tubular shape wind instruments in which focused stream of air blows through the edge of cylindrical tube and then as a result it produces sound of different pitches.
Flutes are divided into two further categories.
Open Flutes, in this flute, player blow a focused stream of air through the edge of the flute. Edge of the flute splits air stream and it reflects with the inner side of column tube (flute) and then it vibrates and produce sound. Some examples of open flutes are Transverse flutes, panpipes and shakuhachi.
In ancient times, these flutes were made from wood plants where are hollow inside like Bamboo, Grasses, Reeds and other hollow branched trees. Now these flues are made in different metals like tin, copper, bronze. These flutes are also made in some high graded alloys gold, silver, nickel or bronze.
Closed Flutes, these are the flutes in which a player below air into the duct and this duct brings the air into the sharp edge within the closed tube and sound is produced. The pitch of sound can be changed by opening and closing of holes on the closed flutes, it also depends upon the length of flute. Examples of closed flutes are recorder, ocarina, and organ pipes.
Reed Instruments
What is Reed?
Reed is a thin strip which is tongue shaped cut material that vibrates and as a result sound on a musical instrument is produced. Reeds are made of wood or synthetic material.
Reed musical instruments classified on the basis of types of reeds and number of reeds. Reeds may be single reeds, double reeds, quadruple reeds or free reeds.
Single Reed wind instruments are the wind instruments in which single reed are fixed onto the opening of mouthpiece. When air is forced between mouthpiece and reed, it produces vibration in the tubular column and as a result it produces it produce a unique sound. Examples of single reed music instruments are clarinet, saxophone, and others such as the chalumeau.
Double Reed wind instruments are the wind instruments in which two precisely cut, small pieces of cane which are bound together at the base. Double reed is inserted in the wind musical instrument so precisely that when air blow in the instrument. Double reed forces the air to split between two pieces and as a result vibration is produced along the inner side of column tube (musical instrument). As a result sound is produced.
Double reed musical instruments are further classified in two families.
1. Exposed double reed instruments
Exposed double reed instruments are those instruments in which player hold directly double reed between their lips. Some examples of exposed double reed instruments are oboe, cor anglais (also called English horn) and bassoon, and many types of shawms all over the world.
2. Capped double reed instruments
These are the double reed wind musical instruments in which double reed is covered by a cap. The player blows through the hole in the cap that directs the air to double reed which is covered in the cap and then air splits and produce vibration which result in producing sound. Example of capped double reed instruments is crumhorn.
