Types of Wind Instruments
Wind instruments are typically grouped into two families:
- Brass instruments
- Woodwind instruments
Although brass instruments were originally made of brass and woodwind instruments have traditionally been made of wood, the material used to make the body of the instrument is not always a reliable guide to its family type. A more accurate way to determine whether an instrument is brass or woodwind is to examine how the player produces sound. In brass instruments, the player's lips vibrate, causing the air within the instrument to vibrate. In woodwind instruments the player either:
- causes a reed to vibrate, which agitates the column of air (as in a clarinet, oboe or duduk)
- blows against an edge or fipple (as in a recorder), or
- blows across the edge of an open hole (as in a flute).
For example, the saxophone is typically made of brass, but is classified as a woodwind instrument because it produces sound with a vibrating reed.
On the other hand, the wooden cornett (not to be confused with the cornet, which is made of brass) and the serpent are both made of wood (or plastic tubing, in the case of modern serpents), but belong to the family of brass instruments because the vibrating is done by the player's lips.
In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, wind instruments are classed as aerophones.
Read more about this topic: Wind Instrument
Famous quotes containing the words types of, types, wind and/or instruments:
“... there are two types of happiness and I have chosen that of the murderers. For I am happy. There was a time when I thought I had reached the limit of distress. Beyond that limit, there is a sterile and magnificent happiness.”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)
“The bourgeoisie loves so-called “positive” types and novels with happy endings since they lull one into thinking that it is fine to simultaneously acquire capital and maintain one’s innocence, to be a beast and still be happy.”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)
“The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.”
—Bible: Hebrew Ecclesiastes 1:6.
“Being the dependents of the general government, and looking to its treasury as the source of all their emoluments, the state officers, under whatever names they might pass and by whatever forms their duties might be prescribed, would in effect be the mere stipendiaries and instruments of the central power.”
—Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)