Title: Woodwind | musical instrument | Britannica
Headings: Woodwind
Woodwind
musical instrument

Content: Woodwind | musical instrument | Britannica
Home Entertainment & Pop Culture Musical Instruments
Woodwind
musical instrument
Print
Give Feedback
External Websites
WRITTEN BY
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
See Article History
Woodwind, any of a group of wind musical instruments, composed of the flutes and reed pipes (i.e., clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone ). Both groups were traditionally made of wood, but now they may also be constructed of metal. Britannica Quiz
The Sound of Music: Fact or Fiction? Is s sousaphone a bass horn made for marching? Is there a musical instrument made from a sheep? From guitar strings to steel drums, see what your smarts are made of in this study of instruments. Woodwinds are distinguished from other wind instruments by the manner in which the sound is produced. Unlike the trumpets or other instruments of the brass family, in which the airstream passes through the player’s vibrating lips directly into the air column, the flutes are sounded by directing a narrow stream of air against the edge of a hole in a cylindrical tube. With the reed pipes (e.g., clarinets and saxophones), a thin strip of flexible material, such as cane or metal, is placed against the opening of the mouthpiece, forcing the airstream to pass through the reed before it reaches the column of air that is to vibrate.