| A wind instrument' is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube), in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. The pitch of the vibration is determined by the length of the tube and by manual modifications of the effective length of the vibrating column of air. Wind instruments fall into one of the following categories: Brass instruments Woodwind instruments Although brass instruments were originally made of brass and woodwind instruments have traditionally been made of wood, the material used to make the body of the instrument is not always a reliable guide to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. For example, the saxophone is typically made of brass but is classified as a woodwind instrument due to the fact that it has a reed. On the other hand, the cornett (not to be confused with the brass instrument cornet) and serpent, although made of wood (or PVC pipe in the case of modern serpents), are in the family of brass instruments because the vibration which originates the sound is done with the lips of the player. 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: 1. causes a reed to vibrate, which agitates the column of air (as in a clarinet or oboe), 2. blows against an edge or fipple (as in a recorder), or 3. blows across the edge of an open hole (as in a flute). |