Woodwind Instruments-How They Work
Woodwind instruments such as clarinets, flutes, saxophones, and oboes make sound in special ways, yet they are all considered woodwind instruments just the same.
Why is a sax a woodwind instrument when it is made of metal? This article will paint a simple and understandable picture of what makes up a woodwind instrument.
Why are woodwind instruments called woodwinds? The clarinet is a woodwind instrument. That one is easy to understand. But the saxophone and flute are also considered woodwind instruments even though their bodies are made out of metal. So what makes a woodwind instrument a woodwind instrument?
The most common woodwind instruments in use in contemporary bands and orchestras include the those of the flute, clarinet, oboe, and saxophone families. Each of these families has several instrument siblings of varying sizes and shapes to provide an ensemble with whatever musical colors that are required by the composer of the piece. However, regardless of the size or timbre of the woodwind instrument all woodwinds are played in one of two ways. Unlike the brass instruments where sound is produced by the vibrating lips of the player, or the percussion instruments where sound is produced by striking an object, the woodwind instruments produce sound either through the use of a vibrating reed or by blowing against an edge (such as when blowing across the top of a pop bottle).
Woodwind instruments, therefore, are not named for the material of their construction but rather as a general description of what process produces their sound. Woodwind instruments, like their brass counterparts, are essentially loudspeakers with the impetus of the sound being the vibrations of the reed or the whistling produced by blowing across the edge of a flute's tone hole. The type and style of reed used determine the initial sound of the woodwind instrument, however the shape and size of the body of the woodwind instrument are what shapes that initial vibration into a pleasing sound.
Putting the flute family aside for the moment there are two types of reed configurations used by woodwind instruments. The single reed instruments such as the clarinet and sax have a single cane reed that is held in place on the instrument by a metal band known as the ligature. The double reed instruments include the oboe, bassoon, and english horn. In double reed instruments two reeds are bound on top of each other with tightly woven string or metal bands. These two reeds vibrate against each other the same way a child can make a sound with two blades of grass sandwiched between their hands. These two variations on reed configurations produce the very different sounds of the various reed based woodwind instruments.
