Wind instrument | Classifications, History, & Facts

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data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/wind-instrument">wind instrument</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/art/wind-instrument">Introduction</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref53794"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument#ref53794">General considerations</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53795"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument#ref53795">Classification</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53796"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-production-of-sound">The production of sound</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref53797"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/Trumpet-type-aerophones">Trumpet-type aerophones</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref53798"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/Flutes-and-reeds">Flutes and reeds</a></li></ul></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref53799"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/Social-aspects-of-wind-instruments">Social aspects of wind instruments</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53800"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/Social-aspects-of-wind-instruments#ref53800">In folk cultures of the world</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53801"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/Social-aspects-of-wind-instruments#ref53801">In Asia</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53802"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/In-western-Europe">In western Europe</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53803"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/In-western-Europe#ref53803">Dissemination</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53804"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/In-western-Europe#ref53804">Craftsmanship</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref53805"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-history-of-Western-wind-instruments">The history of Western wind instruments</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53806"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-history-of-Western-wind-instruments#ref53806">Early history</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref53807"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-history-of-Western-wind-instruments#ref53807">Trumpets</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref53808"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-history-of-Western-wind-instruments#ref53808">Horns</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref53809"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/Flutes">Flutes</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref53810"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/Flutes#ref53810">Reedpipes</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53811"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/Flutes#ref53811">Developments in the Middle Ages</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53812"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-Renaissance">The Renaissance</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53813"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-Baroque-and-Classical-periods">The Baroque and Classical periods</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref53814"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-Baroque-and-Classical-periods#ref53814">The oboe</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref53815"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-bassoon">The bassoon</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref53816"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-bassoon#ref53816">The flute</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref53817"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-bassoon#ref53817">The clarinet</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref53818"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-bassoon#ref53818">The orchestral horn</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref53819"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-bassoon#ref53819">The trumpet</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53820"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-Romantic-period">The Romantic period</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53821"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-Romantic-period#ref53821">The 20th and 21st centuries</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref53822"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-music-of-wind-instruments-in-western-Europe">The music of wind instruments in western Europe</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53823"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-music-of-wind-instruments-in-western-Europe#ref53823">Through the Renaissance</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53824"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-music-of-wind-instruments-in-western-Europe#ref53824">The Baroque period</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53825"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-Classical-period">The Classical period</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53826"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-Classical-period#ref53826">The Romantic period</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53827"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-Classical-period#ref53827">The 20th and 21st centuries</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref261723"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-Classical-period#ref261723">Winds in jazz and folk music</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53828"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-Classical-period#ref53828">In jazz</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53829"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/art/wind-instrument/The-Classical-period#ref53829">In folk traditions</a></li></ul></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/wind-instrument/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/wind-instrument">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/wind-instrument/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/21/118621-050-416C6059/Japanese-flute-shakuhachi.jpg" data-href="/media/1/645041/120636" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/21/118621-004-2818DABB/Japanese-flute-shakuhachi.jpg" alt="shakuhachi (end-blown flute)" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/33790-004-7F80241D/Indonesian-duct-flute-bamboo-London-Horniman-Museum.jpg" data-href="/media/1/645041/100366" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/33790-004-7F80241D/Indonesian-duct-flute-bamboo-London-Horniman-Museum.jpg" alt="Indonesian duct flute, bamboo; in the Horniman Museum, London." height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/143818-050-3E42A5BE/Ocarina.jpg" data-href="/media/1/645041/147510" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/143818-004-2A8B9D8C/Ocarina.jpg" alt="ocarina" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/150604-004-FDB1E7AB/ivory-trumpet-Liberia.jpg" data-href="/media/1/645041/158534" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/150604-004-FDB1E7AB/ivory-trumpet-Liberia.jpg" alt="ivory trumpet" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/77/12677-004-7CDECBF3/Cornett.jpg" data-href="/media/1/645041/5005" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/77/12677-004-7CDECBF3/Cornett.jpg" alt="Cornett" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/133039-050-5A4B7410/horn-valves.jpg" data-href="/media/1/645041/167125" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/133039-004-BCBB9965/horn-valves.jpg" alt="orchestral horn" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/78/118578-004-F16E6E4D/double-reed.jpg" data-href="/media/1/645041/114435" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" 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Borders</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Professor of Musicology; former Curator, Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Author of <i>European and American Wind and Percussion Instruments.</i></div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> James M. 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/wind-instrument/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/art/organ-musical-instrument" topicid="431866">organ</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/accordion" topicid="3011">accordion</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/reed-instrument" topicid="494998">reed instrument</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/harmonium-musical-instrument" topicid="255567">harmonium</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/didjeridu" topicid="162460">didjeridu</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/wind-instrument"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref937992"></span>wind instrument</strong>, any <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">musical instrument</a> that uses air as the primary vibrating medium for the production of sound.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref53794"><h2 class="h1">General considerations</h2> <section data-level="2" id="ref53795"><h2 class="h2">Classification</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Wind instruments exhibit great <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="diversity" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diversity" data-type="MW">diversity</a> in structure and sonority and have been prominent in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/music" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">music</a> of all <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="cultures" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cultures" data-type="MW">cultures</a> since prehistoric times. A system of classification of these instruments must reflect and categorize the relationships and the differences between the many varieties. The conventional division of the symphony <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/orchestra-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">orchestra</a> into sections has simplified the grouping of wind instruments into <span id="ref937998"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/woodwind" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">woodwinds</a> and <span id="ref937999"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/brass-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">brasses</a>, but this is an inaccurate classification that generally does not apply outside Western <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="culture" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture" data-type="MW">culture</a>. The fact that some modern woodwinds, such as <span id="ref938000"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/flute-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">flutes</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/saxophone" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">saxophones</a>, are made of metal whereas several ancestors of present-day brasses, such as the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/cornett" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">cornett</a> and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/serpent-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">serpent</a>, were typically made of wood illustrates the unsuitability of a classification according to material.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The standard method of instrument classification was introduced in 1914 by <span id="ref131111"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Curt-Sachs" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Curt Sachs</a> and <span id="ref131112"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Erich-Moritz-von-Hornbostel" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Erich von Hornbostel</a>. It is based on the acoustical principles of an instrument’s sound, regardless of its stylistic or cultural <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="context" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/context" data-type="MW">context</a>. In this system, all wind instruments—that is, all instruments in which air itself is the primary vibrating medium for the production of sound—are called <span id="ref938016"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/aerophone" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">aerophones</a>, whether or not the air is enclosed in a tube.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <span id="ref131114"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Hornbostel-and-Sachs-system" class="md-crosslink ">Sachs-Hornbostel</a> system further classifies aerophones as free aerophones or as wind instruments proper. The wind instruments subdivide into edge instruments, reedpipes, and trumpet-type instruments according to their manner of tone production. Free aerophones, which include a variety of folk instruments as well as such technologically sophisticated devices as reed stops in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/organ-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">organs</a> (<em>see also</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/keyboard-instrument/Related-stringed-keyboard-instruments#ref53776" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">keyboard instrument; the organ</a>), are distinguished from the other categories because the vibrating air is not contained by a tube. The <span id="ref131115"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/bull-roarer" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">bull-roarer</a> is the best example. A spatulate stone, bone, or board, sometimes carved in the shape of a fish or other object, is tied through a small hole to a string, which in turn is attached to a stick; when the instrument is whirled around, it produces a sound by its disturbance of the air. The mouth organ, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/accordion" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">accordion</a>, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/reed-organ" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">reed organ</a>, and the reed stops of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/pipe-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">pipe</a> organ are all considered free aerophones as well. They contain <span id="ref131117"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/free-reed" class="md-crosslink ">free reeds</a>, which vibrate above or through a slot, setting the air into pulsations. The resulting <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/pitch-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">pitch</a> is determined by the thickness and length of the vibrating reed.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In edge instruments (or <span id="ref938003"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/flute-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">flutes</a>), an airstream directed against a sharp edge sets an adjoining air column within a tube into regular pulsations, producing sound. Flutes are divided into so-called true flutes and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/whistle" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">whistle</a> flutes (also called duct flutes, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/fipple-flute" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">fipple flutes</a>, block flutes, or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/recorder-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">recorders</a>). Like all aerophones, flutes may be simple or complex, depending on their construction, the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="transverse" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/transverse" data-type="EB">transverse</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/flute-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">flute</a> being simple and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/panpipe" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">panpipes</a>, organs, and other multiple-tube instruments being more complex.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/sound-check-musical-vocabulary-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/30/254330-131-1B200240/young-girl-playing-trumpet.jpg" alt="Young girl wearing a demin jacket playing the trumpet (child, musical instruments, Asian ethnicity)" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Sound Check: Musical Vocabulary Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In <span id="ref131119"></span>true flutes, a ribbon-shaped column of air is produced between the player’s lips and directed against the edge of an aperture. The player blows against either the sharp rim at the upper, open end of the tube (end-blown) or the rim of a hole in the side of the tube (side-blown). The <span id="ref266815"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Japanese-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Japanese</a> <span id="ref131120"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/shakuhachi" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true"><em>shakuhachi</em></a> is an end-blown flute, consisting of a wide bamboo tube with a notch at the top, four front finger holes, and one rear thumbhole. The transverse flute and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/piccolo" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">piccolo</a> of the Western orchestra are side-blown.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="100366" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/33790-004-7F80241D/Indonesian-duct-flute-bamboo-London-Horniman-Museum.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/645041/100366"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/33790-004-7F80241D/Indonesian-duct-flute-bamboo-London-Horniman-Museum.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/33790-004-7F80241D/Indonesian-duct-flute-bamboo-London-Horniman-Museum.jpg?w=300" alt="Indonesian duct flute, bamboo; in the Horniman Museum, London." data-width="84" data-height="450" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/33790-004-7F80241D/Indonesian-duct-flute-bamboo-London-Horniman-Museum.jpg" data-href="/media/1/645041/100366">Indonesian duct flute, bamboo; in the Horniman Museum, London.</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The player of a <span id="ref131121"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/fipple-flute" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">whistle flute</a>, by contrast, blows through a mouthpiece. The air passes through a duct, or windway, between a plug in the mouthpiece and the flute wall; the duct directs the air against the sharp edge of another hole farther down the body of the instrument. Because the airstream is shaped and directed by the duct rather than by the player’s lips, whistle flutes are simpler to play than true flutes. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/recorder-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">recorder</a> and the open flue stops of the organ are both whistle flutes.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="147510" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/143818-050-3E42A5BE/Ocarina.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/645041/147510"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/143818-050-3E42A5BE/Ocarina.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/143818-050-3E42A5BE/Ocarina.jpg?w=300" alt="ocarina" data-width="1600" data-height="1049" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/143818-050-3E42A5BE/Ocarina.jpg" data-href="/media/1/645041/147510">ocarina</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/ocarina" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">ocarina</a> has a globular—as opposed to tubular—flute pipe. Consequently, it falls into a subcategory of whistle flutes known as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/vessel-flute" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">vessel flutes</a>. Such flutes, of various materials, are found in North and South America, Europe, Africa, China, and Oceania.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The second category of wind instruments <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="comprises" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comprises" data-type="MW">comprises</a> <span id="ref938213"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/reed-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">reed instruments</a>, or <span id="ref938010"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/reedpipe" class="md-crosslink ">reedpipes</a>, which have a column of air that is activated by the vibrations between the two or more parts of a reed or between a single reed and the mouthpiece. In the Sachs-Hornbostel system, all multiple reeds are generically classified as <span id="ref938004"></span>oboes and the single reeds as <span id="ref938005"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/clarinet" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">clarinets</a>. Accordingly, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/bassoon" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">bassoon</a> is an <span id="ref938006"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/oboe-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">oboe</a>, and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/saxophone" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">saxophone</a> is a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/clarinet" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">clarinet</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="158534" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/150604-004-FDB1E7AB/ivory-trumpet-Liberia.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/645041/158534"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/150604-004-FDB1E7AB/ivory-trumpet-Liberia.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/150604-004-FDB1E7AB/ivory-trumpet-Liberia.jpg?w=300" alt="ivory trumpet" data-width="218" data-height="450" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/150604-004-FDB1E7AB/ivory-trumpet-Liberia.jpg" data-href="/media/1/645041/158534">ivory trumpet</a><span>Side-blown ivory trumpet from Liberia.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The third category, trumpet-type aerophones, includes instruments in which the vibration of the player’s compressed lips sets the air column in motion. Depending on the shape of the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="bore" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/bore" data-type="EB">bore</a> (the hollow tubular interior of the instrument), trumpet-type aerophones are either <span id="ref938008"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/trumpet" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">trumpets</a>, whose bore is cylindrical, or <span id="ref938009"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/horn-musical-instrument-group" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">horns</a>, whose bore is conical, although in practice they are sometimes difficult to distinguish. (Some writers prefer to call horns those instruments known or believed to have developed from instruments made from animal horns or tusks, terming the remaining lip-vibrated instruments trumpets.) Trumpet-type aerophones are further classified in two ways: (1) according to the position of the mouth hole—they are end-blown if it is located at the upper orifice of the tube and side-blown if pierced somewhere in the side—and (2) by the presence or absence of a mouthpiece. Finally, trumpet-type aerophones are classified according to construction designed to permit the playing of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/chromaticism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">chromatic</a> pitches. They are natural if not so constructed, such as the conch shell and the hoop-shaped baroque trumpet, and chromatic if built with finger holes, slides, or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/valve-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">valves</a>, as is the orchestral <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/trumpet" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">trumpet</a>.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD11 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">With the Sachs-Hornbostel classification well in mind, the common terminology can be used with the understanding that the term <em>woodwinds</em> refers to flutes and reed instruments and the term <em>brasses</em> to lip-vibrated aerophones. Since the late 20th century, other categories have been suggested as additions to the Sachs-Hornbostel list. Notable among these is the human voice, which approximates the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="criteria" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criteria" data-type="MW">criteria</a> for a double-reed <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/aerophone" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">aerophone</a>. Approximating the sound—but not the structure—of reedpipes would be the so-called membranopipes, a proposed category embracing instruments that have a membrane, as opposed to a reed, to set the column of air in motion.</p><span class="marker MOD11 mod-inline"></span></section> </section><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":14,"pageId":645041,"pageLength":1065,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Wind instrument | Classifications, History, & Facts | Britannica