How Do Wind Instruments Produce Sound

There are two main types of wind instruments: brass and woodwind. These instruments are classified by the way the sound is produced, not what material they are made of. Woodwind instruments are played with a reed attached to a mouthpiece. The reed is a thin cut piece of cane, a plant similar to bamboo. The reed is placed on the mouthpiece and clamped with a ligature, revealing a slit between the mouthpiece and the reed. This is because the reed needs space to vibrate; the basis of sound comes from air forced through a small opening, forcing the reed to bend quickly (vibrate). Sound is simply vibrations in the air. Other instruments, like bassoon, use a double reed (two reeds placed together with the “flat” sides facing each other). However, not all wind instruments use a reed. Brass instruments use a brass cup-shaped mouthpiece, where the player can vibrate their lips. Then, the pitch is changed by opening or closing of holes. This can be done by using fingers or keys (depending on the instrument). How does closing holes change pitch? Holes in the instrument allow for vibrations to escape the instrument. The closer to the top a hole is opened, the shorter the vibrations will be because of the lack of distance traveled, resulting in a higher pitch. On the other hand, brass instruments are essentially long tubes. They have valves which open and close, similar to the woodwind keys, that change the pitch.