Different Kinds of Wind Instruments

Bagpipes

A young man playing Great Highland Bagpipe during the summer Highland games at Tobermory. Feifei Cui-Paoluzzo / Getty Images

Bagpipes contain at least two single- or double-reed pipes that each create a single note and an animal skin or cloth bag. The bag is inflated by mouth or an external bellows, and the musician's fingers play notes on a separate melody pipe. Bagpipes take more time to master than other wind instruments and require a musician to have lung power to play. Early versions may date back to 100 BCE.

Bassoon

By the early 17th century, bassoons and their low registers were included in orchestras, although the instrument would achieve more prominence in the 18th century. The bassoon can be traced back to a musical instrument called curtal. Stretched out, a bassoon would be 9 feet long.

Clarinet

The clarinet has undergone many changes since its first inception during the late 1700s. It wasn't until the 1800s that the design, key, and range were standardized, much to the relief of composers.

Contrabassoon

Also known as double bassoon, this reed instrument is bigger than the bassoon. That's why it's called "the bassoon's big brother." It is pitched an octave lower than the bassoon, playing the lowest notes in the orchestra, and demands lung power from a musician.

Cornet

The trumpet and cornet are quite similar: They are usually pitched in B flat, and they both have valves. But whereas the trumpet is used in jazz bands, the cornet is usually used in brass bands. Trumpets also have a more powerful sound and have a cylindrical bore. Cornets, on the other hand, have a conical bore. A cylindrical bore enables an instrument to project well, and a conical bore provides a fuller or warmer sound due to the flare in its tubing on its way to the instrument's bell section.

Dulcian

The dulcian is a double-reed wind instrument of the Renaissance period. It is the predecessor of the modern-day bassoon. Because it was expensive, it was more likely to be owned by aristocrats and royalty than an average musician. Replicas are available today for people interested in playing Baroque- and Renaissance-period music.

Flute

The flute belongs to the wind family of musical instruments (no reed involved). It is of ancient origin and was first made of wood. Now, however, the flute is made of silver and other metals. There are two types of methods used in playing the flute: side-blown or end-blown.

Flutophone

The flutophone is a lightweight, pre-band musical instrument that serves as an introduction to playing other wind instruments such as the recorder. Flutophones are also inexpensive and easy to learn, making them a good starting point for young children.

Harmonica

The harmonica is a free-reed wind instrument and is used in blues and folk music. Musicians such as Larry Adler, Bob Dylan, and Sonny Boy Williamson have played the harmonica. It is portable and affordable and offers a lot of opportunities for jam sessions.

Oboe

The oboe can be traced back to instruments used in periods such as the shawm of the Renaissance, though its ancestry can go as far back as Ancient Greece. The soprano oboe was particularly favored during the 17th century. The oboes used today have been standardized since the late 1800s—though professional musicians' versions have more trill keys for more challenging pieces.

Recorder

The recorder is a wind instrument that emerged during the 14th century but disappeared during the mid-18th century. Fortunately, interest in this instrument was revived, and today all kids get their turn at learning on a plastic one in music class.

Saxophone

Sax lesson — " sax lesson with paul carr" ( CC BY 2.0) by woodleywonderworks

The saxophone is family of a reed musical instruments, the tenor version of which is a mainstay in jazz bands. Newer than other musical instruments in terms of its history, the saxophone was invented by Antoine-Joseph (Adolphe) Sax in 1846. He was working on a design to combine the ease of playing a reed instrument like a clarinet with the ease of fingering found in a bigger instrument.

Shawm

Many instruments that emerged during the Middle Ages reached a peak during the Renaissance period. The shawm is a free-reed wind instrument that was used during the 13th to 17th centuries. After that, use of the dulcian and oboe became more prevalent than the shawm. It is still used to this day, especially from Morocco eastward and in Islamic West Africa. It may have been developed from the pipes on a bagpipe.

Trombone

Child Musician plays in Jackson Sq — Richard T. Nowitz / Getty Images

The trombone descended from the trumpet but is played by sliding part of the horn back and forth to change pitch. When playing in a wind band or orchestra, music is written in the bass clef. When playing in a brass band, the music is written in the treble clef. Beginners start with the tenor trombone.

Trumpet

The trumpet belongs to the brass family of wind instruments. This instrument is considered an orchestral instrument mostly used in jazz bands. The trumpet has a long and rich history, even before greats such as Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong got a hold of one. It is believed that it was used as a signaling device in Ancient Egypt, Greece, and the Near East.

Tuba

The tuba is deep-sounding and is the largest instrument of the brasswind family. Like the trombone, music for the tuba can either be written in the bass or treble clef. Although it doesn't require as much lung power as the trumpet, the tuba can be difficult to handle due to its size and weight. The versions used in marching bands are often sousaphones and can weigh 15 pounds for a fiberglass version to 30–35 pounds for a brass version. (Sousaphones wrap around the player.) Orchestral tubas can weight 25–30 pounds as well, but the musician is able to play while seated.