Flutes and Whistles

• Flutes and whistles belong to the woodwind family, so named because these instruments were once all made of wood, although flutes are now commonly made of metal. Woodwinds are played by blowing air into the instrument, as opposed to buzzing the lips against each other to create the sound. Flutes, piccolos, recorders, and whistles are made from a single tube and have holes in them. Pitch is changed by covering and uncovering these holes as air passes through them. If an instrument has more holes than the musician has fingers, keys are added and are held down to help cover the extra holes.
  
  

Reed Woodwinds

• Certain woodwind instruments have reeds inside them that vibrate, sending the air bouncing off of them to help create sound. Single-reeds have the air blown between the reed and the wall of the instrument. These include clarinets and saxophones, which are available in a variety of sizes. The amount of air traveling through them controls pitch; the larger the instrument, the lower its range. Double-reed instruments include oboes, bassoons, English horns and bagpipes. In double-reeds, the sound is created by blowing air between the two reeds. This creates a rounder, richer and deeper sound.
  
  

High-Tone Brass

• Brass instruments are aptly named because they are traditionally made from brass. However, they can also be made of alloy metals or even wood or shell. Brass instruments, like woodwinds, are played with a flow of air into a tube. The air is blown into them a bit differently, though, by buzzing the lips together. Brass instruments have valves that are pressed down by the musician to help control tone and pitch. The smaller, higher-range brass instruments include trumpets, bugles and "French" horns, with small openings that produce a high-pitched, blaring sound.
  
  

Low-Tone Brass

• Perhaps the most versatile of all the brass instruments is the trombone. Along with valves that are pressed to control its tone, the trombone has a slide which is pulled in and out, making the instrument's main tube shorter or longer. This enables it to have a wider range than other brass instruments. The largest member of the brass family is the tuba. It has the deepest tones and is traditionally the bass instrument in the winds section of an orchestra.