Skip to main content

The Two Major Types of Wind Instruments

The orchestra encompasses 4 main sections and half of those are winds.

Wind instruments require air to create a vibration, which then sends the sound through the instrument. The two main types of wind instruments encompass a large, significant and colorful part of the orchestra. Learning about these instruments will make listening to music a more enjoyable and fulfilling experience by making it possible to talk specifically about music.

Types of Winds


Woodwind and brass instruments are the two main types of wind instruments in western music. These instruments create their sound by sending vibrations through the instrument propelled by sound. Each group of wind instruments has a different purpose and mechanical function. The method of sound production determines the instrument classification. Both groups of wind instruments use air, but materials create the vibrations specific to each group.

Woodwinds


The woodwinds either are made of wood or produce their sound using a wooden reed. The reed vibrates as air passes over and through the instrument. The flute and piccolo are classified as woodwind instruments because they were traditionally made of wood. The saxophone also is a woodwind because of the wooden reed, even though most of the instrument is brass. Other woodwind instruments include oboes, English horn, bassoons, contra-bassoons, clarinets and bass clarinets.

Brass


The brass section uses a mouthpiece made out of metal, brass, silver or gold materials to produce sound. The instruments typically employ brass materials with different types of finish to affect the sound. Instruments in the brass family include the trumpet, cornet, trombone, horn, euphonium, baritone and tuba.

Wind Ensemble


The wind ensemble started as a military band, and built up progressively to the modern day wind ensemble used in colleges, universities, and military and professional organizations. Wind ensembles are a collection of brass and woodwind instruments in conjunction with a percussion section, which includes various types of drums. Some wind ensembles also will include cellos, basses and pianos in their orchestrations.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no

Why Claude Debussy Never Cared About Music Theory

  Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862. So, I felt writing a blog post to celebrate would be appropriate. Debussy was a revolutionary composer who challenged the conventions of Western music. He was influenced by the impressionist painters, the exotic sounds of gamelan music, and the symbolist poets. He created a musical language that was expressive, colorful, and atmospheric. One of the most remarkable aspects of Debussy's music is his use of harmony. He did not follow the rules of tonality and functional harmony that dominated the music of his time. Instead, he used modes, scales, chords, and parallel movements that created a sense of ambiguity and fluidity. He also experimented with timbre, texture, rhythm, and form to create musical images that evoked moods and emotions. Debussy's music can inspire us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities in our own compositions. We can learn from his innovative techniques and his artistic vision. We can also apprecia

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str