The name of the wind instruments. Woodwind musical instruments

wind instruments very different in their structure and sonority from all other instruments, and they stood out in the music of all cultures since prehistoric times. The classification of these tools well reflects the relationship and differences between different types wind.

How are wind instruments arranged?

A wind instrument is made up of resonators certain type(usually in the form of tubes). They vibrate a column of air that the player blows into the wind instrument, and as a result, the sound is amplified.

The sound range of a wind instrument is determined by the size of its resonators. For example, the sound extracted from a thick tuba is low because the length of its air channel contributes to the low-frequency oscillation of the air flow. And the sound of a thin flute will be high due to the narrower shape of the instrument, and, accordingly, the smaller volume of the resonator: under such conditions, the air column oscillates against its walls more often, therefore, the sound becomes higher.

It is possible to increase the oscillation frequency of the column by accelerating the air injection, that is, if you create a faster and sharper air jet.

Classification of wind instruments

Wind instruments are divided into two groups:

  • brass wind instruments;
  • woodwind instruments;
  • keyboard wind instruments.

Initially, this distribution arose due to the materials used to make a particular tool, but later it became more refer to the way sound is extracted from it. The material of tools made in our time is not limited to copper and wood and can be very diverse - from metal to plastic, from brass to glass, but these tools will still belong to one of the above groups.

When playing them, the sound is extracted due to the change in the length of the air column. This can be achieved by opening special holes that are on the tool, and which ones - depends on the distance at which these holes are from each other.

Woodwind instruments are divided into two subgroups: labial and reed. The distribution depends on how the air is blown into the tool.

IN labial air is blown in through a transverse slot located on the head of the tool itself: due to this, the air stream is cut and promotes internal air oscillation.

The labial wind instruments include the pipe, as well as the flute and its varieties.

IN reed blowing occurs with the help of a tongue - a thin plate at the top of the instrument, as a result of which the air column begins to oscillate.

Reed wind instruments include: saxophone, clarinet, bassoon and their varieties, as well as instruments such as balaban and zurna.

From the method of sound production, caused by a certain position of the lips on the instrument and the force of blowing the air stream, the instrument belongs to the brass. These wind instruments used to be copper, later brass, and sometimes silver.

Brass wind instruments are also divided into subgroups.

Peculiarity valve tools is that they, in fact, are equipped with three or four valves, which are controlled by the player with his fingers. They are needed in order to increase the length of the air jet by increasing the length of the instrument itself and thus lower the sound. This happens when the valve is pressed, when an additional crown is included in the tube and the tool is additionally lengthened.

Valve instruments include: trumpet, horn, tuba, saxhorn and others.

But at natural Wind instruments do not have additional tubes at all: they extract sounds only from the natural scale and are not able to play melodic lines, therefore they have practically ceased to be used in early XIX century. This subgroup includes the bugle, fanfare, hunting horn and similar instruments.

An additional retractable tube in the shape of the letter U, which is called backstage, characterizes such a type of brass as a trombone. The movement of this tube affects the length of the air stream, respectively, and the tone of the sound.

Keyboard wind instruments

Keyboard wind instruments are distinguished separately in this classification. Their peculiarity is that in their structure there are reed and movable tubes - air is pumped into them through special furs.

Among them there are two subgroups:

  • reed - harmonium, accordion, melody, button accordion;
  • pneumatic - an organ and some of its types.

Wind instruments of the symphony orchestra

Flute, bassoon, oboe, tuba, horn, trombone, clarinet and trumpet - those wind instruments musical instruments that are part of the symphony orchestra. Let's consider some of them.

Flute

Initially, the flute was indeed made of wood, but later, in the 19th century, silver became the main material for this instrument. The very word "flute" is rooted in ancient times; then this name applied to all wind instruments without exception. It is believed that the flute is one of the most ancient musical instruments in principle - the first ancestors of this instrument appeared already about 43 thousand years ago.

Previously, there was a longitudinal flute, which the musician holds in front of him like a pipe, but in the period after the Baroque era, it was supplanted by a transverse flute, which is held to the side, moving the arms to the side. It is the transverse version that most people imagine when they hear the concept of "flute". In a symphony orchestra, two flutes are mainly involved. The flute is most often used for classical works. Among other wind instruments, the flute is best for most people, and learning sheet music for the flute is no more difficult than learning sheet music for piano or guitar.

Trombone

The trombone is the only brass instrument that has not undergone any changes after centuries of its existence, and has remained the same as ancient musicians knew it. The trombone is the only instrument that does not transpose, that is, the pitch of the actual sound of which is the same as the pitch of the musical notation. The word "trombone" is usually understood as such a variety of it as a tenor trombone. There are also alto and bass trombones but they are very rarely used.

A symphony orchestra usually has three trombones. Trombone is most often found in such musical genres like jazz and ska punk.

Oboe

The form that the oboe has now, he acquired in the XVIII century. Its predecessors since ancient times were such instruments as aulos, zurna, bagpipes and others. The oboe is characterized by a melodious timbre, similar to human voice. He himself has a conical shape and a set of twenty-three cupronickel valves on the body.

The symphony orchestra has two oboes in its composition. Classical and Baroque pieces are the main repertoire of this instrument.

Pipe

Among the brass, it is the trumpet that can sound above all. It is made from materials such as brass, copper or silver. It is one of the most ancient instruments. Initially, it was used as a signal tool, but with XVII century she became an element of the symphony orchestra.

A symphony orchestra uses three trumpets. This instrument is used in a wide variety of genres: classical, jazz, etc.

tuba

The tuba, unlike the trumpet, on the contrary, is the lowest-sounding element. In addition, the size and weight of the tuba also exceeds all other brass instruments. Because of this, it is often played standing up, which, among other things, implies the appropriate physical preparation of the musician. It is an invention of the 19th century Belgian Adolphe Sax. Like the trumpet, the tuba is a valve instrument.

The orchestra mostly uses a single tuba.

A more or less serious level of playing any wind instrument can be achieved in three or four years of systematic practice. Developing an ear for music will help accelerate progress. Woodwinds are said to be slightly easier to learn than brass ones; and the most difficult for students are the horn and trombone.

It will be easier to explain to young children what brass instruments are with the help of a video. We invite you to watch the following video:

The existing classification assumes the following types wind instruments are brass and wood. The main difference between them is the features of sound extraction.

Wind instruments, classification

Woodwind musical instruments are distinguished by the fact that their sound depends on the vibrations of the air that enters the hollow pipe along with the reed. The pitch of the sound is adjusted by opening and closing small holes. Most popular species woodwind instruments:

  • flute;
  • clarinet;
  • oboe;
  • bassoon;
  • saxophone.

The sound in brass wind instruments is supplied to the player directly through the mouthpiece, and the control takes place using a system of special valves. Wind instruments, the types of which not everyone knows, have an unusual sound.

The following brass instruments are known:

  • French horn;
  • cornet;
  • trombone;
  • pipe;
  • tube.

The appearance of wind instruments has changed from its inception to today. That is why there is a division into wooden and copper groups. Modern flutes, as well as saxophones, are quite often made of metal, and some parts of oboes and clarinets are made of plastic.

What is the purpose of wind instruments?

Each group of tools has its own purpose. In an orchestra, they usually act as accompanists. Thanks to the brass musical parts for instruments string instruments, as well as the entire orchestra as a whole, are supported, amplified, and diluted.

In other things, you can also hear the solo sound of such instruments as flute, oboe and clarinet during the performance of classical compositions.

The best jazz soloists are saxophone and trumpet.

Brass instruments in the orchestra occupy the back positions along with percussion, this is important so that their sound does not interrupt all other instruments. At the same time, both woodwinds are placed directly behind the strings.

Popular wind instruments

Naturally, the flute is considered the most popular and well-known wind instrument. The name itself speaks of a melodic sound, because in translation the flute is a breath.

Some historians are sure that this instrument originated from the most common whistle and has existed for several millennia.

In the territory ancient egypt flute had almost the same appearance How modern instrument. It was made of wood and richly decorated, and also had a beveled edge. At the same time, such types of wind instruments as block flute and transverse flute appeared.

There are a lot of varieties of flutes - this is an ocarina (an instrument made of clay), and a pan flute (an instrument with several pipes), and a reed pipe, and a duduk (an instrument Armenian origin, which has two canes), and whistle (longitudinal instrument of Celtic origin).

Thanks to the sound of various wind instruments, any musical composition become more penetrating and conveys the most subtle mood swings. For example, the trumpets deafen and even frighten with their roar, and the gentle sound of the flute penetrates the depths of the soul.

Video: Types of brass instruments

A list of them will be given in this article. It also contains information about the types of wind instruments and the principle of extracting sound from them.

wind instruments

These are pipes that can be made of wood, metal or any other material. They have different shape and publish different in timbre musical sounds, which are extracted through air flow. The timbre of the "voice" of a wind instrument depends on its size. The larger it is, the more air passes through it, from which the frequency of its oscillation is lower, and the sound produced is low.

There are two ways to change the type emitted by the instrument:

  • adjusting the air volume with fingers, using the wings, valves, gates, and so on, depending on the type of instrument;
  • an increase in the force of blowing the air column into the pipe.

The sound is completely dependent on the flow of air, hence the name - wind instruments. A list of them will be given below.

Varieties of wind instruments

There are two main types - copper and wood. Initially, they were classified in this way, depending on what material they were made from. Now, to a greater extent, the type of instrument depends on the way in which the sound is extracted from it. For example, the flute is considered a woodwind instrument. At the same time, it can be made of wood, metal or glass. The saxophone is always produced only in metal, but belongs to the class of woodwinds. brass instruments can be made of various metals: copper, silver, brass and so on. There is a special variety - keyboard wind instruments. Their list is not so great. These include harmonium, organ, accordion, melody, button accordion. Air enters them thanks to special furs.

What instruments are wind instruments

Let's list the wind instruments. Their list is as follows:

  • pipe;
  • clarinet;
  • trombone;
  • accordion;
  • flute;
  • saxophone;
  • organ;
  • zurna;
  • oboe;
  • harmonium;
  • balaban;
  • accordion;
  • French horn;
  • bassoon;
  • tuba;
  • bagpipes;
  • duduk;
  • harmonica;
  • Macedonian guide;
  • shakuhachi;
  • ocarina;
  • serpent;
  • horn;
  • helicon;
  • didgeridoo;
  • kurai;
  • trembita.

There are other similar tools that can be mentioned.

Brass

Wind brass musical instruments, as mentioned above, are made of various metals, although in the Middle Ages there were those that were made of wood. The sound is extracted from them by strengthening or weakening the blown air, as well as by changing the position of the musician's lips. Initially, brass wind instruments were reproduced only in the 30s of the 19th century, valves appeared on them. This allowed such instruments to reproduce the chromatic scale. The trombone has a retractable rocker for this purpose.

Brass instruments (list):

  • pipe;
  • trombone;
  • French horn;
  • tuba;
  • serpent;
  • helicon.

Woodwinds

Musical instruments of this type were originally made exclusively from wood. To date, this material is practically not used for their production. The name reflects the principle of sound extraction - there is a wooden cane inside the tube. These musical instruments are equipped with holes on the body, located at a strictly defined distance from each other. The musician, while playing, opens and closes them with his fingers. This results in a certain sound. Woodwind instruments sound like this. The names (list) included in this group are as follows:

  • clarinet;
  • zurna;
  • oboe;
  • balaban;
  • flute;
  • bassoon.

reed musical instruments

There is another type of wind - reed. They sound thanks to a flexible vibrating plate (tongue) located inside. Sound is extracted by exposing it to air, or by pulling and pinching. On this basis, you can make a separate list of tools. Wind reeds are divided into several types. They are classified according to the way the sound is extracted. It depends on the type of reed, which can be metal (as in organ pipes, for example), free-swinging (as in jew's harp and harmonicas), or striking or reed, as in reed woodwinds.

List of tools of this type:

  • harmonica;
  • jew's harp;
  • clarinet;
  • accordion;
  • bassoon;
  • saxophone;
  • kalimba;
  • harmonic;
  • oboe;
  • hulus.

Wind instruments with a freely slipping tongue include: button accordion, labial. In them, air is forced by blowing through the musician's mouth, or with bellows. The airflow causes the reeds to vibrate and thus the sound is extracted from the instrument. The jew's harp also belongs to this type. But his tongue oscillates not under the influence of the air column, but with the help of the hands of the musician, by pinching and pulling it. Oboe, bassoon, saxophone and clarinet are of a different type. In them, the tongue is beating, and it is called a cane. The musician blows air into the instrument. As a result of this, the tongue vibrates and sound is extracted.

Where are wind instruments used?

Wind instruments, the list of which was presented in this article, are used in orchestras of various composition. For example: military, brass, symphonic, pop, jazz. And also occasionally they can perform as part of a chamber ensemble. Very rarely they are soloists.

Flute

This is the list of pipes related to this type was given above.

The flute is one of the oldest musical instruments. It does not use a reed like other woodwinds. Here the air is cut against the edge of the instrument itself, due to which the sound is formed. There are several types of flutes.

Siringa - single-barreled or multi-barreled tool Ancient Greece. Its name comes from the name of the bird's vocal organ. The multi-barreled syringa later became known as the Pan flute. On this instrument, ancient times played by peasants and shepherds. IN Ancient Rome the syringa accompanied the performances on stage.

Block flute - wooden tool belonging to the whistle family. Close to it is the flute, flute and whistle. It differs from other woodwinds in that on its back there is an octave valve, that is, a hole for closing with a finger, on which the height of other sounds depends. They are removed by blowing in air and closing the 7 holes on the front side with the fingers of the musician. This type of flute was most popular between the 16th and 18th centuries. Its timbre is soft, melodious, warm, but at the same time its possibilities are limited. Such great composers as Antonia Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Handel and others used the recorder in many of their works. The sound of this instrument is weak, and gradually its popularity has declined. This happened after the transverse flute appeared, which is by far the most used. Nowadays, the recorder is used mainly as educational tool. Beginning flutists first master it, only then they move on to the longitudinal one.

The piccolo flute is a kind of transverse flute. She has the highest timbre of all wind instruments. Its sound is whistling and piercing. Piccolo is two times shorter than usual. Her range is from “re” second to “do” fifth.

Other types of flutes: transverse, panflute, di, Irish, kena, pipe, pyzhatka, whistle, ocarina.

Trombone

This is a brass wind instrument (a list of members of this family was presented in this article above). The word "trombone" is translated from Italian as "big trumpet". It has existed since the 15th century. The trombone differs from other instruments of this group in that it has a backstage - a tube with which the musician extracts sounds by changing the volume of air flow inside the instrument. There are several varieties of trombone: tenor (the most common), bass and alto (less commonly used), contrabass and soprano (practically not used).

Hulus

This is a Chinese reed wind instrument with additional pipes. Its other name is bilandao. He has three or four pipes in total - one main (melodic) and several bourdon (low-sounding). The sound of this instrument is soft, melodic. Most often, hulus are used for solo performance, very rarely - in an ensemble. Traditionally, this instrument was played by men, declaring their love to a woman.

Wind instruments include musical instruments in the form of a tube, in which sound is created by vibrating a column of air. The body (tube) can be made of any material (wood, metal) and take any shape. In a symphony orchestra, wind instruments stand out with a bright and strong sound.

Origin of wind instruments

The prototype of the first wind instrument in the history of music was a bone into which primitive tried to blow. Much later came the flute, trumpet, bassoon, and -- but all of these instruments use the same principle that made the bone make sounds. It's about on vibrations of air in a hollow tube.

A little later, primitive musicians would think of drilling holes in the bones - this way the sound would acquire various shades: from low to high. And then a tongue made of reed will appear in the hole of the tube. Its vibrations will cause this tube to produce a melodic sound. This is how the clarinet was born. And after him, the oboe - of a similar design, only with two reeds.

The device of wind instruments on the example of a flute

In principle, all wind instruments are extremely simple. Consider their structure using the example of a flute. modern flute it can be wooden, less often metal. In any case, it is a hollow tube with many valves. On the side there is a hole into which the flutist blows, extracting sound from the instrument.

Obviously, there is air inside the tube, which the musician forces to move with the force of his breath. Hence the sound. Moreover, the shorter the tube, the higher this sound. For this purpose, holes are provided: by closing or opening them, you can adjust the length of the tube.

For convenience, these openings are closed with special valves. This is especially convenient for wind instruments with a long tube - it is difficult for a musician to reach all the holes with his fingers.

Varieties of wind instruments

The oboe has a very rich history and several ancestors at once among ancient musical instruments (the features of the Caucasian zurna and the ancient flute are traced in its design).


Oboe


Bassoon

The clarinet, whose name comes from Latin word"clear", takes pride of place in symphony orchestras and stands out with a warm rich sound.

The trumpet is one of the most widely known wind instruments. But few people know that she came to Europe from distant Asian countries. The first pipes were characterized by a straight or slightly curved shape, pipes appeared much later modern look, rolled up. The pipes are characterized by a loud, warlike sound - that's why they were used most often in military campaigns. The trumpet appeared in the orchestra with light hand Italian Monteverdi. In addition, in Europe, the pipe was equipped with valves to adjust the length and obtain sounds of different heights. But the original form of this instrument has been preserved - only now under the name trombone.

Another wind instrument is the button accordion, created by Pyotr Sterlyagov on the individual order of the harmonica player Yakov Orlandsky. It was a completely new instrument with a rich sound, giving the musician much more options than the harmonica. Buttons in the accordion are located on the sides: 100 on the left and 53 on the right.