It's hard to pinpoint the origins of wind instruments, but it's thought that they may have emerged in prehistoric times, when men realized that they could make sounds by blowing on bones or bamboo.

They generally consist of a tube in which the air column generates vibrations and the waves propagate. Generally, the larger the tube, the deeper the sound it produces. This family can be subdivided into woodwind—instruments originally made of wood—and brass—instruments originally made of metal.

A Bit of History...

Wind instruments are very old and originated in ancient cultures. Instruments similar to the flute, the most popular and oldest example of this family, are at least 40,000 years old and are found in practically every culture and on every continent.

Wind instruments were originally made from animal horns and bones, bamboo and, of course, wood. Over time, metals gained importance in the manufacture of these instruments, and even plastic became widely used in their construction.

Wind instruments are also very important in the recent history of music. Present in musical styles such as jazz and choro, some of them are reminiscent of great icons of Brazilian music, such as the carioca Pixinguinha (1897-1973), one of the greatest flutist and saxophonist composers of the 20th century, and Joaquim Callado Jr., composer and flutist, considered the father of choro.

Pixinguinha

Joaquim Callado Jr.

How do they work?

Most wind instruments have holes or mechanisms that, when plugged in or the musician's fingers press the keys, change the acoustic length of the instrument's tube, producing different musical notes.

Action of wind instruments

Wind instruments can be divided into two categories: woodwind and brass. However, it is the form of sound production that determines their classification, not the material of their construction.

Woodwinds

This category includes mechanical reed instruments (single or double) and air reeds (a jet of air hits a hole, as in transverse flutes, or a head containing a flute block, as in the recorder).

This category includes all wind instruments whose sound is produced by adapting the player's lips to a mouthpiece, as in the various flutes, or to a single or double reed, as in the clarinet and oboe. Initially, the instruments in this family were generally made of wood, but over time they they began to be made of other materials, such as metal and plastic. Even so, they were part of the wood family (traditionally, the term was retained).

Brass

This category includes wind instruments that produce sound by the direct vibration of the player's lips on a metal mouthpiece. They are usually made of metal, especially brass, and have a very powerful sound. There are instruments and mouthpieces in this group made of resin and other materials, which produce sounds similar to metal. The most important representatives of this group are the French horn, the trumpet, the trombone and the tuba. They all form part of orchestras and military bands.

The old instruments in this group had fixed lengths. Over time, additional holes, keys, pistons and tubes were added, allowing the acoustic length of the instruments to be varied.