What’s the Difference Between Woodwind and Brass Instruments?
If you (or your child) are new to learning an instrument, there are a lot of words that probably sound foreign to you. Today, we will look at two major instrument classifications since many new students begin learning an instrument in one of these categories. In this article, we will be comparing brass and woodwind instruments!
How are Brass and Woodwind Similar?
Before jumping into the differences, let’s look at how these two instrument classifications are similar. Both brass and woodwinds are wind instruments. Players use their breath to produce sound and control the pitch by changing the flow of air through the instrument. Other instrument classifications like strings or percussion rely on the hands, fingers, arms, and feet to produce sound.
Differences Between Brass and Woodwind Instruments
While both produce sound by blowing into a mouthpiece, there are some differences between brass and woodwind.
Mouthpiece and Embouchure (How Sound is Made)
Embouchure is how a musician positions their mouth and lips on the mouthpiece of a wind instrument. The embouchure for a woodwind is different from that of brass.
Brass instruments are played by buzzing the lips together in a cup-shaped mouthpiece. The buzzing of the lips produces a vibration, which travels through the length of the instrument, producing sound. The lip tension and use of valves and slides help the player control and change pitch.
Woodwind instruments rely on air passing over a thin piece of material. In the case of clarinet and saxophone, air is blown over a reed. Reeds are made from a tall bamboo like grass species called Arundo Donax.
Flute players blow over an embouchure hole to produce sound. While they function the same way, flutes do not use reeds.
Material
Found right in their names, the materials they are made of is another distinct difference. Brass instruments are made almost entirely of metal (including the mouthpiece), while woodwind instruments can vary. Some woodwinds like flute and saxophone are also made of metal, but the presence of a fibrous reed and the way sound is produced differentiate them from their brass counterparts.
Control of Airflow
Woodwind instruments rely on keys (buttons along the length of the instrument) to change pitch. Pressing or releasing keys “changes” the length of the instrument, causing a change in pitch. Brass instruments utilize valves and slides to physically change the distance the airflow through the instrument is traveling. Both keys and valves are controlled by the musician’s fingers, while slides (primarily seen on trombone), are controlled with the hand and arm.
Direction of Sound
Brass instruments are directional, meaning the sound they produce will be loudest when standing in front of the bell at the front of the instrument, and much quieter if you are standing behind. Woodwinds are non directional, which means no matter where you are positioned, the volume of sound they produce will be similar.
Types of Brass Instruments
Brass instruments are popular across musical genres. Here are some examples:
Types of Woodwind Instruments
Woodwinds are played everywhere from jazz clubs to concert halls.
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