Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the more general category of wind instruments. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed instruments, depending on how they produce their sound. Flutes produce sound by directing a focused stream of air below the edge of a hole in a cylindrical tube. The flute family can be divided into two sub-families: open flutes and closed flutes. To produce a sound with an open flute, the player blows a stream of air across a sharp edge that then splits the airstream. This split airstream then acts upon the air column contained within the flute’s hollow tube, causing it to vibrate and produce sound.
Reed instruments produce sound by focusing air into a mouthpiece that then causes a reed or reeds, to vibrate. Reed instruments are also divided into two types: single reed and double reed. Single-reed woodwinds produce sound by placing a reed onto the opening of a mouthpiece (using a ligature). When air is forced between the reed and the mouthpiece, the reed causes the air column in the instrument to vibrate and produce sound. Single-reed instruments include the clarinet, saxophone, and others such as the chalumeau. Double-reed instruments use two precisely cut, small pieces of cane bound together at their bases. The finished, bound reed is inserted into the instrument and vibrates as air is forced between the two pieces.