Brief History of Woodwind Instruments

A wind (or aerophone) is an instrument whose sound is produced by the vibrations created by a column of air from the breath of an instrumentalist (flute, trumpet…), a mechanical blower (organ, accordion…) or an air pocket) bagpipes, veuze…). Divided into two sub-classes wind instruments: Woods and brass. This classification refers to materials with which the instruments were made. It remains however historical today shows exceptions. For example, there are metal instruments that belong to the family of the wood and wooden instruments that belong to the brass. The classification is rather related to the way sound is produced. The voice also enters this category, using the breath of the singer to get vibrating the vocal cords. It is therefore considered to be the oldest instrument.

The Beginnings

First shawm musical instruments date back to prehistory. Made from bone, they were limited to two basic forms: the flutes made with the long bones and whistles made with short bones. The oldest flute discovered to date is some 20,000 years BC.

In the Renaissance, the wind instrument experienced exceptional growth… The growing need to produce sounds of more and more serious revealed large instruments. The key was invented to circumvent the difficulty to plug the holes farthest. The result was the appearance of completely new instruments (such as the bombard) family. The beginning of the seventeenth also made an important place in wooden instruments but the scope limited and unfit to run complex compositions. They were quickly abandoned. The recorder was available in a wide range of small flute the bass flute, and despite the difficulty of obtaining a just agreement with his instruments, they will remain widely used until the flute won’t dethrone them.

Evolution and Today

Over the years appeared the bassoon, instrument with a sound more serious and more intense than that of the flute while remaining more manageable than the bombing. The cone, close to the trumpet in the treble created a special atmosphere in the Orchestra. Brass evolved enormously thanks to the technique of the offset of the pipe and the use of the slide. Wind instruments have pushed the modes and always stood at the forefront of jazz.