Woodwind and Brass Instruments

Abstract

Abstract This chapter briefly reviews the basic science of wind and brass instrument operation and the player-instrument interaction. It begins with how controlled, elevated pressure in the lungs produces air flow is modulated at the instrument input by a vibrating element—an air jet (flutes), a reed (other woodwinds), or the player’s lips (brass). This modulation inputs sound waves to the bore (and also back into the vocal tract), where resonances produce standing waves that interact with the vibrating element. Under suitable conditions of embouchure and bore configuration, the standing waves and vibrating element interact to produce sustained oscillations, some energy of which is radiated as output sound. The chapter next explains how the resonances are related to the shapes and configurations of the bore, why some of the resonances are harmonically related, and how these are controlled by the player. In all cases, note production, spectrum, and timbre are related to the musician’s control parameters: breath pressure, embouchure forces, tongue, vocal tract and finger gestures. The difficult issue of air speed is discussed, as are the effects of CO2 humidity, and temperature on playing pitch and techniques including vibrato, altissimo playing, and multiphonics.