

these
instru-
ments create sound
through the
vibration of a
player’s lips
on the mouth-
piece. The air that
passes through the
player’s lips
goes to the air
column of the
instrument
and thus
creates
sound.
Ex-
amples:
trom-
bone,
trumpet,
tuba
•
Wood-
winds—
These instru-
ments were
originally made
only of wood
but now other materials are
used. On reed instruments
like the saxophone and
the clarinet, a thin
material is
placed on the mouthpiece so that when the
player blows into it the air is forced to go
to a reed and sets it to vibrate. In dou-
ble-reed instruments such as bassoons
and oboes, the material placed on the
opening of the mouthpiece is thicker. In
woodwinds such as flutes, the player
blows air into the edge of a mouthpiece
thus creating sound.
• Free-reed—Refers to wind instruments that
have a freely vibrating reed and the pitch depends on
the size of the reed. A good example of this type of
instrument is the accordion.
•
Free—Free aerophones are those in which the
sound is produced by a column of air outside of the
instrument itself, such as a bull-roarer or a whip when
it’s cracked.
Electrophones
Electrophones are musical instruments that produce
sound electronically or produce its initial sound tradi-
tionally and then are electronically amplified. Some
examples of instruments that produce sound electron-
ically are electronic organs, theremins, and synthesiz-
ers. Traditional instruments, which are electronically
amplified, include electric guitars and electric pianos.