A woodwind is a type of musical instrument that produces sound when a player blows air through or across it. The family includes flutes, clarinets, oboes, saxophones, and bassoons. Despite the name, not all woodwinds are made of wood: flutes are often metal, and saxophones are brass. They're called woodwinds because of how they make sound and because many originally were wooden.

What sets woodwinds apart from brass instruments is how the air vibrates to create sound. In a flute, you blow across an opening. In a clarinet or saxophone, you blow through a thin piece of cane called a reed that vibrates. Oboes and bassoons use two reeds that vibrate against each other. Each method creates a different tone, which is why a mellow clarinet sounds nothing like a bright, piercing piccolo, even though both are woodwinds.

You'll find woodwinds in orchestras, concert bands, and jazz ensembles. In an orchestra, the woodwind section typically sits in the middle, behind the strings and in front of the brass. Each woodwind has a distinctive voice: the flute sounds light and airy, the clarinet can be smooth or jazzy, and the bassoon produces deep, sometimes comical sounds.