Wind instruments sound. Types of musical instruments. Reed musical instruments

The wind instrument occupies an important place in the culture of all peoples. It is unknown why, but almost every nation had its own musical instrument of this type. What is so special about wind instruments and why do they not lose their fans? Let's figure it out.

What is this?

Wind instruments belong to the family of musical instruments in which the source of sound is an air column. By the way, this explains the very name of the instruments: the word “spirit” is used to mean “air.” In order for a wind instrument to “speak”, you need to blow a stream of air into it.

The capabilities of instruments of this kind are unique. They can be used both in orchestras (brass, jazz, symphony), and for ensembles and solo performances, or in avant-garde movements of modern music.

History of origin

Before considering the types of wind instruments, and also trying to understand how you can learn to play them, you need to remember how they arose.

An ancient man probably learned to blow a horn or a shell for the first time. These were the first primitive wind instruments, which were used by hunters or shamans for occult purposes. Gradually, man learned to process metal, and this radically influenced not only his tools and weapons, but also wind instruments. musical instruments. Although metal was now used as a material, the shape of the instruments remained virtually unchanged and imitated natural forms.

The ancestors of today's brass instruments can be considered the first postal horns, as well as signal trumpets and hunting horns. However, the sound palette that could be extracted from such instruments was rather meager, if not primitive, and depended entirely on the talent of the musician. And the reason is that such instruments were not yet equipped with a valve mechanism. Despite the primitivism, this scale served as the basis for the creation of fanfares.

Improving the quality of metalworking had a positive effect on the development of music. Now every wind musical instrument could receive a trumpet of given sizes. As a result, they received the name natural.

The capabilities of wind instruments could be radically expanded only in the 19th century, when a ventilation mechanism was invented. It was he who largely influenced the playing technique.

How to learn to play?

It is necessary to start learning a wind instrument depending on the age and physiological characteristics of the child. The fact is that there are age restrictions for it.

The first instrument a child learns is the recorder. It helps to develop breathing, as well as to comprehend the basics of musical notation. This instrument is also good because it is the basis for learning other types of wind instruments.

At about 8-10 years old, a child can switch to a more adult wind musical instrument. Most often it is an oboe, saxophone, transverse flute or clarinet. A little musician will be able to master the trumpet, horn and trombone after ten years.

Brass band: instruments and features

Such an orchestra consists of a group of musicians, each of whom plays wind instruments. Depending on the composition, the brass band can be small brass or mixed (small, medium, large).

If the orchestra consists only of clarinets, altos, tenors, baritones and basses, then it is classified as a small brass orchestra. Depending on which instruments are attached to them, other types are formed. Both woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon) and brass instruments can be added.

A small brass orchestra can handle simple music, such as marching or dancing. To play more complex repertoire, it is necessary to use a mixed orchestra.

Main types of copper instruments

Often parents cannot make a choice: which wind instrument is right for their child? In order not to make mistakes, it is necessary to have all the information relating to them. Since copper instruments are now widely used, we will talk about them.

There are several types brass instruments:

1. Valve. Such a wind instrument has three or four valves in its design, which are controlled by the musician himself. It also has an additional crown, which not only increases the length of the instrument, but lowers its action. This family of brass instruments includes trumpets, tubas, saxhorns and horns.
2. Backstage. Such instruments have a retractable blowpipe - a drawstring. It makes it possible to control the length of air that enters the channel. The musician's movements cause the sound to rise or fall. A classic example of a rocker instrument is the trombone.
3. Natural. From such an instrument it is possible to extract only those sounds that belong to the natural scale. These are the bugle, the horn, the fanfare, the alpine horn, and the signal horn.
4. Valve These instruments are distinguished by the fact that they have holes in their body. While playing, the musician closes or opens them. Valve instruments were widely used in the 18th century, but were gradually abandoned. This is primarily due to the inconvenience of their operation. This type includes serpent, cornet and valve trumpet.

The benefits of wind instruments

Scientists have long proven that playing wind instruments has a positive effect on the human respiratory system. This type of art is worth doing for those people who suffer from asthma or chronic bronchitis. In addition, playing such instruments helps to heal nervous disorders. If children begin to play wind instruments, they soon become calmer and more balanced.

Wind instruments

Surprisingly, there is no ethnic group in the world whose musical tradition has neglected the expressive capabilities of wind musical instruments. Despite all the diversity of their types, they use the same principle of sound generation: the vibrations of air blown into the tube are amplified by the air column located in it. Instruments have evolved along with culture and society. At first, shells, hollow horns of animals and plants served as tubes, and only much later other materials began to be used - wood, alloys, plastic.

Today, wind instruments are conventionally divided into wood and brass. But sound quality primarily depends on differences in sound sources:

· in flutes - perhaps the most ancient in origin, the sound is formed due to dissection air flow on a sharp edge;

· for reed instruments, the sounding body is reed reeds (clarinet, saxophone, oboe, bassoon, etc.);

· in brass instruments, the sound is formed by the vibration of the musician’s lips, clamped by the cup of the mouthpiece (trumpet, trombone, horn, etc.).

The chromatic scale of woodwinds is provided by a system of pillows that cover holes that change the size of the air column of the tube. Brass wind instruments use mechanisms (valves or slides) that force air flow through additional rings of tubes and thus change the pitch of the sound.

The timbres of wind instruments are extremely diverse. Therefore, they are indispensable in ensembles and orchestras. But let us emphasize one more feature that enhances the popularity of wind instruments: playing them is associated with breathing patterns, which enriches the intonation with the features of human speech and singing.

That is why the art of playing wind instruments requires the musician to have complex skills that are simultaneously related to sound formation, breathing distribution, and intonation. melodic line and control technology for the mechanical part of the tool.

Our online store features a large assortment of wind musical instruments. Sometimes, faced with such a variety, buyers feel confused in choosing. What should you consider when choosing a tool?

Secondly, choosing a tool for primary education, you should know that embouchures - that is, the ways in which the performer’s lips are active, as well as the techniques of playing the brass and woodwinds - are fundamentally different. Therefore, it will not be possible to switch from “copper” to “wood” simply and without losses. Try to decide right away.

Thirdly, consider whether it is worth immediately mastering the “elite” wind instruments. Perhaps it is better to start training and prepare a breathing apparatus on a longitudinal recorder, wind melodica or harmonica, the choice of which in our online store will not leave anyone indifferent.

Wind instruments- This is a type of musical instrument whose origins go back to the primitive system. Thus, it is believed that the first wind musical instrument was a bone, into which ancient people blew to produce sound, and then began to drill holes to change the sound. In general, it should be noted that they have always had a special influence on their listener. It was thanks to brass music that people could unite into a single whole, disconnect from all their experiences and for a while be transported to a world of euphoria and joy. Now it is impossible to hold a parade, holiday or simple folk festival without a brass band.

Nowadays, a wind musical instrument is often used for orchestral playing, but at the same time, the orchestra can be either symphonic or jazz. Precisely because many compositions on wind instruments require a whole team of musicians, wind instruments are less common than, for example, keyboards or guitars. Nowadays, most people who know how to play wind instruments are students of music schools or professional musicians, but it is almost impossible to meet “self-taught” ones.

At the same time, all wind instruments are easy to transport, easy to hold and comfortable to play.

To obtain sound from the “wind”, air is used, which is blown into the required hole and creates an oscillation of the air column in the barrel of the instrument. The most important characteristic of any musical instrument, be it a trombone, a cornet or a viola, is the tone that the entire column of air produces. This indicator depends on the length and size of the pillar. They change the tone on a wind instrument by changing the length of the column or by adjusting the volume of air that enters the column ( this method also called overblowing). To change the length of the column, a voice machine is used or by opening and closing a hole in the instrument tube.

Classification

If we talk about the classification of wind musical instruments, they can be divided into: wooden and copper. Wooden ones include, for example, an oboe, and copper ones include a trumpet. The names of these categories tell us about the material that is used in the manufacture of the tool. Nowadays, instead of wood, individual instruments are made of metals or plastics.

The most popular woodwind musical instruments are:

• Clarinet, which, thanks to its large range, provides the musician with a large choice of playing with the melody.
• The flute has a high sound and allows you to perform magnificent solo parts.
• Bassoon, for playing low sounds.

Among the copper musical instruments it is worth highlighting:

• A saxophone that no jazz orchestra can do without.
• Trombone filling the orchestra with bass sound.
• Fanfare, which is a mandatory attribute of any special event.

To summarize, I would like to note that in our time the popularity of wind musical instruments is not as great as it was several centuries ago. But at the same time, we can say with confidence that not a single symphony or jazz orchestra will ever be able to do without them. Therefore, if you want to plunge into the world of spiritual harmony, then be sure to take the time and listen to several works written for brass bands, believe me, this will not only give you a surge of strength, but also guarantee peace of mind.

Playing most wind instruments involves using human breath. This is where their name comes from: ancient Russian word"spirit" means air. The sounding body of any wind instrument is a column of air enclosed in the bore.

The classification of musical instruments is based on their division according to the nature and conditions of use of the sounding bodies. According to the method of sound production, the type of vibrator that sets a column of air into vibration, wind instruments are divided into flute, reed and mouthpiece. Flute (labial or sibilant)
The vibrator of these instruments is a stream of air, cut by the sharp edge of the labial opening or the wall of the barrel. Flutes include:

• ocarina-shaped instruments - various ceramic whistles with playing holes;

longitudinal flutes:

• open - instruments whose barrel is open at both ends;
• multi-barreled - instruments that are a set of tubes of various sizes, with one end of each tube closed and the other open;
• whistle - instruments in the upper end (head) of the barrel of which a bushing, lip or tongue of the performer is inserted, forming a gap through which a stream of air is directed to the sharp edge of the cut of the whistle hole;
• transverse flutes are instruments with one closed end (head), where there is a sound hole, onto the edge of which a stream of air is directed.

Reed

The vibrator for this group of instruments is an elastic plate - a breaker (cane, peep). This group includes:

• instruments with a free tongue: in the form of a birch bark plate, grass leaf, etc.;
• instruments with single or double beating tongue;
• instruments with a slipping reed: harmonicas, harmoniums, etc.

Mouthpieces

The vibrator of these instruments is the performer’s lips, which are properly closed and collected. The position, degree of elasticity and flexibility of the performer's labial and facial muscles, their training, endurance and strength when playing a wind instrument are usually called embouchure. Performers on mouthpiece instruments press their lips tightly against the mouthpiece, and the stream of air sent causes them to vibrate. Thus, unlike all other wind instruments, mouthpiece embouchures do not simply participate in the process of sound formation, but are a direct exciter of vibrations - a vibrator. And although performers on flute and reed instruments must also have an embouchure (the flutist uses it to direct a stream of air to the cut of the instrument, the performer on a reed instrument, covering the reed with his lips, uses the embouchure to control its vibration), it is the mouthpiece instruments that are called embouchure.

Flute and reed instruments used in professional performance are usually called woodwinds, despite the fact that the material for their manufacture is not always wood; mouthpieces - brass instruments.

The frequency of vibration of the column of air enclosed in the tube of a wind instrument (the pitch of the sound) depends on the length of the tube. As its length increases, the oscillation frequency decreases (the pitch of the sound decreases); as its length decreases, the oscillation frequency increases (the pitch of the sound rises). In addition, by increasing the tension of the embouchure and the speed of the blown air (blowing), the air column can be made to vibrate not only as a whole, but also divided into 2, 3, 4, etc. equal parts. The entire column of air produces the fundamental tone. A column of air, divided into two equal parts, sounds an octave above the fundamental tone, into three equal parts - a duodecima above the fundamental tone, into four equal parts - two octaves above the fundamental tone, etc. This sequence of sounds produced on a wind instrument by blowing , is called a natural scale, and the sounds themselves are called natural or overtones. On oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, blowing occurs using special “octave” valves. For clarity, we present a natural scale built from sound to a major octave (see example 1).

As already indicated, the absolute height of the fundamental tone depends on the length of the instrument tube, but the intervals between overtones do not depend on the absolute height of the fundamental tone, but always remain constant: between the first and second overtones there is a pure octave, between the second and third there is a perfect fifth, between the third and the fourth - a perfect fourth, etc. The intervals between the overtones do not correspond to the intervals of the same name in the equal-tempered scale, but this discrepancy is not so great as to not use natural sounds in practice. The exception is the seventh, eleventh, thirteenth and fourteenth overtones, which are so different from the corresponding sounds of the equal-tempered scale that they are perceived by ear as false. Despite this, before the invention of chromatic instruments, they were widely used when playing natural horns and trumpets.

Wind musical instruments have been known since prehistoric times. Presumably during the Paleolithic era (approximately 80-13 thousand years BC) the flute, trumpet, and shell-pipe appeared; in the Neolithic era (approximately 5-2 thousand years BC) flute with playing holes, Pan flute, transverse flute, transverse trumpet, single-reed pipes, nose flute, metal trumpet, double-reed pipes.

Flute and reed wind instruments are hollow tubes of cylindrical or conical, and sometimes reverse-conical cross-section. The simplest flute and reed instruments made it possible to produce only a small amount of natural sounds on them. On the Pan flute, a progressive sound scale was achieved through tubes of different sizes (the shorter the tube, the higher the sound). However, changing them during the game made the technique difficult. The idea arose to try to vary the length of the air column within one tube by drilling holes in it. The open hole allowed the air sent by the performer into the instrument to exit the tube before its end, which shortened the air column and thus increased the sound. The hole, closed with a finger, restored the integrity of the tube.

The flute became widespread in Ancient Egypt(mem - longitudinal flute with five playing holes and sebi - transverse), Palestine (ugab - longitudinal open flute), in China (paixiao - a type of Pan flute; xiao - longitudinal bamboo flute with six playing holes; di - bamboo transverse flute with six playing holes, four holes for tuning and one for coloring the timbre; xuan - longitudinal clay flute with six playing holes), India (vansha - transverse flute and layu - longitudinal). To a much lesser extent the instrument was widespread in Ancient Greece and Rome. These are varieties of the syrinx (pipe): the harmonic (a high register type of longitudinal flute) with playing holes and the Pan flute.
In countries Ancient world In addition to flutes, reed instruments were widespread. In Ancient Greece, one of the most beloved instruments was the aulos. The instrument was a cylindrical or conical tube with 3-4 or 6 playing holes and a double reed. The performer usually used two aulos at the same time. On one the melody sounded, on the other the constant tone accompanying it. IN last century BC aulos was improved. The number of playing holes increased to 15. Some of them were closed with rotating rings, which made the execution process easier. Avlos accompanied theatrical performances, gymnastic exercises, it was also used as a military instrument in military campaigns. Pythian (low) and choral (high) aulos were popular. In Rome, aulos was called tibia.

Argul became widespread in Ancient Egypt. The instrument consisted of two interconnected tubes of different lengths and beak-shaped mouthpieces with single reeds. The short tube had 6 playing holes, and the longer one had only a hole for sending air. They played two pipes at the same time, like an aulos. Unlike the argul, the Arabian tsummara had playing holes on both tubes. In China, instruments of the guan and son type were used.

The emergence of the European oboe is associated with two medieval types of eastern oboe. This is Indian zurna and Arabic zurna. European musicians used the eastern way of playing: the reed of the instrument was completely immersed in the mouth and vibrated freely, which made the sound very loud and monotonous. During the Middle Ages, an offshoot of the oboe group arose - a family of Western European pipes with a conical barrel. Treble and soprano pipes were called shawls, alto and tenor pipes were called pommers, and bass pipes were called bombards or large bass pommers. These instruments had a diatonic scale of almost two octaves and had different tunings. The total range of the pipe family was by the end of the 16th century. five and a half octaves: from F counter octave to B third.

The improvement of woodwind instruments is primarily associated with an increase in the number of playing holes. Located at certain distances from each other, they began to be divided into main ones and into holes with valves. The latter, in turn, were divided into holes with valves initially in the closed position and holes with valves initially in the open position.

The main holes made it possible to obtain the main diatonic scale of the instrument. As a rule, they are covered with rings (glasses) connected to special correction valves. Holes with valves that are in a closed position and open when pressed make it possible to obtain altered tones on the instrument. Holes with valves that are in an open position and close when pressed are used to produce the lowest sounds of the instrument.

The oboe, clarinet and bassoon also have octave valves. They are located on the opposite side of the main holes and help the performer to overinflate. For the octave overtone, the same fingering is used as for the fundamental tone (more complicated on the bassoon), only the entire scale of the instrument will sound an octave higher.

The flute, oboe and bassoon belong to the “octave” instruments. They produce both even and odd overtones. The clarinet is a “quinting” instrument, since when blown, it immediately produces a fifth an octave from the fundamental tone. It is impossible to obtain even overtones on it.

The predecessors of modern brass instruments were shells and horns, which originated in prehistoric times. Simple horns, made from the horns of animals and even elephant tusks, were widely used in cases where it was necessary to produce a signal that was stronger than the human voice. They produced several natural sounds, timbrally inexpressive, with a predominance of low overtones.

In Ancient Egypt, Palestine, Greece, and Rome, the straight metal natural pipe became widespread as a military and signaling instrument. IN Ancient China bronze pipes were used: da-chun-ku (with a large bell) and xiao-chun-ku (with a small bell). IN Ancient India The following were widespread: the ancient wind instrument shankha (a trumpet made from a sea shell) and the rana-sringa (horn).

In a primitive communal society, Slavic squads had the simplest musical instruments. Tury horns were used to gather squads and give military signals. In the chronicles of the X-XI centuries. trumpets and tambourines are mentioned, and on the frescoes of the Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedral (11th century) there are images of flutes and straight trumpets. The Ipatiev Chronicle of 1151 says that the movement of troops in the Kyiv squads began with the sound of trumpets. During the reign of Yuri Dolgoruky (90s of the 11th century - 1157), the number of troops was determined by the number of banners and the corresponding number of trumpets and tambourines.

In the 12th century. there was a division between trumpets and horns. Trumpets began to be used in military practice, horns came into use as guards, hunters and shepherds. During the era of the Crusades, pipes became the property of the privileged classes (1096-1270); in their significance they were equated to weapons.

Simple horns were used by many peoples of Europe until the Middle Ages. There were three types of horns: small (zinc), medium and full, or half. They were made from buffalo horn. In the XIV century. the trunk of the horn began to bend. This is how ring-shaped curved hunting or forest horns were created, and at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries - somewhat smaller signal (postal) horns. At the beginning of the 16th century. In Germany, hunting horns with three turns appeared.

Further improvement of brass instruments is associated primarily with the replenishment of their natural scale. As a result, on long, narrow-bore 12 instruments, it became possible to extract a natural scale from the second to the sixteenth overtones, and on short, wide-bore instruments, from the second to the sixth to eighth overtones. Along with the improvement of brass instruments, performing technique also improved. So, at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries. A new playing technique arose - clarino (from Latin clarus - clear). It consisted in the maximum use of the upper segment of the natural scale, where the sequence of sounds produced becomes progressive. The constant use of the upper register of the instrument (trumpet or horn) required the highest skill from the performer. The highest achievements of this technique are reflected in the works of composers A. Vivaldi (1678-1741), G. Handel (1685-1759) and J.-S. Bach (1685-1750).

The search associated with the creation of chromatic brass instruments can be most clearly seen in the example of improving the French horn (see French horn). Sometimes these searches led to completely unexpected results. Thus, the experience of creating a horn with valves, undertaken in 1760 by F. Kelbel, led to the creation of bugelhorns - wide-bore instruments with valves, which became widespread in brass bands.

Valve mechanism invented in early XIX c., significantly expanded the capabilities of brass instruments, although in terms of timbre, natural instruments were superior to chromatic ones. There are two types of valve mechanism: pump-action (piston) and rotating. The pump was first used by the Berlin masters F. Blümel and G. Stölzel in 1814 for the horn. The rotary valve design was created in 1832 by P. Riedl from Vienna. The valve mechanism consists of several additional tubes or crowns of various lengths. Each of the crowns corresponds to two valves, which include the crowns in the main tube and, accordingly, lower the entire tuning of the instrument.

All chromatic brass instruments except the trombone have three main valves. The first valve lowers the entire tuning of the instrument by 1 tone, the second by 1/2 tone, the third by 2.5 tones. All three valves pressed together lower the pitch of the instrument by 3 tones. In this way, all intervals between natural sounds (except for the octave between I and II) are chromatically filled. It must be taken into account that when the crowns are turned on separately, the scale of the main tube is reduced exactly by the required amount: to decrease by 1/2 tone, the length of the main tube must be increased by 1/15 of its part, to decrease by a tone - by 1/8, to decrease by one and a half tone - by 1/5. When you turn on two or three crowns at the same time, the ratio will change dramatically. So, if you press the third valve simultaneously with the first, the length of its crown will no longer be 1/5 of the length of the main tube, but a slightly smaller value, since the length of the first crown has already been added to the length of the main tube. When you turn on all three crowns at the same time, this difference will become even more noticeable (instead of decreasing by 3 tones, the overall scale will decrease by 2.3/4 tones). Therefore, each crown is made slightly longer than the calculated one, which only slightly reduces the sounds when any one valve is pressed. But when combining valves, intonationally purer sounds are obtained. However, in combinations involving a third valve, the calculated relationships between the main and additional tubes change significantly.

The use of a fourth valve (quart valve) on some instruments makes it possible to chromatically fill the intervals between the I and II overtones, but almost all sounds taken using combinations of valves sound significantly higher, and when all four valves are pressed simultaneously instead of lowering by 5.1/2 tones, the main scale will decrease by only 5 tones. However, the use of a quarter valve simplifies valve combinations. In addition, the use of a quarter valve increases the range of the instrument by a major third down.

The rocker mechanism has a single instrument - a trombone (

During lessons in music school studying tools symphony orchestra . We started with a brass group. At home I wanted to reinforce the names of instruments and their voices with my son. Collected in one place photo of wind instruments And music performed by them. You can listen to the instruments online. I hope it will be useful to someone, and it will take much less time than ours.

Wind musical instruments are divided into wooden And copper. Initially, this classification was due to the material from which they were made. Now this division is very arbitrary, for example, the flute and saxophone are made of metal, although they belong to woodwind instruments.

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Woodwinds: Listen to the sounds of instruments

1. Flute| Listen online

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1. Oboe | Listen online

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Brass instruments: listen to the sounds of instruments

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