What are the differences between Flutes and Reed instruments?
With a flute the sound is generated by blowing across a hole, the far edge of which splits or cuts the air stream causing a vibration (a vibration in air is a sound). This is rather like blowing across the top of a bottle. With reed instruments a bamboo like cane is scraped so as to be very thin. Air blown past the thin tip of the cane or reed causes it to vibrate and produce a sound. Examples of reed instruments include the clarinet, oboe, bassoon and saxophone (a woodwind instrument even though it is made out of brass because it produces the sound in the same way as the clarinet.
With a flute the sound is generated by blowing across a hole, the far edge of which splits or cuts the air stream causing a vibration (a vibration in air is a sound). This is rather like blowing across the top of a bottle. With reed instruments a bamboo like cane is scraped so as to be very thin. Air blown past the thin tip of the cane or reed causes it to vibrate and produce a sound.
