Woodwind instrument

[1] All woodwinds produce sound by splitting the air blown into them on a sharp edge, such as a reed or a fipple.

Common examples of other materials include brass, silver, cane, and other metals such as gold and platinum.

Flutes produce sound by directing a focused stream of air across the edge of a hole in a cylindrical tube.

[4] To produce a sound with an open flute, the player is required to blow a stream of air across a sharp edge that then splits the airstream.

Modern concert flutes are usually made of high-grade metal alloys, usually containing nickel, silver, copper, or gold.

[9][10] Double reed instruments use two precisely cut, small pieces of cane bound together at the base.

This form of sound production has been estimated to have originated in the middle to late Neolithic period; its discovery has been attributed to the observation of wind blowing through a split rush.

This family includes instruments such as the oboe, cor anglais (also called English horn), and bassoon, and many types of shawms throughout the world.

[13][14][non-tertiary source needed] The modern orchestra's woodwind section typically includes flutes, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons.