Woodwind and Brass Instruments: English Vocabulary List

a small mouth organ with a row of metal reeds, hold against the lips and played by blowing or sucking air

"He played the harmonica well."

"The blues musician’s soulful harmonica playing created a raw and emotional atmosphere."

a small toy instrument that produces a buzzing sound when the player blows into its hollow pipe which has a hole in it

"He hummed into the kazoo to make a buzzing sound."

"The kazoo produces sound when the player hums into it causing a membrane to vibrate and add a buzzing timbre."

a woodwind instrument like an oboe that has a lower pitch and larger size

"The orchestra featured an English horn."

"The melancholic melody of the English horn added a poignant depth to the orchestral piece."

a wind instrument with a reed and several sticks, played by squeezing a bag and blowing through one of its pipes, originated from Scotland

"The bagpipe played a tune."

"The sound of the bagpipe echoed through the valley as the piper played a traditional Scottish lament."

a brass instrument with a curl in its tube and a flared bore that is played by valves

"He played the French horn."

"The majestic sound of the French horn resonated through the concert hall, filling the space with warmth."

a musical instrument with a curved metal tube and one wide end, which is played by blowing into it while pressing and releasing its three buttons

"He played the trumpet."

"He practiced playing the trumpet every day for two hours annoying his neighbors but eventually earning a seat in the city youth orchestra."

a brass instrument like a small trumpet that produces a mellower tone

"Cornet is similar to trumpet."

"The cornet is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but with a mellower tone and shorter tubing."

a wind instrument from the Medieval era with an end that curves upward, producing a nasal sound

"Krummhorn is capped reed instrument."

"The krummhorn is a Renaissance capped reed instrument with a curved end and a soft buzzing tone."

a historical double-reed woodwind instrument, similar to a predecessor of the modern bassoon, known for its rich and expressive tone, commonly used in Baroque music

"Dulcian is Renaissance bassoon."

"The dulcian is a Renaissance bassoon with a folded bore and a double reed that produces a strong tone."

a curved metal wind instrument that is played by blowing into it while pressing its buttons

"He played the saxophone."

"The saxophone made the jazz performance sound smooth and expressive."

a wind instrument consisting of a keyboard and a mouthpiece into which the player blows

"She blew into the melodica while pressing the keys."

"The melodica is a handheld keyboard instrument that the player blows into through a plastic tube."

a woodwind instrument of the oboe family consisting of a long wooden tube and a double reed

"He played the bassoon."

"The rich, deep tone of the bassoon added a unique and resonant quality to the orchestral performance."

a large double-reed woodwind instrument, producing deep, resonant tones and serving as the lowest-pitched instrument in the woodwind family

"The contrabassoon plays an octave lower than the bassoon."

"The contrabassoon sounds an octave lower than the bassoon with such deep pitch that the listener feels rather than hears it."

a historical wind instrument resembling an oboe, known for its loud and piercing sound

"Shawm is medieval oboe."

"The shawm is a medieval and Renaissance double reed woodwind instrument and a predecessor of the modern oboe."

a wind instrument consisting of a wide hollow end and a sliding metal tube used to vary the pitch and produce a wide range of tones

"The trombone is shiny."

"He learned to play the trombone in school band."

a large wind instrument with a curved tube and a wide bore that produces the lowest pitches in the brass family

"The tuba played the lowest notes in the brass section."

"The tuba player's cheeks puffed out as he pushed air through the massive brass tubing to produce a booming low note."

a brass instrument resembling a small trumpet, without any valves or keys, used for military calls

"The bugle sounded the call."

"The clear, piercing notes of the bugle signaled the start of the solemn military ceremony."

an early wind instrument with a cup-shaped mouthpiece, a conical tube and holes that are covered by the fingers

"Cornetto is wooden curved instrument."

"The cornetto is a Renaissance wind instrument with a curved conical tube and finger holes like a recorder."

a woodwind musical instrument in the most common size that produces a high range of notes

"Soprano recorder is common teaching instrument."

"The soprano recorder is the most common size of recorder and is often used to teach children music."

a woodwind double-reed instrument with a long tubular body and holes and keys on top

"She plays oboe well."

"She plays the oboe beautifully in the school orchestra every single week."

an ancient wind instrument shaped like an egg with holes in its body that are covered with the fingers

"Small ceramic ocarina."

"The musician played a lovely melody on his small ceramic ocarina during the performance."

a musical instrument consisting of a set of bamboo or cane pipes in different lengths that are put in a row and fixed together, played by blowing

"Panpipe has multiple tuned pipes."

"The panpipe is an ancient instrument consisting of multiple pipes of gradually increasing length bound together."

an Australian wind instrument consisting of a large bamboo or wooden tube that is played by blowing while using circular breathing technique

"Didgeridoo is Australian Aboriginal instrument."

"The didgeridoo is a long wooden trumpet like instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia."

a large brass instrument resembling a small tuba that has 3 or 4 valves and produces a tenor voice

"Euphonium is brass tenor instrument."

"The euphonium is a large conical bore brass instrument with a rich dark tone often found in concert bands."

a small high-pitched flute with six or eight finger holes that is played along with drums in a military band

"Fife is small transverse flute."

"The fife is a small high pitched transverse flute used in military and marching bands."

a brass instrument resembling a small trumpet with a larger bore and a mellower tone

"Flugelhorn has darker tone."

"The flugelhorn is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but with a wider conical bore and a mellower sound."

a 12-feet-long wooden horn that was originally used by Swiss herdsmen for signaling in the Alps

"Alpenhorn is long wooden horn."

"The alpenhorn is a long wooden horn used by mountain dwellers in the Alps to communicate across valleys."

any of the family of brass instruments that have conical bores and valves

"Saxhorn is valved brass instrument."

"The saxhorn is a family of brass instruments with a conical bore and a deep cup shaped mouthpiece invented by Adolphe Sax."

a brass instrument of the tuba family with 4 valves and a very wide bore that is used in American marching bands

"Sousaphone is marching tuba."

"The sousaphone is a type of tuba designed with a wide bell that faces forward for marching bands."

a small woodwind instrument with six holes and a short pipe

"Penny whistle is tin whistle."

"The penny whistle is a simple six holed woodwind instrument that is popular in Irish traditional music."

the smallest member of the flute family that plays higher notes than the ordinary flute

"The piccolo's high-pitched notes cut through the orchestra."

"The piccolo plays the highest notes in the orchestra and its shrill sound can be heard above the entire ensemble."

a simple wind instrument with a straight body and finger holes that produces a clear, sweet sound when air is blown through it

"Recorder is end-blown flute."

"The recorder is a woodwind instrument from the fipple flute family that is commonly taught in schools."

a musical instrument that is played by blowing air into it and using a keyboard to produce different notes, similar to a harmonica but with a wider range of tones

"Harmonetta is mouth-blown harmonica keyboard."

"The harmonetta is a rare wind instrument that combines the mouthpiece of a harmonica with a keyboard like interface."

a small, lightweight French bagpipe with a cylindrical chanter and a double-reed mouthpiece

"Musette is French small bagpipe."

"The musette is a small bagpipe from France with a soft drone sound used in Baroque and folk music."