Many musical instruments depend on the musician in some way moving air through the instrument.
This includes brass and woodwind instruments, as well as instruments like pipe organs.
The air that is moving through these columns (also called pipes or tubes) resonates as it passes through, creating the sound of the notes we hear.
The column can be any tube, even if it has been bent into different shapes or has holes cut into it.
All instruments like this can be divided into two categories, open ended or closed ended.
Open ended instruments
An example would be an instrument like a trumpet. You blow in through one end and the sound comes out the other end of the pipe.
The keys on the trumpet allow the air to move through the "pipe" in different ways so that different notes can be played
Close ended instruments
An example would be an instrument like some organ pipes (although in some designs they are open), or a flute.
Although you blow in through the mouth piece of a flute, the opening you’re blowing into isn’t at the end of the column, it’s along the side of the flute. The end of the column is closed off near the mouth piece.
Many musical instruments depend on the musician in some way moving air through the instrument.
This includes brass and woodwind instruments, as well as instruments like pipe organs.
The air that is moving through these columns (also called pipes or tubes) resonates as it passes through, creating the sound of the notes we hear.
The column can be any tube, even if it has been bent into different shapes or has holes cut into it.
All instruments like this can be divided into two categories, open ended or closed ended.
Open ended instruments
An example would be an instrument like a trumpet. You blow in through one end and the sound comes out the other end of the pipe.
The keys on the trumpet allow the air to move through the "pipe" in different ways so that different notes can be played
Close ended instruments
An example would be an instrument like some organ pipes (although in some designs they are open), or a flute.
Although you blow in through the mouth piece of a flute, the opening you’re blowing into isn’t at the end of the column, it’s along the side of the flute. The end of the column is closed off near the mouth piece.