woodwinds

Cultural  

1. A group of wind instruments with a softer tone than that of brass instruments. Woodwind players do not set the air in their instruments in motion by blowing through their closed lips against a cup-shaped mouthpiece, as players of brass instruments do. In woodwinds, the players insert the mouthpiece into their mouths and blow while pressing their lips against a single or double reed. Bassoons, clarinets, oboes, and saxophones are played in this way. In other woodwinds, the player blows across a hole (fifes, flutes, and piccolos) or into a whistlelike mouthpiece (recorders).

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woodwinds

When the younger Sousa became its conductor at age 25, he recruited woodwinds to balance the blaring brass instruments, expanded its repertoire by transcribing symphonic works, and led meticulous rehearsals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

I can hear the woodwinds and strings in your ode to creative lawyering in the states.

From Slate ● Jan. 10, 2026

I went through the woodwinds — played saxophone, then I played oboe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2025

The woodwinds handed off phrases with snappy coordination.

From New York Times ● Apr. 14, 2024

Most woodwinds can get two different octaves with essentially the same fingering; the lower octave is the fundamental of the column of air inside the instrument at that fingering.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones