Instruments You Blow

Core Idea

Some instruments make sound when you blow air into or across them. Recorders, flutes, whistles, and harmonicas all work this way. The air inside the instrument vibrates to create sound. Blowing harder or softer, faster or slower, changes the pitch and volume.

How It's Best Learned

Let children blow across the top of an empty bottle to hear a tone. Try kazoos or simple whistles and notice how changing your breath changes the sound. Listen to recordings of wind instruments and talk about how the player uses their breath to make music.

Common Misconceptions

• Thinking you just blow as hard as you can; gentle, controlled breath makes better sound.
• Believing the instrument does all the work; the player controls the sound with their breath and lips.
• Assuming all blow instruments sound the same; a flute sounds very different from a trumpet or harmonica.

Explainer

Blow instruments are tools that make sound when you blow air into them. Flutes, recorders, whistles, trumpets, and harmonicas are all blow instruments. When you blow air into them, the air makes the instrument vibrate, and the vibration creates sound!

When you blow into a recorder or flute, your breath travels through the instrument and makes something inside vibrate. This vibration creates sound that comes out of the instrument. The sound has a special character that belongs to that instrument—flutes sound flute-y, recorders sound recorder-y. Each blow instrument has its own voice!

You control the sound by how you blow. If you blow gently, the sound is soft and quiet. If you blow harder, the sound gets louder and stronger. If you blow in the middle, the sound is medium. You are the one controlling how loud or soft the sound is! This is like controlling the volume with your breath.

Many blow instruments let you change the pitch by covering holes. A recorder has holes along its body. When you cover different holes with your fingers, the air travels a different path, and the pitch changes! High pitches happen when certain holes are open. Low pitches happen when other holes are open. This is how you play different notes on the same instrument.

Blow instruments teach you breath control. You learn to breathe in a way that makes a steady sound. You learn how much air to use and how fast to push it out. You learn to control your lips and mouth to shape the sound. These skills help you play the instrument better and also help you sing! Try humming through your closed teeth—that is a little bit like blowing into an instrument. Now try blowing through a tissue paper tube. What sounds can you make?