Woodwind instruments are wind instruments that are generally made of wood, allthough it is possible to find some that are made from metal or plastic. The sound of a woodwind instrument is produced by the vibration of air in a hollow tube. The air is made to vibrate by blowing across a blow hole as in the flute and piccolo or by blowing through a single reed as in the clarinet and saxophone or a double reed as in the basson, cor anglais and oboe. The pitch of a woodwind instrument can be changed by opening or closing holes cut into the tube of the instrument.

The image to the left shows an example of a double reed, a reed is a thin strip of material that vibrates to produce sound for a musical instrument like the bassoon, oboe, bagpipes etc.