Which family uses a reed or requires air to be blown into it?

• A. Woodwind
• B. Brass
• C. Strings
• D. Percussion

Answer: (A)

Woodwind instruments generate sound by using air to excite the instrument, either through a vibrating reed or by blowing across a mouth opening to set the air column in motion. When a reed is involved, your breath makes the reed vibrate, which drives the air column to produce pitches. Some woodwinds, like flutes, don’t use a reed at all, but you still blow across the mouthpiece to create a vibrating air column. This is different from brass instruments, which rely on buzzing the lips on a mouthpiece, from strings where the strings themselves vibrate, and from percussion where the instrument is struck or shaken. So the family described is defined by how air is used to produce sound—reed-driven or air-blown into the instrument.