Which instrument family includes flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon?

• A. Brass
• B. Strings
• C. Woodwinds
• D. Keyboard instruments

Answer: (C)

Grouping instruments by how they produce sound helps you see why these four fit together. Flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon are all woodwinds because sound comes from vibrating air inside the instrument. The flute makes the air column vibrate by blowing across a hole. The clarinet, oboe, and bassoon start the vibration with a reed in the mouthpiece (a single reed on the clarinet, double reeds on the oboe and bassoon). Brass instruments, on the other hand, produce sound by buzzing the lips against a mouthpiece, which is a different mechanism. Keyboard instruments generate sound with strings, pipes, or electronics, not through a vibrating air column in a wind instrument. So, the group that includes flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon is woodwinds.