# Saxamaphone is a woodwind? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 4, 2005, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626 "2005-04-04T06:20:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/1 "2005-04-04T06:20:23Z")
My friend Jim The Musician says that the noble Saxaphone is not, in fact, a horn, but a woodwind. I dunno, the thing doesn’t look like it’s made out of wood to me. Looks like brass, the same stuff they make trumpets and trombones[sup]1[/sup] and tubas out of. What’s the dope? [sub]1. You ever notice that trombones look just like giant paper clips?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/2 "2005-04-04T06:26:09Z")
It’s because it uses a reed, as opposed the mouthpiece thingamajobber on trumpets , trombones, tubas and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/3 "2005-04-04T06:30:05Z")
[Saxaphones](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone) have reeds, which makes them [woodwinds](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodwind), just like “English Horns” or oboes. ---
**Author:** ![Kkrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Kkrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kkrose)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/4 "2005-04-04T06:34:08Z")
Flutes are woodwinds too! And they aren’t even made of wood, but they used to be, that’s the only explanation I can come up with. Plus, what other section would you put them in? > [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > [Saxaphones](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone) have reeds, which makes them [woodwinds](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodwind), just like “English Horns” or oboes. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/5 "2005-04-04T06:37:43Z")
Aye, I was giving examples that wouldn’t leap to many people’s minds right away. Most people think “flute” when they hear the term “woodwind”. I am fond of the oboe, and basson, as well as clairinet, English horn, flute, recorder, and saxaphone. I love the woodwinds, especially well complemented with brass and strings. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/6 "2005-04-04T06:51:29Z")
The distinction is actually that “brass” instruments use the _lips_ to create the sound, whereas woodwinds do not. > **[Brass instrument](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_instrument)** > > A brass instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. Brass instruments are also called labrosones or labrophones, from Latin and Greek elements meaning 'lip' and 'sound'. > There are several factors involved in producing different pitches on a brass instrument. Slides, valves, crooks (though they are rarely used today), or keys are used to change vibratory length of tubing, thus ch... > [@](#): > > A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as a player blows into a tubular resonator. Brass instruments are also called labrosones, literally meaning “lip-vibrated instruments” (Baines, 1993). > > The view of most scholars (see organology) is that the term “brass instrument” should be defined by the way the sound is made, as above, and not by whether the instrument is actually made of brass. Thus, as exceptional cases one finds brass instruments made of wood, like the cornett, and woodwind instruments made of brass, like the saxophone. > [@](#): > > 1. You ever notice that trombones look just like giant paper clips? I think paper clips are actually _called_ trombones in, I’m guessing France. I have a box of paper clips that says “Trombones” on the box, and has what looks like French writing to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/7 "2005-04-04T12:45:46Z")
I think paper clips are actually _called_ trombones in, I’m guessing France. I have a box of paper clips that says “Trombones” on the box, and has what looks like French writing to me. [/QUOTE] Yep it’s French. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/8 "2005-04-04T13:10:43Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > The distinction is actually that “brass” instruments use the _lips_ to create the sound, whereas woodwinds do not. > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass\_instrument](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_instrument) > > I think paper clips are actually _called_ trombones in, I’m guessing France. I have a box of paper clips that says “Trombones” on the box, and has what looks like French writing to me. “It was such a bulky manuscript that a trombone wouldn’t fit around it, and I had to use a tuba to hold it together.” My great-grandfather had a wooden flute, which my father inherited. No idea what ultimately happened to it, but it was a family heirloom when I was little. But many of the modern woodwind instruments are actually made of metal. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/9 "2005-04-04T13:13:04Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > My friend Jim The Musician says that the noble Saxaphone is not, in fact, a horn, but a woodwind. Saxophones _are_ sometimes referred to as horns, and the “horn section” (like on a pop/rock/R&B record) typically includes saxophones. (Then again, a “woodwind quintet” includes a French horn, which isn’t a woodwind.) But, anatomically (the way the mouthpiece looks, the way it’s played, etc.) the saxophone is like a horny clarinet. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/10 "2005-04-04T13:14:13Z")
Most good clarinets are actually made out of wood, but the majority of high school and middle school band clarinets are made of black plastic. Still, they are woodwinds due to the reeds, same as saxophones. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/11 "2005-04-04T14:59:53Z")
[QUOTE=PolycarpMy great-grandfather had a wooden flute, which my father inherited. No idea what ultimately happened to it, but it was a family heirloom when I was little. But many of the modern woodwind instruments are actually made of metal.[/QUOTE] Wooden flutes aren’t particularly uncommon today. Between the players in a large orchestral piece, you’ll often spot at least one wooden flute or piccolo. > [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > a “woodwind quintet” includes a French horn I’ve never heard it called that - only ‘wind quartet’ (which is more accurate). ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/12 "2005-04-04T15:01:01Z")
Let’s try that again… > [@Polycarp](#): > > My great-grandfather had a wooden flute, which my father inherited. No idea what ultimately happened to it, but it was a family heirloom when I was little. But many of the modern woodwind instruments are actually made of metal. Wooden flutes aren’t particularly uncommon today. Between the players in a large orchestral piece, you’ll often spot at least one wooden flute or piccolo. > [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > a “woodwind quintet” includes a French horn I’ve never heard it called that - only ‘wind quartet’ (which is more accurate). ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/13 "2005-04-04T15:33:13Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > Saxophones are sometimes referred to as horns, and the “horn section” (like on a pop/rock/R&B record) typically includes saxophones. And just to confuse people, a “horn section” does not, in general, contain either French or English horns. Ain’t nomenclature great? > [@GorillaMan](#): > > > [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > > > a “woodwind quintet” includes a French horn > > I’ve never heard it called that - only ‘wind quartet’ (which is more accurate). Perhaps, but [it’s](http://www.bwq.no/ny/index.html) [far](http://www.nmwq.org/) [from](http://www.sgn.net/ariart/) [uncommon.](http://music.memphis.edu/mwq.html) The instrumentation, for those of you keeping score at home, is conventionally flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French Horn. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/14 "2005-04-04T15:41:33Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > And just to confuse people, a “horn section” does not, in general, contain either French or English horns. Ain’t nomenclature great? Well, but it does contain horns, just not those specific types. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/15 "2005-04-04T16:30:17Z")
“Horn” is really an informal term, as opposed to “brass” and “woodwind,” which are strictly defined categories. Even flute players commonly refer to their instruments as “horns.” ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saxamaphone-is-a-woodwind/297626/16 "2005-04-04T23:51:50Z")
Further adding to the confusion, players/aficionados of the “French horn” prefer the term “horn” to refer to their instrument. :smack: The [International Horn Society](http://hornsociety.org.previewyoursite.com/index.asp) is the most noteworthy professional organization for this instrument, and you’ll see nary a mention of the “French horn” on their site. It’s also pretty widespread these days for that section of orchestras to be labelled simply as “Horn.” As some random examples, scroll down through the rosters of a few orchestras I found online:[ul][li][Los Angeles Philharmonic](http://www.laphil.org/orchestra/laphilharmonic.cfm)[_][New York Philharmonic](http://newyorkphilharmonic.org/meet/orchestra/index.cfm?page=home)[_][Chicago Symphony](http://www.cso.org/main.taf?p=2,3)[/ul][/li] It is certainly true, though, that any wind instrument can be casually referred to as a “horn” - I do that myself all the time with my tuba, for example.