A roundup of reed instruments around the world: featuring not only wind instruments but also keyboard instruments.
When it comes to reed instruments, clarinet, saxophone, and oboe are famous examples—but do you know what a reed actually is?
A reed is a thin piece of material—often made of wood—that forms one part of an instrument.
Reed instruments produce a wide range of timbres by vibrating this reed.
Reed instruments can be broadly categorized into several types, such as single-reed, double-reed, and free-reed.
In this article, we’ll introduce reed instruments by each of these categories.
In addition to instruments that originated overseas, we’ll also feature traditional Japanese instruments that have been used since ancient times.
Enjoy!
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- [Saxophone] Recommended practice songs for saxophone beginners: Famous tunes you’ll want to try playing
- A collection of video game music I want to perform in a wind ensemble
- Famous Clarinetists of the World — From Classical to Jazz
- The Profound Allure of the Saxophone: Iconic Songs Featuring Saxophone [2026]
- Harmonica masterpieces: world-class performances you should hear at least once
- [Music-themed Educational Toys] A roundup of toys that let you enjoy sounds
- Perfect for free selections and concert programs! Introducing famous and classic favorites in wind ensemble music.
- I want to play it on the recorder! Carefully selected classic pieces and popular songs recommended
- [Japanese-style Piano Pieces] A selection of recommended works with a pleasantly Japanese flavor
- [Accordion] Stylish and Unforgettable Once You Hear Them: Famous Songs from Around the World
Double reed (1–10)
oboe
At first glance, the oboe has a body that looks somewhat similar to a clarinet, only a bit larger.
But unlike the clarinet—which has a mouthpiece and a single reed—the oboe has no mouthpiece and uses two reeds, making it a “double-reed instrument,” which is one of its defining features.
Many people may recall the solo passages from the famous ballet Swan Lake, whose melodies are beautiful yet tinged with a certain wistful sadness.
Despite its charm, the oboe is also known for its difficulty—so much so that it has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the “most difficult instrument.” Because the aperture into which you blow is narrow and requires delicate control, it can take a long time before you can produce a proper sound.
Even once you can, achieving the intended register reliably can be challenging, and controlling the instrument is often a struggle; it’s not the kind of instrument beginners can take up casually.
Oboists often make their own reeds by hand because store-bought reeds don’t always produce the desired sound, which can make the oboe particularly suited to those with dexterous hands.
Precisely because the bar is so high, the sense of accomplishment and pride when you finally learn to play it is truly exceptional!
hichiriki (a Japanese double-reed flute used in gagaku)
If you can quickly read through this article introducing the hichiriki, you are likely either an experienced musician or someone well-versed in Japanese classical music such as gagaku.
The hichiriki is a wind instrument pronounced “hichiriki,” and although there are actually two types—the dai-hichiriki (large) and the shō-hichiriki (small)—the instrument generally referred to as the hichiriki is the shō-hichiriki.
As explained at the beginning, the hichiriki is a wind instrument primarily used in gagaku and is also called a “gagakki” (gagaku instrument).
Among the three wind instruments used in gagaku, it is said to be the most difficult.
If you have ever witnessed it being played, you were likely struck by the powerful yet refined, truly “miyabi” (elegant) tone and rich volume that pour forth from its small body.
Many people may have seen Hideki Togi—renowned as a composer, actor, and gagaku musician—perform famous jazz and pop tunes brilliantly on the hichiriki on television and felt inspired to try playing it themselves.
The term gagaku might make you feel a bit intimidated, but exploring the hichiriki’s allure through the works of artists like Togi, who showcase it across a variety of genres, seems like a great way to savor its sound.
English horn
The English horn is a double-reed woodwind instrument whose name literally means “English horn,” and it is also known as the cor anglais or corno inglese.
It is often played as a doubling instrument by oboists, and its rounded bell, often described as “pear-shaped,” is a distinctive feature.
Because it is frequently a doubling instrument, it shares the same fingerings as the oboe, but another hallmark of the English horn is that it sounds a perfect fifth lower than the oboe.
Few schools have cases for it among their standard equipment, but since it most often carries solo parts, whether an English horn is available can even influence repertoire choices, attesting to its strong presence.
Its warm tone, which evokes a pastoral feel and a sense of nostalgia, is striking, and it continues to take on solo roles in many classical works.
A famous example is the solo in Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No.
9 “From the New World,” which many people have heard even if they don’t know the title.
Rather than serving mainly as a supporting ensemble voice, the English horn is well suited to expressing beautiful melodies as a leading instrument.
bagpipes
A performer clad in a tartan kilt plays a striking instrument with pipes connected to a bag…
When you hear “bagpipes,” Scotland’s traditional instrument, many people probably picture this scene first.
In reality, instruments with different names or similar shapes are widely found across many countries, especially in Europe.
But for us Japanese, the most familiar is the Great Highland Bagpipe, the most mainstream bagpipe played in Scotland.
If you like Celtic music, you’ll know the instrument well, and in the Highland Games—competitions held in Scotland’s Highlands from May to September—bagpipes are inseparable.
Infused with the pride and spirit of the Scottish people, the bagpipes often feature in performances of Amazing Grace, played over that heroic, unbroken sound—something many have likely heard.
Incidentally, there’s a reason the Great Highland Bagpipe is such a loud instrument: in military contexts, it was played continuously to sap the enemy’s will to fight.
Free lead (1–10)
A free reed refers to a mechanism in which one side of the reed is fixed to a frame and vibrates freely due to the flow of air.
Often, each reed is responsible for a single pitch, and many instruments have a row of reeds corresponding to the number of pitches.
The organ and accordion are classic examples.
When people think of reed instruments, they typically imagine wind instruments used in concert bands or orchestras, but some keyboard instruments also belong to the free-reed category, as mentioned earlier.
Now, let’s take a look at some instruments that belong to the free-reed family, which are somewhat unusual among reed instruments.
reed organ
The theme of this article, “reed instruments,” refers to instruments that produce sound by vibrating thin strips called reeds.
However, reed instruments are not limited to those where the reed is set in motion by blowing, such as the saxophone or clarinet.
The “reed organ” introduced at our school is a reed instrument that produces sound by vibrating reeds using pedals and a keyboard.
In Japan, it is called the “foot-pumped organ,” and until some time ago, when people said “organ,” they generally meant this “reed organ,” that is, the “foot-pumped organ.” Those who were elementary school students in the Showa era may remember seeing reed organs placed in schools and other institutions.
Because they are inexpensive, lightweight, and durable, they became widespread in music education as a sort of substitute for pipe organs, though electronic organs may be more common today.
Even so, the reed organ has a simple, warm, nostalgic tone that many find pleasing, and there are quite a few people who enjoy playing it.
Concerts featuring the reed organ are also held, so if you’re interested, why not go and have a listen?
shō (shō; a Japanese free reed mouth organ used in gagaku)
The shō, also called the hōshō in Japan for its elegant form resembling a bundle of 17 bamboo pipes, is said to have been introduced from Tang China during the Nara period.
Along with the hichiriki and ryūteki, it is one of the main wind instruments used in gagaku.
Because it can produce multiple notes simultaneously on its own and thus create chords, it serves to establish a precise pitch standard and lead the ensemble.
Of the 17 bamboo pipes, 15 have reeds that vibrate to produce sound, and a major characteristic of the shō is that it produces the same pitch whether you blow or draw breath.
Its somewhat sacred and graceful timbre is often compared to that of a pipe organ, and its beauty has been described as light pouring down from the heavens.
There are even videos of gagaku musician Hideki Togi performing Japanese pop songs on the hōshō, so it might be nice to first get acquainted with the instrument’s sound through those performances.
harmonica
There’s something irresistibly cool about a vocalist who usually just sings with a handheld mic suddenly pulling out a harmonica and starting to play—it’s the surprise factor, and it’s captivating.
Despite its small size, the harmonica can convey a wide range of expression, from wistful, melancholic tones to bright, energetic melodies, allowing the player’s personality to shine.
It’s also a very popular reed instrument—so much so that even people with little experience playing instruments have likely tried it at least once in elementary school music class.
Many people take up the harmonica because they admire singer-songwriters who strum a guitar and then blast a harmonica during the instrumental break.
Harmonicas come in fixed keys, and you need to use a harmonica that matches the key of the song.
There are also several types—ten-hole diatonic harmonicas, chromatic harmonicas, and tremolo harmonicas—each with its own characteristics.
Be sure to choose the type that suits the genre you actually want to play!