Question

How can you increase the pitch of a sound produced by a wind instrument?

Answer 1

1. In wind instruments: Flute, clarinet, shehnai, whistle, etc., are musical instruments in which air inside a pipe is set into vibration by blowing air using our mouth and lips. In a wind instrument, the frequency depends on the length of the vibrating air column.
2. The smaller the length of the air column, the higher is the frequency and higher is the pitch.
3. Thus, the shrillness of sound increases by reducing the length of the vibrating air column.
4. In a flute, there are a number of holes in the pipe along its length. When all the holes are closed using our fingers, the length of the air column is maximum equal to the length of the pipe and the frequency of sound is minimum or the sound produced is a flat sound.
5. However, if a hole is opened by removing the finger, the effective length of the air column decreases, and consequently, the frequency of sound increases, and the sound becomes shriller. The flute player can, therefore, adjust the pitch by opening/closing different holes of the flute.