Okuzeka
Music vocabulary · Instruments and Voice

Reed

Meaning in music, with examples

nounCommon term

In music, reed means: A thin, flexible strip that vibrates when air passes it, helping produce sound in instruments such as clarinets, oboes and saxophones.

In Turkish: kamış, dil

How it is used

Players choose, moisten and replace reeds. Clarinet and saxophone use a single reed; an oboe uses two blades vibrating together.

Example sentences

  1. The clarinettist replaced the cracked reed before the afternoon rehearsal.

    Damage to the vibrating part prompts a replacement before playing with the group.

  2. This softer reed makes quiet entries easier on my saxophone.

    The player links the reed's resistance to the response needed for soft attacks.

Common collocations

  • single reed
  • double reed
  • reed strength
  • woodwindThe family of wind instruments that make sound by blowing across an edge or through a reed, such as the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and saxophone.
  • instrumentAn object made or used to produce musical sounds, such as a piano, violin, guitar, drum or ney.
  • timbreThe quality or colour of a sound that lets you tell two instruments or voices apart, even when they play the same note at the same volume.

More terms: Instruments and Voice

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: