Hello friends!

It’s time for another update on the world of instruments. We have seen string instruments and percussion ones now it’s time to look at woodwind instruments! This is my daughter Melaya at Learning Tail HQ in London, England. Say hi Melaya!

So, what is a Woodwind Instrument? Woodwind instruments are any musical instruments that produce sound through the vibration of wood or other similar materials.

That’s what one of our friends in Korea, Jae-Won Kang said to Melaya when they talked. He plays the daegeum, which is a traditional Korean flute.

Bamboo is the material that this woodwind instrument is made of

The daegeum is made from bamboo and has three holes on top, five finger holes, and one thumb hole at the bottom.

In Korea, the Daegeum is used in folk, classical and traditional music. It’s also the national instrument of Korea and is still used today in many Korean festivals and ceremonies. The daegeum is played by blowing air into it through a mouthpiece made from ivory or horn.

Jae-Won spoke to Melaya about the time his grandpa showed him his Daegeum and its story.

Jae’s grandpa told him the Daegeum has been used in Korea for over 2,000 years and is still used today in many Korean festivals and ceremonies. So we can say that in Korea the Daegum it’s a very sophisticated woodwind instrument with a unique backstory.

As Jae-won was thinking about his grandpa’s story, he realized that he should learn how to play the Daegeum. So he asked his grandpa if he could teach him how to play it. His grandpa was very excited and told him that he would help Jae-won learn how to play it.

Surely trying to learn to play an instrument to spend more time with your family is one of the purest reasons a person can have. And that also happened to Mia, another of Melaya friend’s.

Mia’s relationship with her dad is better thanks to learning how to play an instrument

Mia lives in Germany around 400 miles away from Melaya’s home. There is another traditional woodwind instrument that many people know: the Clarinet.

The Clarinet is a very popular instrument in Germany, and Mia’s dad is a professional Clarinet player. It is also one of the most popular instruments in classical music, jazz, and folk. A Clarinet looks like a wooden flute but has a different shape and a reed in the mouthpiece. When you play it, you can make all kinds of beautiful sounds.

Mia was always interested in classical music, but she never had an opportunity to learn how to play any instrument until her dad became a professional musician.

The clarinet is considered one of the most difficult instruments to play in the world. It requires a lot of practice, patience, and dedication to learn how to play it. Mia’s dad tried his best to teach her how to play the clarinet and Mia didn’t give up. She practiced every day and soon became an expert player. Mia’s dad was very proud of her because now they can spend a few extra hours together and one day they can become a father-daughter duo.

Have you ever practiced something every day?

Music can help us remember loved ones who have gone away

Now Maleya has a friend named Kai who lives in Hawaii. Kai always talks about his late grandma and how she really liked to play the Xaphoon in her free time, the name of this lovely lady was Mikala.

Many people describe Mikala as a sweet and kind lady who loved to play the Xaphoon. She would also give people advice on how to get good at playing this instrument. Unlike Mia’s dad, Mikala never wanted to become a professional musician she only wanted to hear the smooth sound of the Xaphoon and see how it could change lives. Mikala would even play her Xaphoon in public places just to show other people what a beautiful instrument it is.

The Xaphoon is a type of woodwind instrument that is very similar to the saxophone. It has a mouthpiece, finger holes and even a reed like a saxophone does. The Xaphoon also has some other unique features such as buttons on the side that allow you to change the pitch of each note by vibrating them differently.

Kai has always had a sensitive ear for music and he loves the sound of the xaphoon so much!

Do you also have a sensitive sense of hearing? Or maybe any other sense?

To learn to play an instrument, it’s important to be patient and dedicated

This is Ferko, he is from Romania and he is a huge fan of traditional Romanian music because of his family. His older sister plays the Tárogató and he sings along with her when she plays. It’s very hard to play and Ferko is proud of his sister because she can play so well!

Ferko told Melaya the Tárogató is a woodwind instrument that has been used for hundreds of years in Romanian music. The Tárogató is a very unique instrument because it sounds like no other. It has three pipes that are made out of wood. The biggest pipe is called the chalumeau and it makes long notes that sound like an oboe or clarinet. The middle pipe makes short notes that sound like a flute.

Ferko said that the Tárogató is like a mix between a clarinet and a flute. He said that it seems easy to play because you only have to blow into the pipes and make different sounds with your mouth. But Ferko’s older sister said that it takes a lot of practice and dedication to learn how to play the Tárogató.

But she loves to play it for family meetings and parties and because of that, she is well-known and respected in their village.

Being able to play an instrument can make you seem more respected by your friends. Yes, I’m not kidding! In some countries, people think that kids who can play an instrument are intellectuals.

John wants to play this woodwind instrument just for fun and not to impress anyone

One example of this is the Philippines, where we are going to say hi to John! The Philippines are more than 6,000 miles from London and things are pretty different there as John says. Filipinos appreciate culture and traditions so in John’s school there’s a program for learning to play traditional instruments. Many of John’s classmates want to be seen as the best at playing these instruments. And John is no exception.

He’s interested in learning the Palendag. The Palendag is a traditional instrument from the Philippines that looks like a long flute. It is made from bamboo and has holes at the end of each section. John says he thinks it’s important for people to learn about their culture not to be seen as smart by others but by themselves. You should learn about your culture so you can appreciate it more and understand what it means.

Melaya would like to know more about other countries and other cultures, too. This will help her understand more about the world around her and make more friends from different places.

Please use @learningtail on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to tell us what your favorite woodwind instruments are! And if you want to learn more about different woodwind instruments worldwide, make sure to download the activity pack in the description below! We have flashcards, a learning guide, handwriting sheets, and drawings pages all dedicated to woodwind instruments!

Also, Melaya loves chatting with kids from all over the world! If you want to teach Melaya about where you live or your favorite activities, please tell your mom or dad to get in touch with us on social media.

Ciao friends, until next time!