Keyboard magic offers individual tuition in the following wind instruments – The saxophone; the clarinet and the flute.

The Saxophone is generally classified as a woodwind because it is played using a reed, but essentially it is made of brass. It’s a kind of a cross between a woodwind and a brass instrument. The saxophone has a single reed and a mouthpiece like a clarinet, but it has a metal body with a flared bell. There are four major types of saxophones, each playing a different range of notes: soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone. Saxophones make a strong, mellow sound.

Saxophones are familiar instruments in jazz and dance bands, and also in military bands; moreover, and increasing amount of contemporay music is being written especially for them, playing both as soloists and in groups.

The Clarinet is a woodwind instrument.  Clarinets are made of wood or molded plastic and can be found in different sizes each playing a different range of notes. The standard “B-flat” is a little more than 2 feet long and is by far the most commonly used today, followed by the one in A. An orchestra also often includes an “E-flat” Clarinet, which is smaller and plays a higher range of notes, and a bass clarinet, which plays an octave lower.

To play a clarinet you blow into a single reed that is clipped to the mouthpiece at the upper end of the instrument and by pressing on the keys you get different pitches. The bottom of the clarinet flares out into a bell shape.

The clarinet produces a smooth, velvety sound and is often heard in orchestras, military bands and jazz groups.

The flute works in much the same way as a recorder but with two modifications. First, the player holds the instrument sideways and produces the sound by blowing across the edge of a hole in its side. Secondly, the system of holes controlling the vibrations in the air column is more elaborate, necessitating a mechanism of finger keys, levers and padded hole covers. Flutes are usually made of metal, and some are even made of gold. Flutes are used in orchestras, wind bands and jazz bands. They have a bright silvery sound.

Students who learn these instruments can also opt to sit for the different practical grade exams offered by Trinity, ABRSM, and UNISA.