Instruments Technically speaking, anything that produces a musical tone could be considered an instrument. But instruments used by most jazz musicians fall into three families: brass, woodwind and percussion. Brass instruments (trumpets, trombones and tubas) produce a tone when the musician blows air through into metal mouthpiece, causing their lips to vibrate. Woodwind players create a sound by blowing air across the mouthpiece (for the flute) or by blowing into a mouthpiece containing a wooden reed, causing it to vibrate (saxophone and clarinet). Using the fingers to open and close valves or holes creates different musical notes. Percussion instruments are any instrument that are hit (drums and piano) or plucked (guitars, banjos), causing either the instrument itself or a membrane or string attached to it to vibrate.