Electronic wind instruments: practising at two in the morning
Electronic wind instruments: practising at two in the morning
An electronic wind instrument is a breath-controlled synthesiser: you blow into it and finger it like a wind instrument, and it produces sound electronically rather than acoustically. Plug in headphones and it makes no external noise at all.
In a South Philadelphia row house, that is not a gimmick. It is the difference between practising and not practising.
How they work
A breath sensor measures air pressure and translates it into volume and expression. Touch or mechanical keys handle pitch. A bite or lip sensor often adds vibrato and pitch bend.
The result responds to breath the way an acoustic instrument does, which is what separates an EWI from a keyboard with a wind patch.
Fingering modes
This is the specification that decides whether an EWI suits you. Most instruments offer several fingering systems:
- Saxophone — the most common default.
- Flute — for flute players, mapped to Boehm fingering.
- Recorder — useful for anyone who learned recorder at school.
- Clarinet — including the register break behaviour.
An instrument with four fingering modes can be picked up by a player of any of those instruments without relearning. Where a listing states the modes available, it is worth matching to what you already play.
Sounds and range
Instruments carry a set of built-in voices — saxophones, flutes, brass, synth tones — and a range of several octaves accessible from the same fingering with octave rollers or keys.
An acoustic saxophone has about two and a half octaves. An EWI covering five is doing something an acoustic instrument cannot, and it means the same fingering serves for parts written well outside the original instrument’s range.
MIDI and computers
Most models output MIDI over USB or Bluetooth, so the instrument can drive software instruments on a computer or tablet. That opens up any sound library at all, and it makes recording straightforward.
Where an instrument has a built-in speaker as well as a headphone output, it can be played out loud when that is appropriate and silently when it is not.
Who they suit
- Anyone whose practice time is late at night or early morning.
- Wind players who want to double on sounds they do not own.
- Beginners in shared housing, where an acoustic instrument would be a problem.
- Players with limited breath support, since the breath threshold can usually be adjusted.
What they do not replace
An EWI does not teach embouchure, because there is no reed and no air column to control. A player intending to play saxophone in a band still needs the saxophone.
What it does is allow the fingering, the reading, the breath phrasing and the repertoire to be practised at any hour, which is most of the work.
Batteries and charging
Most current models are USB rechargeable with several hours of playing per charge. Check whether the instrument charges over the same port it sends MIDI on, since that affects whether it can be played while charging.
Practical checks before ordering
- Match the fingering mode to the instrument you already play.
- Check for a headphone output if silence is the point.
- Check MIDI connectivity if you want to use computer sounds.
- Check whether a mouthpiece is removable and washable.
- Check battery life and charging arrangements.
Where this sits in the shop
Everything discussed above comes back to one part of the shop: Electronic Wind Instruments, which currently holds 5 listings between $56.35 and $259.99. The whole of it is picked and packed at Venuti's Music Store & Studios, 2539 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA, during Tue, Thu–Fri 2pm–7pm, Sat 11:30am–5pm, closed Sun, Mon and Wed — so anything written here can be checked by phoning the counter on ((215) 336-2698.
From our shelves
- SUNRISE MELODY M1 Electronic Wind Instrument, Beginner-Friendly Digital Saxophone with 26 — $119.00
- KONIX Electronic Wind Instrument, DC02 Pro Digital Wind Instrument with 10 Musical Tones — $59.99
- MK EWI, Performance-grade Electronic Wind Instrument, Wind Synth With Bulit in OTG — $259.99
What we get asked about this
What can I pay with?
Checkout accepts Pay with cards and more, Card, WeChat Pay, Airwallex – Express Checkout, Klarna and Afterpay. Card details are handled by the payment provider and never stored on this site.
Can I return something?
Yes — unused goods, within 30 days of delivery. If the mistake was ours, we pay the return postage. Full detail is on the Refund and Returns Policy page.
Read next
- Choosing a first flute or recorder
- Tin whistles: keys, and why D is the default
- Cleaning and swabbing a wind instrument
Ordering from Venuti's Music Store
Orders of $49.00 or more ship free anywhere in the United States, and a flat $5.99 covers everything below that. Handling takes 1–2 business days and carrier transit is normally 3–7 business days. Unused items can go back within 30 days, and if the mistake was ours we pay the return postage.
Questions about anything above go to [email protected], answered within 1 business day, or call (215) 336-2698. Full detail is on the Shipping Policy and Refund and Returns pages.