Reedist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who plays or specializes in instruments that use a reed to produce sound; an individual belonging to a group or category associated with reed instruments; someone skilled in managing or crafting reeds for musical use
2. An individual adept at performing with reed-based wind instruments; a member identified by their relation to reed music or reed instrument expertise; a craftsman or user of materials derived from reed plants for musical purposes
3. One who is proficient in playing or handling reed-blown instruments; a participant in contexts involving reed instruments or reed-related activities; a person involved with the production or tuning of reeds used in music

Etymology: "Reedist" is a plain formation: the noun "reed" with the suffix "-ist," which attaches to a base to name a person who practises or deals with something. Here the base is "reed," the thin grass stem or, in music, the vibrating strip of cane, metal or plastic that sets an oboe, clarinet, saxophone or bagpipe sounding. A reedist is therefore someone who works with those instruments or their reeds, whether as a performer or as a maker and tuner of the reeds themselves. The suffix does the same job in many musical and craft words, such as "violinist," "pianist" and "harpist," which name people by the instrument they play. "Reedist" follows that pattern, applying it to the broad family of instruments that share the reed as their sound source rather than to a single instrument.

Synonyms: clarinetist, saxophonist, woodwind player