brass instruments

A major family of instruments is the brass instrument family. It includes the trumpet, tuba, trombone, French horn, bugle, and cornet, just to name a few. Most brass instruments are made out of, you guessed it brass! They are used in all sorts of music making a brilliant and, often, loud sound.

What makes an instrument part of the brass family?

The main difference between brass instruments and other instruments is how the vibration to create the sound and notes is made. With a brass instrument the vibration is created by the lips of the musician. By pressing the lips up against the mouthpiece and blowing, a vibration is created. The rest of the horn helps to amplify the noise and create different notes. This is different from the woodwind family where air blowing across an edge or reed causes the vibrations.

Making the Sound

Brass instruments get their sound from the vibrations of the musician's lips. This works by the player putting their lips tightly into the mouthpiece and blowing. The vibration between the lips and mouthpiece causes the air to vibrate down the long brass tube.

Musicians can vary the notes they play, the tone of the music, and the loudness by controlling the vibration of their lips. This takes a lot of practice to get right.

Valves and Slides

Brass instruments that are a fixed length can only make a few notes. This is the way all horns were for a long time. Then the slide and the valve were introduced. These allow the musician to change the length of the tube. They are each different in how they work.

Valves

When you look at all those tubes and curves in a trumpet, French horn, or tuba it can look almost like a mess of spaghetti. However, all those tubes help the instrument to make different sounds and notes. The buttons on these instruments are called valves. By pressing the valves the player adds in additional length to the tube.

The air that is blown into the mouthpiece eventually goes to the end, or bell, of the brass instrument. But it doesn't always travel through all those tubes you see. When a valve is pressed an additional curve or length of tubing is added into the path that the air takes. The musician can add in and take out sections of the tube in order to make a wide variety of notes.

Slide

Another way to change the length of the tube is by using a slide. The slide is used in the trombone. By moving a long section of the tube in and out, the musician can change the length of the tube and, therefore, the notes. Since the tube can slide gradually, the musician can "slide" between notes giving a smooth sound.

Bore and Bell

The tube of the instrument is called the bore. The end, where it flares out wide, is called the bell. The shape, width, and length of the bore and bell have a lot to do with the tone of the brass instrument. They can cause the instrument to have a crisp blaring tone like the trumpet or a warm mellow tone like the French horn.

Types of Music

Brass instruments are used in all sorts of music. Some of the most popular type of brass music is played in big bands, classical orchestras, and jazz. One of the main places we see brass instruments played today is in marching bands. This is because brass instruments can be played loudly without electrical amplification. Plus they can be played and carried while marching.

Smaller groups of brass instruments may be used in rock music, mariachi bands, and smaller ensembles. These generally use instruments like the trumpet, trombone, and saxophone (which is really a woodwind).

Fun Facts about Brass Instruments

• Horns have been used throughout history for various signals and fanfares due to their loud noise.
• The first horns were not made of brass, but used natural elements such as conch shells and animal horns.
• Trumpets were used as long ago as Ancient Egypt, however, it was in 1820 that the valve was invented and added to the trumpet design we know today. This allows the player to change the length of the tube that the air travels through and enables him to play more notes.
• Mutes are used to soften and lower the sound from a brass instrument. Mutes are put into the flared end at the bell. Different shapes of mutes can create different sounds.
• Most of the sound comes out the end of a brass instrument making the sound very directional. This is unlike many other instruments including woodwinds.
• There are two main types of trombones, the tenor trombone and the bass trombone. The bass trombone plays lower notes. The tenor trombone is what most people are talking about when they just say trombone.
• The tuba generally plays the lowest notes in the brass section.
• Some large bass tubas that are used in marching bands, called sousaphones, are partially made from fiberglass to make them lighter and easier to carry and march with.
• Curving the tubes of the brass instrument make them easier to hold and play. Even a small trumpet would be over 6 feet long if stretched out!
• The slide was invented in the 15th century, hundreds of years before the valve.
• The slide can smoothly move from one note to the next, but can't change notes as fast as the valve.
• The French horn really does come from France. If you stretched out a French horn it would be around 18 feet long!
• The tone of the French horn is changed by putting your right hand into the bell of the horn. Musicians actually change the sound of the horn by how they place their hand into the bell.
• Trombones play notes in the lower pitch range similar to a cello or a bassoon.
• The tuba takes a lot of breath and strong lips (and arms!) to play.

ORIGINAL TEXT

BRASS INSTRUMENTS AROUND THE WORLD