Brass instrument

Trumpets

A brass instrument is a musical instrument that you play by blowing through a mouthpiece to change the pitch, or note.

Brass players use their breath to produce sound. Instead of blowing into a reed, they vibrate their lips by buzzing them against a metal cup-shaped mouthpiece. The mouthpiece helps to amplify the buzzing, which creates the sound. Most brass instruments have valves attached to their long pipes; the valves look like buttons. Pressing on the valves makes them open and close different parts of the pipe. Brass instruments may be made of other metals or alloys, or even plastic. Some brass instruments are really made of wood, like the didgeridoo or serpent.

Other instruments are made of brass but the player does not need to buzz their lips, like the saxophone. They are not called brass instruments, because they do not require lip-buzzing.

Brass players also change the pitch of the sound by tightening or loosening their lips, but this alone does not let them play all musical notes. So, most instruments have slides or valves that can change the pitch.

A brass band is a group of brass instruments and drums that play music together. They are often used to play for parades and processions because the players can march and play at the same time. Brass bands were very popular in England. Many factories and coal mines had their own bands. The workers would play in the bands after work. One famous band is the Grimethorpe Colliery Band.

List of brass instruments

• Bugle
• Baritone horn
• Trumpet
• Cornet
• Piccolo trumpet
• Flugelhorn
• French horn
• Mellophone
• Euphonium
• Trombone
• Tuba
• Sousaphone (Marching Tuba)
• Cimbasso
• Hunting horn
• Serpent

Brass Instrument Media

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  Six high brass instruments*Left, from top: A reproduction baroque trumpet in D, a modern trumpet in B♭, a modern trumpet in D, a piccolo trumpet in B♭ (octave higher), and a flugelhorn in B♭. Right: a cornet in B♭.

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  A tenor horn (alto horn) in E♭, baritone horn in B♭, and euphonium in B♭

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  Brass instrument piston valves

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  Dugattyusszelep

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  Forgoszelep

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  Diagram illustrating the effects of moving the slide of a brass instrument.

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  Trumpet valve bypass (depressed)

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  Flugelhorn with three pistons and a trigger

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  Quartet with plastic trombones