Questions tagged [brass]
The family of wind instruments that produce their tone through the buzzing of the lips into a mouthpiece. The most common brass instruments are the trumpet, trombone, tuba, and french horn.
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Will a soak in mouthwash hurt mouthpieces?
I’m teaching wind instruments to grade 7 and 8’s after a decade of teaching primary music. Since covid, my school board mandates a specific cleaning solution must be used for sanitation. Brass and ...
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Is it possible to "add" a rotary fifth valve to a 4-valved tuba?
I am currently playing Wessex TB 692 Grand, which is 4-valved BBb tuba.
I have always cherished a 5-valved BBb, so I wonder if it is possible to add a rotary 5th valve to my Wessex horn..
Is this ...
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Can anyone identify the instrument that James Morrison is playing in this picture?
From the bell flare it looks like it might be some sort of flugel horn. Can anyone say for definite what it is?
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Brass instrument lengths
I assume (perhaps wrong), that the fundamental frequency of brass instruments can be calculated with the wave equation:
c = lambda * f,
WHERE:
c = the speed of sound. I calculated this to be 349 m/s ...
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Will the Yamaha SB3X-2 French horn silent brass work for a marching mellophone?
I play both French horn and marching mellophone, and was wondering if the Yamaha SB3X-2 French horn silent brass pickup mute would work for the mellophone, so I don’t have to buy a second mute end.
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Old Bugle broken?
I recently got a bugle from an auction. I don’t know much about it but the part where the mouthpiece attaches looks like this. Could this affect the ability to play it?
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Easiest brass instrument to transpose with?
my real goal is to pick a brass instrument to pick up, but I don't know the right words to research what I want.
I have a strong ear, so certain instruments are easier than others for me.
So one ...
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What woodwind instruments have easier embouchure?
I've been stuggling playing the trumpet because of the lip position. Do woodwind instruments have less pressure on the lips or have easier embouchure compared to brass?
If you had to rank the ...
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What is this natural trumpet?
In this picture of the London Gabrieli Brass Ensemble found here, one sees what I suppose are natural brass instruments.
Does the trumpet in the lower right corner have a specific name? It has a ...
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What woodwind & brass instruments are most air efficient?
So I am trying to compose this woodwind quintet and other pieces relating to woodwind and brass instruments, and I need to figure out whether I can let some instruments breathe or keep playing. After ...
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How do I identify the key of a tuba?
I'm trying to identify the key of a tuba in the below picture. I suspect it's either a Bb or a Eb but cannot confirm. I tried to measure and it was approx. just over 16ft (although that may be ...
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Can competent brass players play large leaps?
This is a passage for Horn in F in a moderato tempo (the key is 4 sharps):
Though it mostly moves by step, there are several leaps, one of which is by a dissonant melodic interval (diminished third). ...
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Is curling sides of tongue when playing trumpet a good/bad idea?
I've been exploring ways to control and focus my air stream when playing trumpet with my tongue recently.
Many teachers talk about tongue arch and height, and that has a clear and great effect for me ...
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Sputtery tonging on Trombone when playing music
For some reason, whenever I play a piece of music (in this case, H. Vincent's 'Air for Baritone/Cornet'), I find that my tonging is very stutters and rough between notes, yet if I play one note, low ...
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How can horns, most of which have only three buttons, play all their notes?
I’m a big fan of the “horn” family but have trouble understanding how horns are able to play the same scales and modes that a piano is able to play, being that horns only have a few valves. In some ...
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Tuba, 4th valve extension?
I use a three valve tuba, but have been playing around with 3d printing an 'extension' to replace the main tuning slide with another valve that could direct the air flow through a longer pipe, just ...
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Switching Tubas During Solo
I'm a highschool tuba player and I have a solo performance coming up in a couple days. Unfortunately, my tuba has been in the repair shop for over a month and I just got it back, less than a week ...
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Homemade Serpent project
One of the classes I'm in this semester is all about physics in the arts. One of our final projects is to make an instrument and, as a euphonium player, I decided to make a serpent. I've made the body ...
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Which instruments to physically familiarize with to become a better orchestrator?
Physically familiarizing with which two orchestral instruments would be a good compromise between having to buy all the instruments and gaining leverage in orchestral writing? My own opinion is ...
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What are the advantages of different mouthpiece sizes?
I played horn from age 10 until age 22, and after a couple of years off I'm starting to play again. I was always pretty mediocre, so I was content to use my elementary-school Holton MDC mouthpiece the ...
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Did American drum corps ever utilize the tuning slide of valveless bugles for more notes?
I used to be a member of my school's drum and bugle corps in middle school whose entire brass section is composed of US regulation bugles in G (if I'm not mistaken) which are are valveless. They used ...
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Can bugles play "Bugler's Holiday" (Anderson)?
Bugler's Holiday (Anderson) was apparently written for a trumpet trio (according to various internet-accessible sites that seem to know).
My question is: Can it be performed by a bugle trio? (I know ...
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What are good range limits for STARTING a phrase?
Range suggestions abound online, divided by skill level, resonance, and so on. Range is also a big part of trumpet culture: how do trumpet players flex on each other? "I can play higher than you.&...
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Wind instruments and sharp keys
As far as I know, most of the wind instruments are transposing, and many of them are either in B, in E-flat or in F - these keys make them more suitable for playing in "flat" keys. My question is why ...
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Glissando, fall, and lip bends on trumpet, what are some good exersices?
I had an artist get recommended to me by another trumpet player, his name is Brandon Ridenour. I just listened to him perform a really clear glissando like the one in Rhapsody in blue. Are there any ...
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What is the name of this brass (most likely) instrument? [closed]
I'm not sure if this is considered an appropriate post, I hope it is but if not, my apologies. I've heard this distinct instrument a couple times. I'm not sure what it is but am really fond of it, and ...
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Why are band instruments built in flat keys?
Instruments in a military bands (and similar) are usually built in the keys of B-flat or E-flat.
(Whether these instruments are treated as transposing instruments or not is irrelevant. The key that ...
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History - age - of Sousaphone with brand "Symphonic"?
Our band is using an old Sousaphone which still produces a nice deep round tone. The brand "symphonic" and history (serial number 613635) however is unknown. Many musicians asked us about ...
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What is the correct name for this instrument?
I guess it's some type of trombone, but I can't find its correct name anywhere.
P.S. If you're wondering, here's where I got this shot from:
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Tips for going between trumpet and sousaphone from tune to tune?
I used to play mostly trombone in trad jazz bands. I got turned onto the cornet, and there was a need for someone in our area to play the cornet, so I got it "up to speed". For a little ...
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Is shuffle double tonguing feasible on a brass instrument?
Drummers are used to the idea of performing 16th note patterns with varying amounts of shuffle.
Brass players spend loads of effort perfecting even double-tonguing for performing extended 16th note ...
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How to clean the bathtub after cleaning brass instruments
Every few months I clean my French horn in an enamel bathtub filled with warm water and added dishwasher liquid. The oil and grease residues that attach to the detergent float to the water surface and ...
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Trombone (or any other brass instrument really) construction material
I'm not really sure where to post this question:
As a trombone player, I've never understood why aluminum is never used in brass instrument manufacturing. It's seldom mentioned on the internet either. ...
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French horn - Getting higher register
Does anyone know some good techniques or practises I can do to improve my high range on the horn relatively quick (like 2 months quick)? It can be for brass and doesn't have to be specific for horn- ...
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wind instrument tone - good practice routine?
I understand that to get a good tone the best exercise is to play long tones. There are tons of variations of long tone exercises:
a) starting pianissimo and ending fortissimo for as long as you can ...
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How to simply voice-lead melody for jazz brass
Hello and thank you for your time!
My knowledge in music theory is limited, so excuse me. I don't know where to look for the answer.
The goal is simple: harmonize a upper melody with chords stacked ...
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Does the lip really vibrate at the same frequency of a brass instrument?
The resonance of woodwind brass instruments can be modeled after a closed cylindrical pipe and calculated by the equation f = (nv)/(4L) where n denotes the number of harmonics, v the velocity of sound ...
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Buzzing into the mouthpiece of a transposing instrument
I have just started to learning how to play a brass instrument.
The instrument that I have is a transposing instrument that can easily be tuned into either Bb or A with some slides. (I think I will ...
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Why can a vuvuzela only play one pitch, while a non-valved bugle can play many?
According to our collective nightmares from the 2010 World Cup Wikipedia, the vuvuzela is a monotone instrument; it famously plays (roughly) the B♭ below middle C.
Why is the vuvuzela restricted to ...
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How much air comes out of the tone holes in a woodwind or brass instrument
When a woodwind or brass instrument is played, how much air, if any, comes out of the tone holes?
Or does the air go into the tone holes due to the Bernoulli / venturi effect?
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Technically "contrasting" keys for sax and trumpet
I don't know a better way to say it other than "technically contrasting."
My starting point is piano.
Sometimes when practicing piano I want a quick "technically contrasting" key - ...
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Just intonation on a trumpet
How would you realise an intonation system different from equal temperament on a modern trumpet? As a pianist, I can see how that'd be done on a stringed instrument or a trombone, but aren't the ...
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When ending a note on a wind instrument, is there an audible difference between just ending the airflow and actively inhaling to stop the airflow?
I've heard several instructors teach students to actively inhale slightly when ending a long note. The logic is that the active inhale will obviously stop the exhaling airflow, and in doing so will ...
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What are the embouchure differences for the brass family instruments?
I play trumpet, but have little to no experience on other brass instruments. In terms of the physiology involved, how does the embouchure change from one (family of) instrument to another? Are certain ...
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Attacking the G above staff on tenor trombone
On tenor trombone, I have an issue playing the G above staff (concert pitch bass clef). My attack is really ugly, crackling. I more than often miss it, playing either on 2+ position or 4th position.
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How do brass instrument tune to non-fundamental notes?
Orchestras tune to A. But a trombone in 1st position can only play Bb or F. A trombone would need to be in 2nd position to play that A. How does the trombonist know whether to adjust the tuning ...
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Alto-ranged brass instrument?
As a high school French horn player I am wondering whether there is a brass instrument with a range similar to the alto saxophone. Although horn and alto are usually given the same parts the horn has ...
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Brass instrumentalists are taught that higher notes require faster air while lower notes require more air. How exactly is this different?
I cannot count the number of times I've heard the simple adage:
To play higher, use faster air. To play lower, use more air, but slower.
And unfortunately, this statement is just as confusing to the ...
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What are brass instrument "pedal tones" and "false tones", and how are they different?
The below two questions resulted in some debate, confusion, and consternation:
What are the acoustics of brass instrument pedal tones?
What are brass instrument “false notes” and how are they played?
...
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What are brass instrument "false notes" and how are they played?
In @AlbrechtHügli's answer to Properties of a very low pitched natural horn?, "false notes" are mentioned. What are they, and how are they produced?
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