Uploaded March 2016 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
As opposed to strings, percussion, and woodwinds; brass are a family of musical instruments that were originally made of brass, but can be made from other metals and even fiberglass, wood, and organic material. They produce sound by a sympathetic vibration, which causes the air in the tubing to resonate in sympathy to the vibrations of the player's lips.
Most brass instruments have valves that lengthen the air column to change the resonance and therefore the pitch of the note. Some brass instruments like a trombone have a slide to do this, however, there are valve trombones as well.
Brass instruments have either seven slide positions of seven valve combinations that can vary the pitch by a tritone, which is the interval of three whole steps or exactly half an octave. The first valve lowers the pitch a whole step. The second valve lowers the pitch a half step, the third valve lowers the pitch a step and a half. A few brass instruments have a fourth valve that is a 1+3 combination. The length of the fourth valve slide can be preset to play some of the lower notes more in tune. Some brass instruments like bass trombones have a trigger valve to lower the pitch, and some tubas may even have up to six valves.
The bells on brass instruments are conical, meaning that the bore diameter in constantly increasing. However, the percentage of the remaining tubing that's a constant diameter or cylindrical, effects the timbre. Instruments with a greater amount of cylindrical tubing have a brighter tone. That's why a trumpet is brighter than a cornet, and a cornet is brighter than a flugelhorn.
Brass instruments can also be classified as either whole or half tube. Whole tube instruments, like a tuba, have a large diameter tube in relation to the tube length. They can actually play the fundamental, the lowest note, in each overtone series.
Half-tube instruments like a trumpet can only play the second harmonic, the octave of the fundamental, as the lowest note in each overtone series. More often with half-tube instruments, the third harmonic, an octave and a fifth above the fundamental is the lowest note that's can be played without some difficulty. In fact, the third through sixth harmonics are the easily played overtones and are the notes used in all bugle calls.
As opposed to strings, percussion, and woodwinds; brass are a family of musical instruments that were originally made of brass, but can be made from other metals and even fiberglass, wood, and organic material. They produce sound by a sympathetic vibration, which causes the air in the tubing to resonate in sympathy to the vibrations of the player's lips.
Most brass instruments have valves that lengthen the air column to change the resonance and therefore the pitch of the note. Some brass instruments like a trombone have a slide to do this, however, there are valve trombones as well.
Brass instruments have either seven slide positions of seven valve combinations that can vary the pitch by a tritone, which is the interval of three whole steps or exactly half an octave. The first valve lowers the pitch a whole step. The second valve lowers the pitch a half step, the third valve lowers the pitch a step and a half. A few brass instruments have a fourth valve that is a 1+3 combination. The length of the fourth valve slide can be preset to play some of the lower notes more in tune. Some brass instruments like bass trombones have a trigger valve to lower the pitch, and some tubas may even have up to six valves.
The bells on brass instruments are conical, meaning that the bore diameter in constantly increasing. However, the percentage of the remaining tubing that's a constant diameter or cylindrical, effects the timbre. Instruments with a greater amount of cylindrical tubing have a brighter tone. That's why a trumpet is brighter than a cornet, and a cornet is brighter than a flugelhorn.
Brass instruments can also be classified as either whole or half tube. Whole tube instruments, like a tuba, have a large diameter tube in relation to the tube length. They can actually play the fundamental, the lowest note, in each overtone series.
Half-tube instruments like a trumpet can only play the second harmonic, the octave of the fundamental, as the lowest note in each overtone series. More often with half-tube instruments, the third harmonic, an octave and a fifth above the fundamental is the lowest note that's can be played without some difficulty. In fact, the third through sixth harmonics are the easily played overtones and are the notes used in all bugle calls.
