Transcript Brass Instruments - Bellefonte Area School District

Brass Instruments
The majestic brasses
in all their glory
“All Hail The Brasses”
•
•
•
If you see a seashell on the beach, and notice that the wind makes a sound
when it hits the shell, you are watching the power of air in a confined space.
If you watch wind blow over a glass bottle and moan, that is a wind
instrument in action. Early human tribes used shells and horns to call each
other.
As a wind instrument is modified on the outside, its sound modifies as well.
The earliest drawing of trumpets were found in two places: the tomb of King
Tut and on the wall of a South American tribal spot in Peru. The notations in
King Tut's tomb were crude but accurate, depicting a long instrument with a
flared neck. Valves were a long time in coming after this introduction, so
trumpets limited to the notes of the Harmonic Series of a particular key. For
this reason, they were used by the Egyptians simply as indicators, or as
battle signals.
Greece, China, Rome, and many other ancient peoples had their own idea
of what the trumpet was to look and sound like. It existed in many different
ways throughout all of these cultures, and many others. Tibetians have a
long, sloped tube of almost 15 feet long, while certain regions of the Andes
have funnels of one inch that create noise. Clearly, wind instruments have
many different ways to make sound. At a very early point in our history,
trumpets also became associated with Biblical lore, especially that of
Christianity. The sound of trumpets is meant to represent angels, war, and
the end of the World.
The “Buzz”
or embouchure
•
•
•
Sound is simply small changes in air pressure that usually occur at a fairly constant rate.
Retaining this rate for a more extended period of time at a specific frequency produces what we
call a tone. Brass instruments produce tones by exciting the vibration of a column of air within a
tube. The use of the lips as a sort of diaphragm for vibration at one end of the tube is what excites
the column of air. Tightening the lips produces a higher buzz, which presents a higher frequency
of sound, or a higher pitched note.
Most tubes that could be "buzzed" into exhibit a natural preference for a certain frequency of
sound waves. The buzzing of the lips will often be dragged into one of these fundamental
frequencies or its "overtones." The natural frequency of the tube relies somewhat on what it is
made of but more so on the length of the tube. A longer tube enables the vibrating column of air
within to be longer causing a slower frequency and thus a lower note. The lowest tone that can be
locked onto and produced cleanly by the lips on a certain length of tube is called the
"fundamental" tone. The fundamental tone determines the "key" of the instrument.
It is this production of tone that distinguishes brass instruments, not the construction material.
Throughout history, these types of instruments have been made using various materials. It is very
likely that the original "horns" of this type were made of bone. Probably being actual animal horns
that were buzzed on the smaller end producing a fairly distinct and menacing sound. This sound
was all that was necessary, as the only requirement would have been for it to be loud, as it was
more often than not used as a war horn, a signal device, or to frighten away would be predators.
Ancient Brass Instruments
• The cornett is a hybrid instrument
inasmuch as it has characteristics
associated with both woodwind and
brass instruments. The use of finger
holes allies it to the woodwind family
whereas the cupped mouthpiece
relates it to brass instruments. The
cornett was once a very important
and much revered instrument. At the
height of its popularity, cornett players
were the most highly paid of all
instrumentalists.
The Sackbut
•
•
Sackbuts are mentioned in the Bible but this
was probably poetic license by the translators
rather than proof of antique existence. The
sackbut was widely known throughout Europe
in the late fourteenth century and by 1495,
Henry VII of England had amongst his
instrumental resources, four shakbusshes.
In 1661, Matthew Locke composed Music for
his Majesty's Sackbuts and Cornetts, giving an
indication of one of the musical uses to which
the sackbut was put. There were four sizes of
sackbut; alto, tenor, bass and great bass with
the latter two having hinged handles attached
to allow greater extension of the slide to
achieve the required depths. The alto, tenor
and bass were to emerge as the trombone
family with the tenor being the most widely
used. It is difficult to say when sackbuts
became trombones because the transition was
gradual and seemed to depend more on
terminology than constructional difference.
Serpents
• The serpent was an addition to the
cornett family. This relationship can be
justified by the fact that both
instruments combine woodwind finger
holes with brass mouthpieces. To
achieve the bass notes required, the
serpent needed to be 2.5 meters long
(eight feet) so it would have been
impossible to use in terms of bulk and
finger hole placement. To overcome
these difficulties, designers turned the
long tube back upon itself. In the case
of the serpent it was not to be the same
solution devised by bassoon makers.
They shaped the tube into curves that
both shortened it and accommodated
two sets of finger holes that were
accessible to both hands of the player.
Mouthpieces
•Both changes in mouthpiece and
air column length are used to
produce maximum efficiency. The
depth of the mouthpiece operates
in terms of octaves and partials,
which are large leaps. The length
of the air column deals with
semitones.
• While the length of tubing
enables higher and lower
tones, the mouthpiece changes
the size of the vibrating
diaphragm. A shallower
mouthpiece allows less surface
area of the lips to vibrate. This
produces a higher frequency
capability. A deep cup in the
mouthpiece allows the lips to
vibrate at a lower frequency
because of the bigger size and
larger surface area.
•
•
Valves
In the early 1800’s, the increasing demand for the horn to
play chromatically caused J.B. Dupont to invent crooks for all the
various tunings of the horn. This large mass of different lengths of
tubing was manipulated by the use of a slide that brought each new
length into effect as it was aligned. This idea gained no real
acceptance however because it was too heavy and very hard to
use.
Blümel of Silesia and Stötzel of Berlin developed a valve
mechanism in the early 1800s. The principle of the valve is
basically that of the tuning slides inserted into the horn to change
key. They enable the player to insert short pieces of tubing into the
main line with a single touch. Valves require much less tubing than
Dupont’s slide idea. This is due to the fact that the lengths of tubing
are used in combination to produce even greater lengths. There
are two practical types of valve, rotary and piston. Rotary valves
are cylinders that turn to divert the air through the extra tubing; this
can in turn be diverted through another tube by means of a second
valve effectively lengthening the entire instrument with the push of a
button. The piston valve uses a plunger system to divert the air
through the extra tubing. Pushing the piston down aligns two
cavities within the plunger to align with two sections of the extra
tubing. When released, only one part of the tubing is aligned
whereby the extra tubing is not in use. The valveless horn still held
the lead until after the 1830s due to some imperfections in the valve
style and the warmer natural sound produced without extra tubing.
Military bands did employ the valve horn where beauty and
accuracy in tone were not as important.
The 4 main brass instruments
Trumpet
French Horn
Tuba
Trombone
The Trumpet
• The first trumpets reputedly came from Egypt and were
primarily used for military purposes (Joshua's shofar,
blown at the battle of Jericho, would come from this
tradition) like the bugle as we still know it, with different
tunes corresponding to different instructions.
• In medieval times, trumpet playing was a guarded craft,
its instruction occurring only within highly selective
guilds. The trumpet players were often among the most
heavily guarded members of a troop, as they were relied
upon to relay instructions to other sections of the army.
• Eventually the trumpet's value for musical production
was seen, particularly after the addition of valves (after
about 1800), and its use and instruction became much
more widespread.
The French Horn
•
•
•
•
The horn consists of tubing wrapped into a
coiled form. Many people call this instrument the
French horn, although this usage is uncommon
among players of the instrument. In other
languages, the instrument is named Horn, Corno
(plural corni), and Cor.
Compared to the other brass instruments, the
typical range of the French horn is set an octave
higher in its harmonic series.
The conical bore (helped by its small, deep
mouthpiece), provides the characteristic
"mellow" tone.
The double horn combines two instruments into
one frame: the original horn in F, and a second,
higher horn keyed in B-flat. By using a fourth
valve operated by the thumb, the horn player
can quickly switch from the deep, warm tones of
the F horn to the higher, brighter tones of the Bflat horn.
The trombone
• The word trombone derives from the Italian word tromba
- meaning trumpet - and one - a suffix for "large." Thus,
literally, a trombone is a "big trumpet." The trombone is
referred to by its name in other languages, posaune,
sackbut or sacbut, basun, tromba spezzata
• The trombone consists of a cylindrical tube bent into an
elongated "S" shape (it is interesting to note that in
French, trombone also means “paper clip "). Most
trombones are slide trombones;. The section
immediately following the mouthpiece is a short straight
length of tube called the lead pipe. Below that is the
slide, which allows the player to extend the length of the
instrument, lowering the pitch. Some trombones have
valves.
The Tuba
•
•
•
The tuba is the largest of the brasses and is one of the most recent
additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid 19th
century.
Tubas are found in various pitches, most commonly in F, E♭, C, or B♭. The
most common tuba is the contrabass tuba, pitched in C or B♭ (referred to as
CC and BB♭ tubas respectively). The contrabass tuba is sometimes
confused with the contrabass bugle (tuned in the key of G) commonly used
by drum and bugle corps. The next smaller tuba is the bass tuba, pitched in
F or E♭ (a fourth above the contrabass tuba). The euphonium is sometimes
referred to as a tenor tuba, and is pitched one octave higher (in B♭) than the
BB♭ contrabass tuba. The "French tuba" corresponds to the tenor tuba, but
is pitched in C.
The tuba can have up to six rotary or piston valves, although four or five are
by far the most common. Three-valve tubas are generally used only by
beginners. Some early models of the contrabass bugle (a type of tuba which
sits on the player's shoulder and is used in some marching ensembles)
have only two valves, presumably to reduce the weight of the instrument.
Some piston valve tubas have a compensating system to allow accurate
tuning when using several valves in combination to play low notes.
other brass instruments
mellophone
Baritone
Bugle
Euphonium
Alphorn
Sousaphone
•
Flugelhorn
The Shofar
• The oldest horn in continual use is the
Shofar. It is an ancient musical horn
made from the curved horn of a ram,
used in ancient times by the Israelites
to sound a warning or a summons. This
instrument dates back about 6,000
years and is still used in Jewish
religious services today.
•
•
THE DIDGERIDOO
Is possibly the world's oldest musical
instrument. It is a wind instrument
originally found in Northern Australia.
The didjiri-du.. is a long hollow tube,
often a tree root about 5 feet long,
slightly curved at the lower end. The
musician squats on the ground, resting
his instrument on the earth. He fits his
mouth into the straight or upper end and
blows down it in a curious fashion. He
produces an intermittent drone.
Didgeridoo are made of eucalyptus
trees, the stringybark and the
woollybutt. The Aboriginal craftsmen
would simply tap the tree or brands to
see if it is hollow. The termite residual
in each stick can be cleaned out by
soaking the length for a few days in
water then prying it out with a stick or
coals. To test for any holes or cracks
in the timber, a stick was sealed by
hands at both ends and held under
water for two or three minutes. If
bubbles appeared, if holes would be
filled with bees wax.
To get a sound, you need to
vibrate your lips. You must relax
the muscles that are in your face,
i.e. your jawbones, your cheeks,
and have your lips vibrate loosely
and then blow the wind through
your lips.