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Brass Family
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The Brass Family
Instrument Families
How many can you name right now?
Overview
See how many you were able to name and see what you missed by watching this overview.Notice the differences in their sound qualities.
Check your answers!
Materials
- Evolved from animal tusks or horns, and seashells like a conch
- Now made of metal
Characteristics
Listen to someone play a conch shell. Note the shape of the mouth hole and the way it's played.
Shape
Shape
- Very long pipes that widen into a bell shape.
- Pipes are curved and twisted to make them easier to hold and play
Sound Production
Sound Production
Fast forward to 1 minute to see what mouthpiece buzzing is.
- Like woodwinds, players use breath to create a vibrating column of air
- But instead of blowing air through a reed, players buzz their lips against a mouthpiece to set the air in motion
Ways to Change the Pitch
Changing the Pitch
1. Size of the instrument
2. Embouchure/Partials
3. Valves/Slides
Size of the Instrument
Smaller instrument = higher pitch
Instrument Size
Remember the sound wave properties from the last presentations?
The LONGER the string or column of air, the LOWER the sound?
The SHORTER the string or column of air, the HIGHER the sound?
The same is true for brass!
larger instrument = lower pitch
If you don't remember how this size/pitch relationship works, re-watch this video.
Watch and Listen!
Embouchure & Air Pressure
Embouchure& Air Pressure
REVIEW:
Tightness/looseness of the mouth/lips also changes the pitch. This is called the EMBOUCHURE.
Higher air pressure = higher pitch
Lower air pressure = lower pitch
Air pressure Demonstration
Note his lips in the close up at the end
Watch and Listen
Partials/Harmonics
When you change the air pressure on the mouthpiece, you create a series of pitches called PARTIALs or HARMONICS on the actual instrument.
Partials/Harmonics
Watch from :22 to 1min
NO VALVES NEEDED TO DO THIS!
Valves/Slide
All brass instruments except the trombone, have VALVES.
Valves change the length of the pipe (remember, the longer the pipe, the lower the sound, the shorter the pipe, the higher the sound)
How valves work on a brass instrument
Watch and Listen
Sorry his voice is so boring...watch it until you understand the concept.
Review
Here's a closer look at all of the instruments
The Instruments
- Trumpet
- French Horn
- Tuba & Sousaphone
- Trombone
Trumpet
Watch this video to hear "Flight of the Bumble Bee." Does it sound like a bumble bee to you?
Trumpet
- Smallest of the brass instrument (highest range)
- 3 valves
- Versatile instrument
- Used in classical and jazz
- Known for military bugle calls and funeral song (TAPS)
- Mariachi music
Watch the beginning portion of this video to hear a trumpet Mariachi solo
French Horn
- Middle range brass instrument
- 18 feet of tubing all rolled up!
- Player puts their hand inside the bell
- 3 rotary valves
- Versatile
- Fanfares
- Warm romantic solos
- Used in a LOT of movie themes especially by John Williams
- Gets the BEST SOLOS in the orchestra
Star Wars French Horn solo
Star Trek French Horn solo
Tuba
Tuba & Sousaphone
- Lowest brass instrument
- Foundational for an orchestra because it's a bass instrument
- Tubing is as long as a school bus!
- 3-5 valves
A souspahone is basically a tuba you can march in a parade with.
Sousaphone
Trombone
Fast forward to 1:30 to hear a Louisiana Jazz trombone solo. The sound he makes with the plunger is called "wah wah")
- Mid to low range instrument
- Only brass instrument with a SLIDE instead of valves (note the demo in the video for how this works)
- Versatile
- Classical and jazz
- Movie music (listen for the Star Wars theme at the end of the first video!)
What is a mute?
Mutes and Brass Ensembles
- An object that you place on the bell of a brass instrument
- It changes the tone quality depending on the material the mute is made out of
- It also lowers the volume
- There are several different types!
Watch a little bit of this video to see and hear different mutes and how they change the sound.
Brass Ensembles
Just like a choir of voices or a string quartet, you can have a brass choir.
This choir can be made up of one kind of instrument or a mixture of all instruments in the brass family.
It creates an INCREDIBLY powerful sound!
Brass ensembles
Game of Thrones theme song w/ trombones and tubas only
Now that you've learned three families, listen to the Avengers theme song and see if you can figure out what instruments you hear. (Hint: There's a lot of brass and strings!)