How Brass Instruments Changed Society

I stood up in front of a hundred curious, gleaming eyes. “Hey guys,” I began, “I’m going to show you why the trombone is the coolest brass instrument ever!” I immediately whipped the slide out and performed a series of sequential glissandos, each one with more vigor than the last. That morning, I was performing with my school’s jazz band at the KIPP Elementary Academy in Philadelphia. Over a decade passed since I had last stepped foot in a Philadelphia school, when I attended the James Dobson School in kindergarten, yet the cozy gymnasium and the children’s crisp uniforms instantly evoked memories of my childhood. But one thing I did not remember from the past was having the opportunity to experience jazz at a young age. Thus, I desperately wanted to display the awesome power of brass instruments that is the soul of jazz music and inspire the kids to partake in the timelessly euphoric journey of music that I am blessed to have taken.

When declaring what instrument is the most important in band, the usual consensus is that all instruments are equally important as each instrument have their specific, unique role; however, the trumpet section stereotypically declares themselves the most important through loud, crack-filled playing. Whether in a jazz band, marching band, or symphonic band, trumpets stereotypically are the section filled with rude, egotistical musicians who do not get along with other type of musicians. While it is true that with stereotype begins with truth, there are many misconceptions with these stereotypes that can be addressed. Likewise, it is unfair and ignorant to generalize a specific group based off of a single encounter. It is extremely possible there exists a trumpet player

Music is present in every culture’s past, present, and future. It has been around since 500 B.C. and was especially important in the Elizabethan Era. There were reinventions of music as it was widespread and popular. Without this essential time in history, modern music may have been completely different from what we have today. This era brought new uses for music, styles of compositions, new instruments, and the uprising of popular composers.

The saxophone is considered one of the easiest instruments to play. Even neophytes are able to make a noise on the saxophone (even if it is more of a squeak). To make sound on a brass instrument, such as the trumpet, one needs to purse his lips just right, which can be difficult for many people. Also, brass players have a more difficult time changing octaves (high and low notes) than reed players because they need to change their whole mouth position instead of pushing a single button. So although playing an instrument such as the saxophone may seem like

Music has evolved too many different forms that we recognize today. We trace this development throughout time. Beginning in the middle ages, we have seen advancement from the Gregorian chant all the way to the Jazz of the 20th century. The current events, politics, religion, technology and composers can shape musical eras during time. Here I will look at the middle ages, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and twentieth century periods. I hope that a better understanding can be reached to why, when, where and who are the reasons for musical evolution.

According to the classification system of Hornbostel and Sachs, they are classified as ‘trumpets with finger-holes’. They flourished mainly in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, but began a decline in popularity from the second half of the seventeenth; from 1700 onwards their use fell off dramatically, even though in some parts of Europe they persisted until the early 1800s. Their modern revival dates only from the second half of the twentieth century;

If you were to go back to the 15th century, it would be easy to recognize the predecessor of the trombone. Previously the sackbut, this Italian instrument was originally intended to accompany a church organ, so it didn’t have music written specifically for it. This fifty hour process involves lots of shaping and torching in order to get a beautiful outcome with a powerful sound.

As this year’s Brass Quintet’s Student Director, I seek to inspire and spur on this select group of musicians, while coordinating all rehearsal and performance details for our intimate chamber group. Additionally, in order to push the boundaries of my musical expertise, I will be composing a unique arrangement of our high school’s alma mater, as a new music repertoire for our group. While seeking to extend my capabilities musically and to translate lessons learned to my broader character, I am vividly reminded of the impact and presence of my now scuffed and well-used trumpet in so many facets of my life. My trumpet playing reflects my desire to continue to push myself musically, and in whatever course of life I choose, and it will certainly be a vital element of my

Over time, change has been something that has always occurred in our society. Music is one of the things that has changed drastically over the decades. From its instruments, the use of technology, the purpose and the reason of the music. One of the things that makes music so different is the instruments and technology. In the 1920’s, jazz was popular.

The history of the American brass band is a subtle yet interesting one. Made up of cornets and saxhorns during the 1850’s the all brass band grew to a whole new level of popularity and has become a prominent feature of the brass bands of today. Leading with E flat horns is a prominent extraordinary feature of the early American brass bands. Creating a homogeneous mellow sound by mixing the timbres of these different instruments is one of the most if not the most important characteristics of the early American brass band. The changing times and the creations of different types of sound made many of the instrument in the band become obsolete which also played a huge part in the how much of the literature that can be performed in today’s traditional

Louis Daniel Armstrong is known as one of the greatest trumpet players in history, and his talent came from long hours of practicing and playing with the right horn. There are beginner and professional horns that are sold in various places. However, a professional trumpet can give a better tone compared to a beginner trumpet. As of right now I am looking into two professional horn brands, Bach and Jupiter XO. Bach horns are known for having excellent quality and tone, and Jupiter horns are known for having nice quality and much less expensive than others. Although the Jupiter XO trumpet is not as efficient as a bach horn, it will still give me a better deal and enough room to improve as a trumpet player.

Many of the musicians double as professors at different universities; therefore, their knowledge of the history of brass instruments is quite extensive. First, they played different sized conch shells, which is the first horns that formed into the song Happy Birthday.They then played many of the earliest models of the trumpet, which had no valves, and the trombone, that required one to move their whole body back and forth in order to hit different notes. Additionally, the Saint Louis Brass had a clear water hose with a funnel at the end of it as a horn. I was surprised that it made a beautiful sounds, even hitting different notes. After separately playing each peculiar instruments, they came together to play an adorable little diddy. As a future teach and lover of learning, I thoroughly enjoyed this section of their

Later on the horn started to be more in the orchestral setting. Its sound would invoke the idea of a hunt. Later on, however, the sound of the horn started to represent royalty. As the instrument developed, it became capable of playing more and more notes and producing melodies. This allowed for more and more techniques to be developed.

The trumpet has been a key instrument in Jazz for a very long time. It is actually one of more familiar sounds of jazz music. When people hear of jazz, most of time they think of the trumpet. The sound of the trumpet is loud and very energetic, but can also produce beautiful melodies. In the early days the trumpet was used in marching bands in New Orleans.

Today the trumpet is used for making music in many different kinds of musical situations. It is used in musicals with other instruments for theme music as well as dance music. The modern day trumpet is also used in marching bands, concert bands, as well as jazz bands. My favorite setting where the trumpet is used is brass choir, where only two trumpets are used along with a trombone, tuba, and French horn. There are so many venues that the trumpet is used that many do not think about, such as rock bands and even country bands. When most people think of the trumpet, they think of marching bands or concert bands, but in reality the trumpet has a much wider variety that it is used for in today’s world than many think.