The Brass Family Flashcards
What does the brass section of the orchestra include?
The brass section of the orchestra includes trumpets, trombones, horns and tuba.
What are the whole brass family made from?
They are all made from metal but not always from brass! They can be made from other metals too like silver. They make a sound when air is blown through them and vibrates through the instrument.
What are the four members of the brass family?
Trumpet, horn, tuba, trombone
What is the brass of the orchestra?
The brass is the powerhouse of the orchestra. This section demands attention
What do the brass players do that no one else in the orchestra does?
Brass players are the only musicians in the orchestra who generate the sound they make. Instead of pulling bows over strings, blowing through reeds or hitting with sticks, they use their lips to make a vibrations, like a raspberry
How fast can a brass player vibrate their lips?
Feasted than a humming bird can flap their wings
What is the highest instrument in the brass family?
Trumpet, the most exciting sound in the orchestra. It can terrify you, it can make you smile, or it can soar above the orchestra and make your hair stand on end.
What is the horn?
The horn is the hero
What is the trombone?
The trombone is the boss
What is the tuba?
The tuba is the lowest of the brass section. It makes a big velvety cushion of sound, that the rest of the brass section just sits on
What are trumpets used in?
Trumpets are used in many different types of music including pop, jazz, orchestral and military.
What does the trumpet have?
The trumpet has only 3 valves but it can play an amazing 45 notes
Where was one bronze and silver trumpet found?
One bronze and one silver trumpet were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb when it was discovered in 1922
What is a trumpet?
A trumpet is a long cylindrical tube that’s bent round to fit in a persons hand. When it stretched out it’s longer than an average height adult
How do you blow into an instrument?
Puck your lips and blow into the instrument
How do you have to play a trumpet?
Different techniques. You might have to play with your hand over the front, or a plunger
What is the range of the trumpet?
From the bottom F sharp to a top F or G
Why is it good to play low?
It gives your lip a good vibration which helps you play high
How much smaller is a small trumpet compared to a big trumpet?
A small trumpet is exactly half the size of a regular trumpet meaning that it can play an octave higher.
What is the musical name for a small trumpet?
A piccolo trumpet
What is the trombone famous for?
The trombone is famous for having a slide which means it can play a glissando by smoothly moving the slide up or down.
What are trombones usually made of?
Trombones are usually made of brass, but there are trombones which are made of plastic that come in almost any colour.
What have trombones been used by?
Trombones have been used by composers to depict all sorts of scenes including thunder an lightning and even a head being chopped off
What were early trombones called?
Early trombones were called sackbuts
What is the oldest wind instrument?
The trombone. It has basically stayed in its original form
How long is the trombones first position?
270cm, but obviously when you increase the slide it increases the size by about 180cm
What is a glissando?
When you slide the slide down the trombone and back up
What are a whole load of instruments jealous of the trombone for?
The sound of the glissando
What happens when you press the vowel on the trombone?
It adds the other tube which adds another 50cm
How big would a trombone be at its largest?
500cm : 5m
In the orchestra, how many trombones are there?
- Two tenner trombones and a base trombone which is the same length but the bell is bigger and the tubing is bigger as well and it has two vowels and and it plays the lower part.
What is the same in the trombone and all brass instruments?
Like all brass instruments the trombone can change its notes just by using the muscles in the lips
How many positions do you have on the trombone?
7, which gives us the whole range of notes
What is the only instrument lower than the trombone?
The tuba, but even though trombones play at the bottom end they can play high notes and low notes
What is the tuba?
The tuba is the youngest, largest and lowest sounding member of the brass family.
When is International Tuba Day celebrated?
International Tuba Day is celebrated by tuba players all around the world on the First Friday in May every year.
Why do some tubas rap around the player’s body?
Some tubas wrap around the player’s body so they can be played while riding a horse or marching
How many tubas are there normally in an orchestra?
1
What is the tuba just?
A long piece of tubing about 8m long in total, but it is all wrapped up
How do you make sounds with the tuba?
By buzzing with the lips in the mouthpiece and the tuba acts like a loud speaker for what’s going on
What can you get without using the vowels?
You can get a series of notes called the harmonic series, by using the vowels you can get some notes in between
What is the lowest instrument in the orchestra?
The tuba
How can you play a really low note?
If you relax your lips
How can you play high notes?
By tightening your lips
How were the earliest horns played?
The earliest horns were played by blowing down an animal’s horn, particularly the horn of a ram
How many horns are there usually in a symphony orchestra?
There are usually 4 or 5 horns in a symphony orchestra but one piece by a composer called Richard Strauss calls for 20 horns
What were horns used for?
Horns were used for hunting as the sound could travel over long disasters and send messages
Why was being a horn player on a hunt very dangerous?
Being a horn player on a hunt was a very dangerous job as riding and playing at the same time was very difficult to do and riders often fell and died
What is the simplest way of thinking about a French horn?
Like a big pipe, a big bit of metal that is wrapped round and round and round
How do you make a sound with the French horn?
You buzz in one end (basically making a raspberry sound)
What is the French horn basically?
A hose pipe with a funnel on it, if you just changed tho hose pipe to metal it would be a proper French horn
How can you go on a french horn?
You can go pretty high with a french horn but you can also go pretty low
Name the brass instruments from highest to lowest?
Trumpet, horn, trombone, Tuba
