Instruments of the Orchestra-BRASS

Summary

This educational video explores the brass instruments in the orchestra, focusing on their unique sound production through lip buzzing into a cup-shaped mouthpiece. It highlights the evolution of brass with the introduction of the valve system in the 1830s, which expanded their musical range. The video discusses the four standard brass instruments: trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba, each with its distinct role and sound. It also touches on non-standard instruments like the piccolo trumpet and euphonium, demonstrating the versatility and rich tones brass can offer, from loud and brilliant to pastoral and celebratory.

Takeaways

• 🎺 Brass instruments produce sound by buzzing their lips into a cup-shaped mouthpiece, unlike woodwinds which blow air into the instrument.
• 📯 Modern brass instruments typically use a valve system, which became widespread in the 1830s, allowing them to play a chromatic scale and more melodic passages.
• 🎷 The trumpet is the soprano-ranged instrument in the brass family and uses piston valves to change pitch.
• 🎷 The French horn, also known as the horn, is the alto-ranged instrument with a mellow tone and uses lever valves instead of pistons.
• 🎺 The trombone uses a slide mechanism instead of valves, requiring the player to memorize seven positions to change pitch.
• 🎷 The tuba is the bass register instrument in the brass family, often requiring more air to play and usually only one is used in an orchestra.
• 🎺 Non-standard brass instruments include the piccolo trumpet, which is used for high registers, and the euphonium, which is a baritone-ranged instrument.
• 🎼 Brass instruments can produce a range of sounds, from loud and brilliant to pastoral and celebratory, as demonstrated in various movie soundtracks.
• 🎵 The brass family has its roots in military use, which influences their ability to produce loud and commanding sounds.
• 🎶 Composers like John Williams use brass instruments to add excitement and brilliance to music, as heard in themes like 'Hogwarts Forever'.

Q & A

How do brass instruments produce sound?

Brass instruments produce sound by buzzing their lips into a cup-shaped mouthpiece.

What is the difference between how brass and woodwind instruments produce sound?

Brass instruments require buzzing the lips into a mouthpiece, while woodwinds produce sound by blowing air across a reed or a fipple.

When did brass instruments start to widely implement the valve system?

Brass instruments started to implement the valve system on a wide scale around the 1830s.

How does the valve system in modern brass instruments work?

The valve system in modern brass instruments allows the player to push down one, two, or three valves to send air through additional tubing, opening up the overtone series of notes and enabling them to play a chromatic scale.

What is the function of the piston valves in a trumpet?

Piston valves in a trumpet move up and down to change the length of the tubing, allowing the player to play different notes by altering the pitch.

Why do some brass instruments have a more mellow tone compared to others?

The design and construction of the instrument, such as the French horn having a circular shape and a hand in the bell, contribute to a more mellow tone compared to brighter, open-sounding brass instruments.

How does the trombone differ from other brass instruments in terms of pitch control?

The trombone differs from other brass instruments by using a slide mechanism instead of valves, requiring the player to memorize seven positions and rely on muscle memory to change pitch.

What is the role of the tuba in an orchestra?

The tuba is the bass register brass instrument in an orchestra, often filling out the bass register and providing a deep, resonant sound.

Why might a piccolo trumpet be used in an orchestra?

A piccolo trumpet is used to simulate the high register that older trumpet music requires, as it is easier to play with valves than on a natural trumpet without valves.

How does the brass family contribute to the overall sound of an orchestra?

The brass family can contribute both loud, brilliant sounds for excitement and pastoral, softer sounds for a more celebratory and pastoral atmosphere, depending on the musical context.

What is the euphonium and where is it commonly used?

The euphonium is a baritone-range brass instrument, commonly used in bands and wind ensembles, though it can occasionally be called for in orchestras.

Outlines

00:00

🎺 Understanding Brass Instruments

This paragraph introduces brass instruments in the orchestra, explaining how they produce sound by buzzing their lips into a cup-shaped mouthpiece. It contrasts this with woodwinds, emphasizing the necessity for lip buzzing to produce a tone. The paragraph then delves into the historical development of brass instruments, highlighting the valve system implemented in the 1830s, which revolutionized their musical capabilities. Before this innovation, brass instruments were limited in the notes they could play, often restricted to high registers for solos. Post-1830s, brass instruments expanded their range, contributing more melodically to orchestral pieces. The paragraph also describes the valve system of a trumpet, explaining how valves alter the length of the air column to change pitch, allowing for a chromatic scale and more complex musical passages.

05:03

🎷 Exploring the Brass Family

This segment discusses the standard brass instruments in an orchestra, starting with the trumpet as the soprano-ranged instrument. It mentions the French horn, also known as the horn, which is distinguished by its circular shape and mellow, distant tone, achieved by the player's hand in the bell. The use of lever valves on the French horn is also noted. The paragraph continues with the trombone, which differs from other brass by using a slide mechanism instead of valves, requiring memorization of seven positions for pitch changes. The versatility of the trombone in terms of range is highlighted, with tenor, alto, and bass trombones mentioned. The tuba, the bass register brass instrument, is described as requiring more air and typically found in single or double numbers in an orchestra due to its powerful sound. Non-standard brass instruments like the piccolo trumpet and euphonium are briefly introduced, with the former used for high registers and the latter being a baritone-range instrument more common in bands and wind ensembles.

10:04

🎺 The Versatility of Brass Sounds

The final paragraph showcases the versatility of the brass family, highlighting their ability to produce both loud, brilliant sounds and more pastoral, celebratory tones. It references the use of brass in movie soundtracks, such as in Harry Potter's 'Hogwarts Forever' theme, where brass instruments create a pastoral mood, and in John Williams' scores where brass adds excitement and thrill. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the brass family's role in delivering exciting and brilliant music, setting the stage for the next discussion on percussion instruments.

Keywords

💡Brass Instruments

Brass instruments are a family of musical instruments characterized by their sound production method, which involves buzzing the lips into a cup-shaped mouthpiece. In the video, this is the central theme as it discusses the unique way these instruments produce sound, contrasting with other instrument families like woodwinds. Examples include the trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba, each of which is explored in detail.

💡Valve System

The valve system is a mechanism found in modern brass instruments, such as trumpets, which allows for the alteration of pitch by changing the length of the air column inside the instrument. This system, introduced in the 1830s, greatly expanded the range of notes brass instruments could play, as discussed in the video. It is a pivotal innovation that enabled brass instruments to play more melodic and scale-like passages.

💡Cup-Shaped Mouthpiece

The cup-shaped mouthpiece is a key component of brass instruments, into which players buzz their lips to produce sound. This is different from woodwinds, where air is blown without buzzing. The video script emphasizes the importance of this mouthpiece in the sound production of brass instruments, highlighting the physical interaction required between the player and the instrument.

💡Overtone Series

The overtone series refers to the range of notes that can be played by a brass instrument when using the valve system. By pressing down on the valves, additional tubing is engaged, allowing the player to access notes that are part of the overtone series. This concept is crucial for understanding how brass instruments can play a chromatic scale, as explained in the video.

💡French Horn

The French horn is a standard brass instrument known for its distinct circular shape and mellow tone. Unlike other brass instruments, the French horn often has a hand inserted into the bell to alter the sound. In the video, the French horn is described as having an 'alto' role within the brass family due to its lower pitch compared to the trumpet.

💡Trombone

The trombone is highlighted in the video as the only standard brass instrument that does not use valves to change pitch. Instead, it employs a slide mechanism, which requires memorization of seven positions and muscle memory to play accurately. The trombone is noted for its versatility in range, with different sizes like tenor, alto, and bass trombones.

💡Tuba

The tuba is presented as the bass register brass instrument, often likened to a bass trumpet. It requires a significant amount of air to produce sound due to its large size. The video mentions that tubas are typically the only brass instrument in an orchestra's bass section, as one or two tubas can produce a substantial sound.

💡Piccolo Trumpet

The piccolo trumpet is a non-standard brass instrument that is smaller in size and higher in pitch than the standard trumpet. It is used to simulate the high register of older trumpet music, as it is easier to play with valves than on a natural trumpet without valves. The video script uses this instrument to illustrate the adaptability of brass instruments in different musical contexts.

💡Euphonium

The euphonium is a non-standard brass instrument that falls between the bass and tenor ranges. It is more commonly found in bands and wind ensembles than in orchestras. The video script mentions that many trombonists also train on the euphonium, indicating its relatedness to other brass instruments in terms of technique and repertoire.

💡Brass Family

The term 'brass family' collectively refers to the group of brass instruments discussed in the video. It encapsulates their shared characteristics, such as the use of a mouthpiece and the ability to produce a loud, brilliant sound. The video script uses this term to describe the collective sound and role of brass instruments in various musical settings, from orchestras to military bands.

Highlights

Brass instruments produce sound by buzzing lips into a cup-shaped mouthpiece, unlike woodwinds that blow air.

Brass instruments were limited in the notes they could play before the invention of the valve system in the 1830s.

The valve system allows brass players to perform chromatic scales by pressing valves that redirect air through additional tubing.

The trumpet, a soprano brass instrument, plays a prominent melodic role in modern music, especially after the introduction of valves.

The French horn, characterized by its circular shape, produces a mellow tone, often muted by placing the right hand in the bell.

The trombone is unique among brass instruments for its slide mechanism, which changes pitch by adjusting the length of the tube.

Trombones can play smooth slides between notes, a technique that’s more difficult for other brass instruments.

The tuba, the bass instrument of the brass family, requires significant airflow and typically fills the lowest register in orchestras.

There are a few non-standard brass instruments, such as the piccolo trumpet, used primarily to perform high-register music.

The euphonium is a baritone-range brass instrument more common in bands and wind ensembles than orchestras.

Despite being known for their loud and powerful sound, brass instruments can produce pastoral, hymn-like tones as well.

Brass instruments have military roots and were used on the battlefield, contributing to their association with powerful, triumphant sounds.

The brass family adds excitement and brilliance to orchestral music, frequently used in cinematic soundtracks to enhance thrilling scenes.

John Williams uses the brass family to create celebratory and pastoral moods in his compositions, such as in the 'Hogwarts Forever' theme.

Brass instruments can range from soft, mellow tones to loud, brilliant flourishes, making them versatile for various musical styles and contexts.

Transcripts

okay welcome to this episode on the

brass instruments the brass family of

instruments in the orchestra we classify

the brass by the way they make sound

just like we do all the other families

and brass produce sound by buzzing their

lips into a cup shaped mouthpiece so

unlike the woodwinds they don't just

blow air into the instrument they

actually have to buzz their lips because

if they just blow air then they it just

makes a windy sound it doesn't actually

even produce much of a tone produces no

tone actually so you're gonna see him

buzz his lips into this mouthpiece and

then the sounds will travel through here

and then what happens is in modern brass

instruments will bring up a picture of

the trumpet here so I can illustrate it

for you what happens is in modern

trumpets they have the valve system and

if you want to write this date down

around the 1830s brass instruments

started to implement the valve system on

a wide scale so before the 1830s brass

were quite limited and the type of notes

that they could play they could play

different notes but these notes were

usually far apart and the only way that

they could play like melodic stuff was

playing the very upper register so

before the 1830s if you hear like the

trumpet you know playing a solo or

something it's usually quite high up in

the register however like if you listen

to a Mozart Symphony or something though

often just kind of add punches to the

chords and stuff like that so the

strings and the woodwinds are going to

carry most of the melodic stuff leading

up to the 1830s after at 1830 so the

brass really come into their own and

they get to play a lot more melodic

and scale-like passages and stuff all

right so they buzz our lips in this

mouth cup shaped mouthpiece the sound

and travels down this pipe and then it

goes into the third chamber here the

trumpet standard trumpet has three

valves these are piston valves which

move up and down they pop back up

because they have Springs in here so

unless if you press them down they don't

activate now as long as this valve is in

the up position then the sound just

keeps going out to the end so same way

with the second valve in the first valve

you can see there's a little piece of

pipe coming off of each of these valves

this is the piece that comes off the

third valve this piece that comes off

the second and this is the one that

comes off the first so the reason why

they have valves is that they're able to

push down one two or three and send air

through additional tubing and this opens

up the overtone series of notes that

they can play for that so they're

basically able to play a chromatic scale

which is just simply by half steps the

lowest

basically the the smallest interval that

we use in western music so instead of

being able to just you know play like

force and fists like Bom Bom Bom Bom you

know they're able to get boat and play

you know write up the scale they have to

you know of course memorize the the

fingering is we call it so that's how a

brass instrument changes pitch so when

you see this gentleman play you'll

notice that he's pressing down some

valves and he's able to play melodic

stuff

[Music]

okay and just like we did with the other

families their standard instruments in

the brass and then there's non-standard

there are four standard instruments in

the brass and the trumpet is the soprano

ranged instrument and it is it is

standard the next one that is standard

is the French horn although a lot of

times they just call it the horn because

it's not French in origin so you will

hear it called both things the horn is

the one that's circular in shape it's

pretty distinct and shape and easy to

identify now you may notice her right

hand is inserted into the bell of the

instrument there she doesn't stop it all

the way up but she does kind of meet the

sound a little bit because unlike the

other brass which usually sound bright

and open the horn usually sounds kind of

off in the distance it has kind of a

muted tone now they do occasionally take

their hand out of the bell and just kind

of blast out the sound but you can hear

that the it gives it a very mellow tone

and it makes it really good for playing

you know like legato melodies and stuff

like that you could kind of consider the

French horn to be kind of like the alto

of the brass family you hear it's lower

pitch than the trumpet and again listen

for that mellow tone they have a valve

system here too although these are lever

valves and not Pistons but they do pop

back up and via Springs when they're not

press down so here's what it sounds like

[Music]

okay so the next standard one is the

trombone and you will find that the

trombone is a bit different than the

other brass because it does not employ

the valve system that we talked about

instead they have a slide mechanism to

increase or decrease the length of tube

and there are seven positions that they

have to memorize so like the violin

they depend a lot on muscle memory and

it does take quite a bit of practice and

like the violin they can also do slides

they can kind of go if they you know so

choose it's easier to do that on the

trombone than the other brass the

trombone has several different ranges

there's the tenor trombone Alto you even

have bass trombones so it's a little

more versatile in range and like the

woodwinds if you do need different range

trombones you know you don't have to

call someone up new usually the

trombonist can just switch out as needed

and this is what a trombone sounds like

[Music]

okay and the final standard instrument

in the brass is the tuba

now tubas also come in a wide variety of

shapes and sizes some even have

different number of valves on them but

generally speaking it is the bass

register brass instrument

it's basically a bass trumpet and you

will see that it takes a lot of air to

push through this big instrument so

you'll find that he's having to take

breaths a lot more frequently than the

previous ones we saw there's usually

only one tuba for Orchestra because one

two but can actually make quite a loud

sound and they sound absolutely

fantastic when they fill out the bass

register so here is a tuba

[Music]

and you can see he has valves here to

change the pitches alright so there are

a few non-standard brass instruments

there's not a whole lot in the brass

section and a lot of times you'll find

that they simply just have one of the

standard players switch out occasionally

you will see a piccolo trumpet it does

incorporate in the valve system as well

you can see it looks like a little tiny

baby trumpet and this instrument mainly

is for modern trumpet players to

simulate the the really high register

that older trumpet music plays so a lot

of Baroque music and stuff like that

you'll see them pull this out because

let's face it it's easier to play this

with valves and it is to play a natural

trumpet without valves and get in that

really high register so here is the

piccolo trumpet

[Music]

okay we'll just we'll just do one more

because there aren't a lot of these that

you'll actually see quite commonly in

the orchestra this one is called the

euphonium and you'll notice it's the

same gentleman that was playing the

trombone because quite a few trombonist

also train on the euphonium okay so the

euphonium is basically the baritone

range instrument and the brass family

that's in between the bass and the tenor

range it plays a lot more in bands and

wind ensembles than it does the

orchestra although it occasionally is

called for in the orchestra so here is

what the euphonium sounds like

okay so that pretty much does it for the

standard and non-standard the one thing

I would like to illustrate for you is

[Music]

what the basic sounds you can get out of

the brass family a lot of people think

the brass family is loud proud

in-your-face you know and that's true a

lot of times they do play and when when

they do play it it is rather loud and

brilliant but the brass family can also

sound very pastoral and him like if

you've seen the Harry Potter movies you

might be familiar with this theme and

this is called Hogwarts Forever and John

Williams a composer uses the brass

family not so much in a brilliant

flourish like it would be like in a

Quidditch match scene instead this is a

more celebratory and pastoral so listen

to how the brass section can sound

you

well since brass family since the brass

family does have its roots in the

military they were used on the

battlefield quite a bit you can give

them a very you know loud and

in-your-face kind of sound and we're

gonna look at another movie soundtrack

here to see how actually the same

composer John Williams brings in the

brass here to add to the excitement and

thrill of this particular scene so

listen to when the orchestra is playing

and then when that brass comes in it

just adds such a brilliant flourish it

really gets the adrenaline going

you

okay so if you want your music and sound

exciting and brilliant the brass can

really help out with that okay so that

pretty much concludes our section on the

brass family next time we are going to

be looking at the percussion family and

then we will wrap up with a brief

discussion on the keyboard instruments