Brass
Welcome to the world of Brass! In this video you can meet some of the key players in the brass team and see which instrument interests you the most!
CMST Brass team deliver tuition on a wide spectrum of brass instruments including Trumpet, Cornet, Trombone, French horn, Tenor horn, Baritone, Euphonium and Tuba. The Brass family has instruments that feature in all ensembles so you will always be in demand when playing one of these fantastic instruments.
Take a closer look at some of this FAMILY’s star players!
Trumpet
The trumpet is the soprano voice of the brass family and can be a very loud instrument, so loud that it was used a one of the original forms of communication on the battlefield. However in the right hands the trumpet has a wide dynamic range, for example with a mute it can sounds as soft as an oboe. The trumpet can also play a wide range of rhythmic figures from rapid sets of notes to longer more drawn out melodies.
Did you know? The trumpet has been around since ~1,500 BC. The early precursors to the trumpet, cornetto and natural trumpet, didn’t have valves or keys.
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The cornet is only made from around 4 and a half feet of brass, which is much shorter than a trumpet. Cornets lead the charge in the brass band world but can be found in orchestras, concert bands and jazz ensembles all over the world!
Did you know? Louis Armstrong actually started on the Cornet, only moving over to the trumpet much later in his career.
Trombone
The trombone is known for its most distinctive capability to slide between notes, called a glissando, which you will have seen used in comedies and cartoons alike! The trombone has a soft tone with a wide range which works well for playing both melodies and as a supporting role within the lower range of the brass section. The trombone has appeared in everything from classical to jazz to pop and even sitting in rock bands in the form of ska music.
Did you know? If you have ever watched snoopy then you may have heard a trombone being used as the voice of the teacher talking to Charlie Brown.
French Horn
The french horn has a mellow and rich sound which has the ability to sooth and lift a piece to the next level, with the ability to break through the orchestra when played loudly. Although the horn’s main role is that of a supporting filler between the bassline and melody instruments within the brass section, producing beautiful sustained harmonies.
Did you know? Uncoiled the french horn is the longest instrument in the entire brass family, measuring between 12 and 13 feet for a single horn and up to 22 feet for a double horn.
Tuba
Although we have all heard the tuba in ‘oom-pah bands’ this is the instrument which carries the low notes in almost all brass sections. But this is far from the tuba’s only talent and there are many expressive melody parts written for the tuba which show off it’s depth of character. It can also create huge swells which are used throughout film score to create ominus movements. There are actually many varieties of tuba including the tenor tuba (or euphonium), the bass tuba and the contrabass tuba.
Did you know? In some types of music the tuba is used as a replacement for the stringed bass (or electric bass), creating the signature sound of those genres.