Editing Brass instrument (section)

== Families ==
Modern brass instruments generally come in one of two families:
* '''Valved''' brass instruments use a set of valves (typically three or four but as many as seven or more in some cases) operated by the player's fingers that introduce additional tubing, or [[Crook (music)|crooks]], into the instrument, changing its overall length. This family includes all of the modern brass instruments except the [[trombone]]: the [[trumpet]], [[German horn|horn]] (also called [[French horn]]), [[euphonium]], and [[tuba]], as well as the [[cornet]], [[flugelhorn]], [[tenor horn|tenor horn (alto horn)]], [[baritone horn]], [[sousaphone]], and the [[mellophone]]. As valved instruments are predominant among the brasses today, a more thorough discussion of their workings can be found below. The valves are usually [[piston valve]]s, but can be [[rotary valve]]s; the latter are the norm for the horn (except in France) and are also common on the tuba.
* '''Slide''' brass instruments use a slide to change the length of tubing. The main instruments in this category are the [[trombone]] family, though [[valve trombone]]s are occasionally used, especially in [[jazz]]. The trombone family's ancestor, the [[sackbut]], and the folk instrument [[Bazooka (instrument)|bazooka]] are also in the slide family.
{{Brass}}

There are two other families that have, in general, become functionally obsolete for practical purposes. Instruments of both types, however, are sometimes used for [[historically informed performance|period-instrument performances]] of Baroque or Classical pieces. In more modern compositions, they are occasionally used for their intonation or tone color.
* '''Natural''' brass instruments only play notes in the instrument's [[harmonic series (music)|harmonic series]]. These include the [[bugle (instrument)|bugle]] and older variants of the trumpet and horn. The [[natural trumpet|trumpet was a natural brass instrument]] prior to about 1795, and the [[natural horn|horn before about 1820]]. In the 18th century, makers developed interchangeable [[Crook (music)|crooks]] of different lengths, which let players use a single instrument in more than one key. Natural instruments are still played for period performances and some ceremonial functions, and are occasionally found in more modern scores, such as those by [[Richard Wagner]] and [[Richard Strauss]].
* '''Keyed or Fingered''' brass instruments used holes along the body of the instrument, which were covered by fingers or by finger-operated pads (keys) in a similar way to a [[woodwind instrument]]. These included the [[cornett]], [[serpent (instrument)|serpent]], [[ophicleide]], [[keyed bugle]] and [[keyed trumpet]]. They are more difficult to play than valved instruments.

=== Bore taper and diameter ===
Brass instruments may also be characterised by two generalizations about geometry of the [[bore (wind instruments)|bore]], that is, the tubing between the mouthpiece and the flaring of the tubing into the [[Bell (wind)#Parts|bell]]. Those two generalizations are with regard to
* the degree of taper or conicity of the bore and
* the diameter of the bore with respect to its length.

==== Cylindrical vs. conical bore ====
While all modern valved and slide brass instruments consist in part of conical and in part of cylindrical tubing, they are divided as follows:
* '''Cylindrical bore''' brass instruments are those in which approximately constant diameter tubing predominates. Cylindrical bore brass instruments are generally perceived as having a brighter, more penetrating tone quality compared to conical bore brass instruments. The trumpet, and all trombones are cylindrical bore. In particular, the slide design of the trombone necessitates this.
* '''Conical bore''' brass instruments are those in which tubing of constantly increasing diameter predominates. Conical bore instruments are generally perceived as having a more mellow tone quality than the cylindrical bore brass instruments. The "[[Brass band (British style)|British brass band]]" group of instruments fall into this category. This includes the flugelhorn, [[cornet]], [[alto horn|tenor horn (alto horn)]], baritone horn, horn, euphonium and tuba. Some conical bore brass instruments are more conical than others. For example, the flugelhorn differs from the cornet by having a higher percentage of its tubing length conical than does the cornet, in addition to possessing a wider bore than the cornet. In the 1910s and 1920s, the [[E. A. Couturier]] company built brass band instruments utilizing a patent for a continuous conical bore without cylindrical portions even for the valves or tuning slide.

==== Whole-tube vs. half-tube ====
The resonances of a brass instrument resemble a [[Harmonic series (music)|harmonic series]], with the exception of the lowest resonance, which is significantly lower than the [[fundamental frequency]] of the series that the other resonances are [[overtone]]s of.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Music/brassa.html#c1|title=Producing a harmonic sequence of notes with a trumpet|website=hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu}}</ref> Depending on the instrument and the skill of the player, the missing fundamental of the series can still be played as a [[pedal tone]], which relies mainly on vibration at the overtone frequencies to produce the fundamental pitch.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Music/brassa.html#c4|title=The Pedal Tone|website=hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://newt.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/brassacoustics.html#pedal|title=Brass instrument (lip reed) acoustics: an introduction; Resonances and pedal notes.|website=newt.phys.unsw.edu.au}}</ref> The bore diameter in relation to length determines whether the fundamental tone or the first overtone is the lowest [[Harmonic series (music)#Partial|partial]] practically available to the player in terms of playability and musicality, dividing brass instruments into whole-tube and half-tube instruments. These terms stem from a comparison to [[organ pipe]]s, which produce the same pitch as the fundamental pedal tone of a brass instrument of equal length.<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Bombardon|volume=4|page=182|first=Kathleen |last=Schlesinger|authorlink=Kathleen Schlesinger}}</ref>

{{rquote|right|Neither the horns nor the trumpet could produce the 1st note of the harmonic series ... A horn giving the C of an open 8&nbsp;ft organ pipe had to be {{convert|16|ft|0|abbr=on}}. long. Half its length was practically useless ... it was found that if the calibre of tube was sufficiently enlarged in proportion to its length, the instrument could be relied upon to give its fundamental note in all normal circumstances. – Cecil Forsyth, ''Orchestration'', p. 86<ref name="Forsyth_Orchestration">[https://books.google.com/books/download/ORCHESTRATION.pdf?id=m9_CTe8qNWIC&output=pdf ''Orchestration''], Forsyth, Cecil; MacMillan Books, 1922.</ref>}}

* '''Whole-tube''' instruments have larger bores in relation to tubing length, and can play the fundamental tone with ease and precision. The tuba and euphonium are examples of whole-tube brass instruments.
* '''Half-tube''' instruments have smaller bores in relation to tubing length and cannot easily or accurately play the fundamental tone. The second partial (first overtone) is the lowest note of each tubing length practical to play on half-tube instruments. The trumpet and horn are examples of half-tube brass instruments.

=== Other brass instruments ===
The instruments in this list fall for various reasons outside the scope of much of the discussion above regarding families of brass instruments.
* [[Alphorn]] ([[wood]])
* [[Conch (instrument)|Conch]] ([[Exoskeleton|shell]])
* [[Didgeridoo]] (wood, [[Australia]])
* [[Natural horn]] (no valves or slides—except tuning crooks in some cases)
* [[Jazzophone]]
* [[Keyed bugle]] (keyed brass)
* [[Keyed trumpet]] (keyed brass)
* [[Serpent (instrument)|Serpent]] (keyed brass)
* [[Ophicleide]] (keyed brass)
* [[Shofar]] ([[horn (anatomy)|animal horn]])
* [[Vladimirskiy rozhok]] (wood, [[Russia]])
* [[Vuvuzela]] (simple short horn, origins disputed but achieved fame or notoriety through many [[plastic]] examples in the [[2010 World Cup]])
* [[Lur]]