BuyUsedBrassInstruments.com is your one stop shop for buying the finest Used Brass Instruments in the World. Brass instruments are popular specifically in jazz and marching bands work because of the vibration of air against the inside of a brass tube. Another term for brass instruments is labrosones which means “lip vibrating instruments. One of the most popular of the brass instruments is the trumpet.

Trumpets, though now crafted out of metal, were originally made out of shell. They were not constructed in that medium, but rather whole shells were utilized (conch shells in particular) to create a horn sound. These original trumpets were used as ancient ritual musical in many ancient cultures. Like the modern trumpet, the sound was coaxed from the shell with the vibration of the player’s lips against the conical side of the shell or “mouthpiece.” Trumpets created out of can date back to as early as ancient Egypt and some specimens from this time still exist. It wasn’t until the 1800’s that the trumpet began to take on the look and sound that his has today. During that time, they began to add valves to the trumpet to give it the musical range we are familiar with. Earlier horns had no such range and could only play different pitches through the manipulation of the player’s lips.

The cornet and the trumpet are similar in history and design. In fact, it is impossible to talk about the history of one without mentioning the other. Both acquired keys during a similar period which allowed them both to increase their range. Keys and valves allow brass players to change pitch as they are playing a note. The valve can be opened and closed. When the valves are opened and closed to different degrees, different amounts of air flow through the instrument creating specific tones and pitches. Valves can be used alone or in coordination to emit different notes. Thought the trumpet is just one of many brass instruments, the community of jazz artists is tight knit and embraces all players of all instruments. For example, this community is universally disappointed in the disappearance of one manufacturer, as explained below.

Couesnon, once a famous and well admired producer of brass instruments, was in business for over 170 years. They had one particular horn, the flugelhorn that in the 1950’s because popular with American jazz trumpet artists. To the shock and dismay of brass and jazz enthusiasts, this cornerstone of brass horn culture stopped importing to the US in the late 1970’s and can now only be purchased through vintage instrument brokers.

The magic behind the French horn:

For many years I have been very interested in one special Musical Instrument: the French horn. If you have never heard a French horn, well this intriguing  brass instrument with a mellow tone. There are not small instrument. A normal French horn will be 12 feet of tubing  and it is part of the bass family that include . he trumpet, trombone, French horn, and tuba.  At 17 ft the longest of the brass instruments except for the tuba.

The French horn was created with of a long, spiral tube ending in a flaring bell, three valves, and a funnel-shaped mouthpiece. That is why is called a  "horn" as many  musicians playing classical music call this instrument.. One f the ironic things with the French horns is that there are not strictly French in origin.

The horn (is a brass instrument   Modern French horns have three valves which lower the pitch a semitone, a tone, and three semitones (minor third).  It became known in England about this time, and they called it the French horn.  Use of the term French horn dates at least from the 17th century.  Another major contribution in the 18th century was the emergence of the French horn as an orchestral instrument.  The French horn produces a beautiful sound but is one of the trickiest Western classical instruments to play.   If you are a musician you will understand the differences of a French horn with other instruments.

As I mention before it is usually higher than twelve feet (for a single horn in the key of F) of mostly conical tubing (like you will find in a classic tuba or euphonium), wrapped into a compact, coiled form with a flared bell.  A very important characteristic of the French horn is the fact it was a very defined resonances up to the 22nd or beyond, playable up to at least the sixteen harmonic, compared to about nine playable resonances for the trumpet and trombone.

The horn plays in a well high portion of its cousins in the same musical family as compared to most brass instruments.  Another characteristic feature is the funnel-shaped mouthpiece, unlike the cup-shaped mouthpieces of other brass instruments.  It also allows the instrument to produce resonant highs out to about 1500 Hz, compared to low 750 Hz without hand closure.  The valves divert the air through gentle and small extra lengths of tubing, thus making the instrument shortly longer and therefore deeper.

The problem with the French horn is how difficult it is to play, and that's why so many people simply don't even play such an amazing instrument. The French horn isn't the easiest of instruments to start playing, and based on this fact it's uncommon to see young people to start playing the instrument until they are at least 11 or 12 years old.  Also for young people it is never easy to tune the horn, because its tuning is adjusted by slides and the instrument is tuned with the hand in the bell.

A true pity, there is nothing like the music of a good French horn.