Chapter 10 Individual Brass Instruments
Pg. 312 – 356
Horn
a) Overview
1. the natural horn, sometimes called the hand horn
2. the valve horn, which is used in most orchestras today
b) The Natural Horn- constructed from a coil of brass tubing, with a bell flair
c) Range- C2 to C6
d) Transposition- C alto=sounds as written, Bb alto=a major 2nd lower than notated, A=a minor
3rd lower than notated, Ab=a major 3rd lower than notated, G=a perfect 4th lower than notated,
F=a perfect 5th lower than notated, E=a minor 6th lower than notated, Eb=a major 6th lower
than notated, D=a minor 7th lower than notated, C basso=an octave lower than notated, Bb
basso=a major 9th lower than notated, A basso=an octave and a minor 3rd lower than notated
e) Divided Horns- splitting parts into first and seconds
f) The Valve Horn- added chromatic complexities allowing more flexibility in the orchestra
g) Construction- three rotary valves, two sets of main tubing
h) Range add Registral Characteristics
i) Old and New Notation- old notation has bass clef written an octave lower sounding the same
as new notation.
j) Representative Horn passages
1. Solo- Brahms Sym No 1, Beethoven Sym No 6, Strauss Till Eulenspiegel
2. Multiple Horns in Unison- Strass Don Juan, Mahler Sym No 1
3. Multiple Horns in Harmony- Handel Juda Maccabaues, Weber Der Freischutz
4. Articulation and Tonguing- single tongue articulations: tuh is regular, staccato, or hard tongue.
Duh is a soft or legato tongue.
k) Muted and Stopped Horn
1. Muted Horn- non transposing mute in bell
2. Stopped Horn- insert right hand as far into the bell to the throat of the horn
l) Special Effects
1. Trills and Tremolos- either use valve or lip slur. Can have a comical or sardonic effect.
2. Glissandos- rip through partials, or faked because impossible
3. Cuivré- brassier, harsher sound. Increased tension and sharper attack
4. Bells up- turn the bell upward so the opening faces the audience.
Trumpet
a) Overview- The trumpet, the soprano member of the brass family, is the
most agile of the brass instruments.
b) The Natural Trumpet- early trumpet was valveless, resembling the bugles we know today.
c) Range- The range of the natural trumpet is governed by constraints similar to those on the
natural horn.
d) Transpositions- The crooks used to transpose the natural trumpet to different keys did not
carry alto-basso designations.
e) The Valve trumpet- They were made from the natural F trumpets to which three valves had
been added. Their range extended from the third to the twelfth harmonic, and all chromatic tones
in between.
f) The modern Trumpet- As the demand for a higher tessitura increased and the preference for a
more brilliant tone and greater agility in playing the instrument grew, the smaller Bb and C valve
trumpets gradually became the standard instruments of the symphony orchestra.
g) Range and Registral Characteristics
h) Articulations and Tonguing- The trumpet is the fastest-speaking instrument in the brass choir.
All slurred notes are performed in one breath, and all separate notes are tongued. All kinds of fast
passages, both slurred and tongued, are possible; single, double, and triple tonguing are used
constantly on this instrument.
i) Muted Trumpet- When muting is called for, the orchestral trumpet player will use a straight
mute unless another mute is specified in the score.
j) Special Effects
1. Trills- lip slur or valve
2. Glissandos- This is effective only when performed in an upward direction
k) Auxiliary Trumpets
1. Cornet- its tone is more mellow, sounding more like a cross between a horn and a trumpet.
2. Bass Trumpet- The bass trumpet is really a trombone with valves. It is usually played by
trombone players, who use a trombone mouthpiece.
3. Flugelhorn- Its very mellow, lush sound approaches that of the horn even more than the
cornet's.
Trombone
a) Overview- The trombone is an extremely versatile orchestral instrument. It can be used for
solos as well as for providing a warm harmonic background.
The Trombone Family
b) Tenor Trombone
a. Range and registral characteristics
b. Playing Positions- Bb in first position down to Eq in seventh position, lowers the pitch one
half step from the previous position.
c. The F Trigger- adds extra tubing transposing the horn into F
c) Bass Trombone
a. Range and Registral Characteristics
b. Triggers- F trigger works same as tenor but also has a Gb trigger allowing for the B2 to be
played
c. Playing Positions
d) Alto Trombone
a. Range and registral characteristics
b. Playing Positions
e) Articulation and Tonguing- Although single, double, and triple tonguing is possible on the
trombone, fast tonguing is a little more difficult than on the trumpet because of the trombone's
larger mouthpiece.
f) Muted Trombone- Like horn and trumpet mutes, those for the trombone change the
instrument's tone color and enable the trombonist to play very softly.
g) Glissandos- The slide glissando on the trombone is the most natural to play
h) Other Members of the Trombone Family
a. Contrabass Trombone- pitched in B~, an octave below the tenor trombone.
b. Valve Trombone- uses valves rather than a slide to produce different pitches.
Tuba
a) Overview- true bass of the brass choir and therefore shares the same status as the double bass
and contrabassoon.
b) The Tuba Family- Euphonium, F tuba, CC tuba, BBb tuba
c) Range and Registral Characteristics
d) Articulations and Tonguing- Single, double, and triple tonguing can all be executed on the
tuba, although double and triple tonguing are not commonly used in standard orchestral
literature.
e) Mutes- A single type of mute is available for the tuba. Since the mute is a bit awkward to
insert and remove from the bell of the instrument.
f) Special Effects
1. Trills- In symphonic literature trills have seldom been written for the tuba, but when called for
they are very effective.
2. Flutter Tonguing- rolling r effect
g) Other members of the Tuba Family
1. Euphonium and Tenor Tuba- The euphonium has the same range as the bass trombone but is
constructed like a miniature tuba with a conical bore and flared bell.
2. Baritone- the baritone is closely related to the euphonium and sometimes even substitutes for
it. Its range, however, is the same as that of the tenor trombone.
3. Ophicleide- This instrument looks very much like a metal bassoon, except that it has a conical
tube that flares widely into a bell that is eight inches in diameter. Large holes are cut into the
tube, and each of these is covered by a padded disc manipulated by keys similar to those on
modem woodwind instruments.
