Chapter 7
The Amazing Diversity of Brass
Instruments
In this chapter we discuss the factors which distinguish the commonly recognised species of brass instrument. It is asserted that bore profile is the principal
determinant of the character of an instrument. Parameters which can be derived
from physical measurement of instruments (or from instrument makers’ designs)
are identified. The main kinds of brass instrument are discussed, going from the
shortest to the longest, with illustrations of typical examples and their bore profiles,
and plots of the brassiness potential and minimum bore of larger populations of
the common species. The phenomenon of instruments made in families (such
as saxhorns) is examined. Parameters which can be used to characterise the
mouthpieces appropriate for the different kinds of instrument are presented. The
chapter concludes with a case study of the bass brass instruments composed for
(and commented on) by Hector Berlioz.
7.1 What Are Important Features of Brass Instruments?
We saw in Chap. 1 how musicians—not only players but also composers, arrangers
and conductors—consciously or unconsciously assess brass instruments by certain
criteria. The most important of these are compass, dynamic range, timbre, responsiveness, intonation control, directivity, wrap, weight, ergonomics, and appearance.
Any visitor to a major collection of historic brass instruments must surely be
struck by the remarkable variety of the shapes and sizes of the instruments which
have evolved through this interaction between makers and performers. Before
commencing a systematic discussion of the relationship between design parameters
and musical properties, we consider the most important features which can be used
to identify different subgroups of the labrosone family.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. Campbell et al., The Science of Brass Instruments, Modern Acoustics and Signal
Processing, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55686-0_7
337
The Amazing Diversity of Brass
Instruments
In this chapter we discuss the factors which distinguish the commonly recognised species of brass instrument. It is asserted that bore profile is the principal
determinant of the character of an instrument. Parameters which can be derived
from physical measurement of instruments (or from instrument makers’ designs)
are identified. The main kinds of brass instrument are discussed, going from the
shortest to the longest, with illustrations of typical examples and their bore profiles,
and plots of the brassiness potential and minimum bore of larger populations of
the common species. The phenomenon of instruments made in families (such
as saxhorns) is examined. Parameters which can be used to characterise the
mouthpieces appropriate for the different kinds of instrument are presented. The
chapter concludes with a case study of the bass brass instruments composed for
(and commented on) by Hector Berlioz.
7.1 What Are Important Features of Brass Instruments?
We saw in Chap. 1 how musicians—not only players but also composers, arrangers
and conductors—consciously or unconsciously assess brass instruments by certain
criteria. The most important of these are compass, dynamic range, timbre, responsiveness, intonation control, directivity, wrap, weight, ergonomics, and appearance.
Any visitor to a major collection of historic brass instruments must surely be
struck by the remarkable variety of the shapes and sizes of the instruments which
have evolved through this interaction between makers and performers. Before
commencing a systematic discussion of the relationship between design parameters
and musical properties, we consider the most important features which can be used
to identify different subgroups of the labrosone family.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. Campbell et al., The Science of Brass Instruments, Modern Acoustics and Signal
Processing, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55686-0_7
337