20
1 The Musician’s Experience of Brass Instruments
instrument, since three valves have two full-length valve loops; as a result it has
rarely been used on tubas, but it is the preferred valve system for modern french
horns.
1.2.6 Dynamic Range
In simple terms, blowing harder produces a louder sound (see Sect. 2.1). Even for
advanced players, increasing air pressure in the vocal tract and mouth is the principal
means to higher dynamics, but varying the dynamic level while remaining in tune
is a skill that requires practice. An important aspect of technique is developing the
ability to initiate and sustain very quiet notes; the upper limit to playing dynamics,
however, is largely dictated by the instrument design. We will see in Sect. 6.1 that
transformation of sound energy into heat and in some cases shock wave formation
ultimately limit the acoustic output of an instrument. The common experience of
musicians is that wide-bore instruments can be played at a higher dynamic level
than narrow-bore instruments, and this is also explained in Sect. 6.1.
1.2.7 Timbre
It is a truism that playing with a ‘good tone’ is an attribute of a fine musician
and that a high-quality instrument is important for this. Timbre is certainly an
aspect of brass playing in which instrument design and performance technique are
inseparably involved. It is inescapable for beginner and advanced musician alike
that a note on a brass instrument played at a high dynamic level sounds brighter than
the same note on the same instrument played quietly (see Sect. 2.2.3); the reasons
for this are discussed in Chaps. 3 and 6. This is closely connected with the overall
differences between types of instrument: flugelhorns, cornets and trumpets (all in
4
1
2 -ft B ) can be easily distinguished when played at moderate or high dynamics
but are difficult or impossible to tell apart in very quiet playing. The same can be
said of euphoniums, french horns and trombones an octave lower. The varieties of
brasswind are discussed in Chap. 7.
For a given instrument played at a given dynamic, a musician has a limited
scope for influencing the timbre. There are some factors, however, which can be
controlled to produce a sound quality that is considered optimal. The first of these
is choice of mouthpiece: in nearly all cases, choosing an instrument and choosing
a mouthpiece are separate exercises. When a required note can be obtained by
more than one fingering of a finger-hole or keyed instrument, musicians generally
prefer the timbre obtained by a fingering giving the longest sounding length; when
alternatives of valve or slide operation give the required note, the shortest sounding
length is generally preferred. However, opening tone-holes on a finger-hole or keyed
instrument is not generally a matter of opening the holes one-by-one from the bell;
1 The Musician’s Experience of Brass Instruments
instrument, since three valves have two full-length valve loops; as a result it has
rarely been used on tubas, but it is the preferred valve system for modern french
horns.
1.2.6 Dynamic Range
In simple terms, blowing harder produces a louder sound (see Sect. 2.1). Even for
advanced players, increasing air pressure in the vocal tract and mouth is the principal
means to higher dynamics, but varying the dynamic level while remaining in tune
is a skill that requires practice. An important aspect of technique is developing the
ability to initiate and sustain very quiet notes; the upper limit to playing dynamics,
however, is largely dictated by the instrument design. We will see in Sect. 6.1 that
transformation of sound energy into heat and in some cases shock wave formation
ultimately limit the acoustic output of an instrument. The common experience of
musicians is that wide-bore instruments can be played at a higher dynamic level
than narrow-bore instruments, and this is also explained in Sect. 6.1.
1.2.7 Timbre
It is a truism that playing with a ‘good tone’ is an attribute of a fine musician
and that a high-quality instrument is important for this. Timbre is certainly an
aspect of brass playing in which instrument design and performance technique are
inseparably involved. It is inescapable for beginner and advanced musician alike
that a note on a brass instrument played at a high dynamic level sounds brighter than
the same note on the same instrument played quietly (see Sect. 2.2.3); the reasons
for this are discussed in Chaps. 3 and 6. This is closely connected with the overall
differences between types of instrument: flugelhorns, cornets and trumpets (all in
4
1
2 -ft B ) can be easily distinguished when played at moderate or high dynamics
but are difficult or impossible to tell apart in very quiet playing. The same can be
said of euphoniums, french horns and trombones an octave lower. The varieties of
brasswind are discussed in Chap. 7.
For a given instrument played at a given dynamic, a musician has a limited
scope for influencing the timbre. There are some factors, however, which can be
controlled to produce a sound quality that is considered optimal. The first of these
is choice of mouthpiece: in nearly all cases, choosing an instrument and choosing
a mouthpiece are separate exercises. When a required note can be obtained by
more than one fingering of a finger-hole or keyed instrument, musicians generally
prefer the timbre obtained by a fingering giving the longest sounding length; when
alternatives of valve or slide operation give the required note, the shortest sounding
length is generally preferred. However, opening tone-holes on a finger-hole or keyed
instrument is not generally a matter of opening the holes one-by-one from the bell;