Brass Instruments Buyers Guide

The decision to purchase any instrument should not be taken lightly or without due consideration of the person who will be playing it. A tuba will probably not realise its full glory if it is found as a present under the Christmas tree. If it is for your child, ask them which instrument they would like to play, and listen to them carefully. If the instrument is for you, it's always best to base your decision on a genuine desire, rather than buying on impulse! Learning to play a brass instrument is demanding, although it is also a lot of fun.

Obviously, price will always be a major factor. If you have already looked around at brass instruments, you will probably have noticed the wide price range of instruments available, and that unfortunately, professional instruments can be very expensive. However, whilst the initial expense may at first be somewhat disconcerting, don't be put off by the price, because many of these instruments, if properly looked after, will last for years. In fact, many students find a lifetime friend in their instrument.

A sound piece of advice is not to start with the most expensive instrument: as a beginner you probably will not be able to hear much difference anyway. There are generally comparatively cheap beginner instruments available, and carefully handled, they should decrease little in value over the years, and could therefore be sold for a good price if you decide that actually, the drums are your destiny after all, or that you just do not really want to learn the instrument after all.

Making the right choice can save you money, and you might end up buying just two instruments in your lifetime: your beginners model, and once you have developed your talent, a more advanced instrument. A well chosen beginners model, should not only allow you to learn the basics, but also stimulate your desire to keep playing!

Most brass instruments can range from Student models, right up to professional, handmade instruments. If you are buying a handmade model, bear in mind that it will probably have a unique handling and sound, although it will be based on a prototype, so it should have been well tested before going into production. However, there may occassionally be problems with intonation or you may find that it is perhaps not as smooth or easy to handle as a regular production model. Yet, many professionals prefer their greater flexibility, response and sound.

For the beginner though, it is always going to be difficult trying to detect the subtle differences in intonation and sound from one instrument to the next. Thankfully, most manufacturers offer a good range of solid and reliable horns for beginners which are well made, reasonably priced, and available for whatever style you wish to play.

Another aspect of choosing the right instrument, is the sound you want to achieve. Ask yourself if you want to play Classical music, Rock, or Jazz for example. The type of sound will to some extent be determined by your instrument, coupled with own skills and style of playing. The sound is initially generated in the mouthpiece, and then developed through the body of the instrument.

Different compositions and finishes will alter the sound slightly. You may come across instruments made from brass, yellow brass, gold brass, red brass, silver, bronze. The finish on most brass instruments is usually lacquer, gold lacquer, silver plating or occasionally even coloured lacquer. Different metals or alloys have different chemical consistencies, and therefore have different tonal qualities, which dictate how the metal affects the vibrating air. In general, softer metals and lacquers will smoothen the tone and make it slightly warmer. Harder metals support a rather more aggressive style of playing, and offer slightly more projection.

The bore size also plays a key part in the sound that is generated. A large bore size is likely to produce a fatter, warmer sound, whereas smaller bores tend to be brighter, and offer better projection.

In terms of size, you will generally find that your options are limted by your choice of a particular instrument. A big or long instrument has a lower pitch than a small one. This is all a matter of the air resonating in the body of the instrument, a good example of which is the difference between the violin and a bass! The same principle applies to brass instruments, a baritone sax is larger, and lower pitched than a soprano sax.

Therefore, when choosing an instrument for your child, it is probably not a great idea to pick the sousaphone or a bass-saxophone, as you will probably end up having to hold it while your child blows into the mouthpiece. This is equally evident with some members of the trombone family, and choosing the biggest bass trombone for a beginner will probably only cause frustration, and most likely lead to them giving up learning it. A better choice would be to start with an alto saxophone, or a trumpet for example. Once the basics of the instrument have been mastered, it is relatively easy to change to another model within the same family, by which time, hopefully the child will have grown sufficiently to be able to control a larger instrument.

However, physical size is not the only problem when deciding what instrument to buy. Trumpets for example are quite small, and require a lot of air and lung-power to generate the sound. For this reason therefore, they are more difficult to play than the tuba, even though the tuba is much larger.

You're never too old to start learning an instrument, although the younger you are when you start learning, the more likely you are to pick it up quickly. There's not too much to worry about with young children learning to play brass instruments, although you should bear in mind that it could get noisy at some stage at home, and you might therefore age a bit quicker! And whilst the little trumpet or saxophone fanatic might have difficulty playing without front teeth, due to certain blowing techniques, it is rare for small children to start playing a brass instrument before they have lost their teeth!

The cornet is a close relative of the trumpet and typically pitched in B-flat. It has a higher pitch than the trumpet, and in brass bands, its role could be compared to the violins in an orchestra. The main tube has a conical bore, gradually tapering from the lead pipe to the bell. Most cornets have three piston valves, and is equipped with rings or levers on the third and sometimes on the first valve slide. These are used to compensate for intonation problems that usually occur in any brass instrument design.

The pitch of a cornet is determined by the note it plays when no valves are pressed down, and depends on the length of tubing in the instrument, so if the horn is smaller, the pitch will be higher and vice-versa. The valves allow the player to make subtle changes to the pitch. A B-flat pitched cornet contains 4 1/2 feet of tubing, which is wound up until the instrument measures a little over a foot in length. Most cornets are pitched in B-flat, but you may also find some E-flat cornets.

A euphonium is much like a small tuba, and both come from the same family. The euphonium is a brass wind instrument, which is about 3 feet long and is often silver-plated. They are deep mellow instruments and are prized for their melodic sounds. Euphoniums are usually bell up instruments. They are generally available with 3 or four valves, although 2 bell euphoniums can have 5 valves, with the fifth valve controlling the bell use. The fourth valve on euphoniums is used for tuning purposes and as substitute for the 1-3 valve combination. In some of these four bell Euphoniums the fourth valve is “compensating”, which helps with tuning low notes. Because of the nature of overtones, on which all brass instruments are based, it is sometimes very difficult to play certain notes. This is where the compensating system steps in, with a technique that in principle adds extra tubing. Therefore, if you are considering purchasing a Euphonium, it is probably a good idea to get an instrument with a compensating fourth valve. The addition of a 4th valve to the euphonium is also very desirable as it not only expands the range of the instrument but can be used to improve intonation and facilitate certain technical passages.

Generally, with probably only two exceptions, one could break the flugelhorns into two camps, those with small (e.g., 0.415 inch) bores and those with larger, more trumpet like (0.453 - 0.460) bores. The large bore horns play more like a trumpet. They have less resistance, take more air easily and are capable of more volume. The smaller bore horns tend to be easy to play but can sound 'thin' when pushed hard.

Silver plate finish is often said to brighten the sound of a flugelhorn and therefore, lacquer tends to be more popular. However, in some manufacturers' catalogues, silver is said to darken the sound. The easiest way to select your ideal instrument, and to find the sound that suits you best, is to play as many different models as possible before you buy. Prices vary from less than £300 to more than £1300, which is not really that expensive at all when compared to trumpets, as there is very little demand for expensive Flugelhorns.

The French Horn is in fact the classical horn, however is often referred to as the French Horn to distinguish it from the alto, tenor, baritone or bass horn, which are from a different family. The instrument originated in France, where it was developed as successor of the English hunting horn. In continental Europe, the term French Horn is not widely used, so don't get confused.

The French horn is built on a circular pattern, and is played with the bell facing down and toward the rear. Primarily the modern versions are a double horn, pitched in F and B-flat, with three rotary valves and a fourth valve that switches between the F and B-flat halves of the horn. Don't be surprised to find that French Horns are operated by the left hand. These are not specifically left handed versions, but are in fact built in such a way that for playing, the right hand is positioned in the bell, and is used to partially control the pitch and sound of the instrument.

The Horns group, not to be mixed up with the French Horn, are composed of the alto, tenor, baritone and the bass horn, which is also called tuba. Most commonly used are the E-flat tenor horns, which, contributing to the confusion, are usually called alto horns in the US. They are similar to the Euphonium and the Flugelhorn in the family of the saxhorns. There are further difficulties associated with distinguishing between Euphoniums and Baritone horns, as they are both very similar in sound, appearance and in the way they are played. However, the Euphonium is slightly bigger and has a warmer sound, whereas the baritone horn is more often used in brass and marching bands.

Although the Saxophone is made of brass it is a woodwind instrument. The reason for this is the reed attached to the mouthpiece which vibrates to give the saxophone its unique tone. Saxophones come in many different shapes and sizes and therefore it is important to know what type of instrument you are looking for. The lowest pitched saxophone is the contrabass and is about 7 feet high. The smallest is the sopranino. However, the most commonly played are the alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, and the soprano, which is usually a straight instrument, although it is also available in the typical s-shape.

The Saxophone consists of two basic parts: the neck and the conically shaped body with posts that hold the rods, keys and key cups. Before you buy any saxophone, check that they cover the holes in the body properly and run smoothly, otherwise practicing may become frustrating, as even the best finger technique will not be able to compensate for this. The condition and quality of the rods is sometimes the only indicator of whether the saxophone has been built to last. In the case of a saxophone having silver rods and a gold coloured body, this is generally an indication of the instrument being a student model.

The sousaphone is often wrongly referred to as a variety of tuba or the marching version of the tuba. The two instruments are often confused because they are played identically and serve the same musical function, playing the bass lines.

The sousaphone circles the body, with the bell hanging over the head and is made specifically for marching. The sousaphone is generally built in Low B-flat, but is offered by some manufacturers in E-flat or Low C. There are versions with three or four valves, and sometimes even rotary valves. They are available as both metal or fibreglass models, although many parts are made of metal, regardless of the body composition.

The tuba family consists of the following members: the Low B-flat, the Low C, the E-flat and the F.

Generally, the most popular tuba is the Low B-flat closely followed by the Low C. These models come in a range of bore sizes, with variable numbers of valves, a variety of configurations, and are suitable for practically any musical situation. The tuba in E-flat is highly suitable for solo performing, chamber music and most band situations. Similar to this model is the tuba in F, which is more often used by professionals and is popular amongst soloists and orchestral musicians. This tuba has the smallest centre of sound and is therefore not used in bands very often. For a tuba to be able to cover the range of notes most usually required of it, it generally needs at least five valves, and quite often may have six.

Tubas can be plated in four types of finishes, and this is important to consider when purchasing an instrument. In general it is best to buy a tuba that is plated in clear lacquer, since this finish is longer lasting than the silver or gold plated, or polished brass. Silver and gold platings tend to lose their plating in time, and this will eventually have an impact on the sound. In this case, the instrument may require re-plating to restore the tonal qualities.

Along with most other brass instruments, there are two types of valve systems available on tubas. Piston valves operate in a way that they go up and down by means of a spring, whereas rotary valves rotate from left to right and are now most commonly used on tubas. Generally most players prefer the front action style, although some manufacturers only make top action models. Neither system is necessarily better than the other, and the decision of which type to buy should be the personal choice of each player.

There are also three different bell designs, the “fixed upright bell” and the “removable upright bell”, which are believed to have a warmer sound, and the “removable bell forward”. Again the decision should probably be left to personal choice, taking into account the style of music you want to play.

Bore size can be an important consideration, especially for the younger player. Most will start with smaller instruments, as they are not physically able to handle larger instruments. For the intermediate and older player, a medium to medium-large bore will probably be more suitable.

Although the trombone is not as popular an instrument as it once was, it is a great instrument, and once its player has reached a certain performing level you can be sure of one thing: gigs, gigs, gigs…

Most common are the tenor or bass trombones that can be used from classical music to jazz or even rock. The other members of the trombone family include the alto trombones, often used in the music of the 19th century, treble trombones, found in mainly baroque music, and the double bass trombone. The trombone is a non-transposing instrument, with a range over two octaves, the notes of which are played by extending or retracting the slide, whilst blowing into the mouthpiece. The technique is based on seven positions that lower the pitch of the harmonic series progressively by semitones: the 1st (highest) position is with the slide fully retracted, the 7th (lowest) with it fully extended. Many trombones, especially bass trombones, are additionally fitted with, almost always, a rotary valve. However, you may also find trombones with two or three “triggers”.

The bore is usually between 12*3 mm and 13*8 mm in diameter, though in bass trombones it may exceed 14 mm. The bell ranges from about 17*8 cm across in a tenor trombone to about 24-6 cm in a bass. The U-bend of the bell joint is usually fitted with a tuning-slide and may include a counter-balance at the back of the instrument to improve the weight distribution.

Before you make your decision to play the trumpet, the first thing you should be aware of is its loudness. This may be a problem when you are practicing, but when it comes to playing together with others, you can be sure you will be heard!

The trumpet sounds when the player buzzes their lips against the cup-shaped mouthpiece. Simply blowing into the mouthpiece will not produce the required vibrations. However, you should realise that producing the sound requires a lot of strength, as the mouthpiece is comparatively small, which means a lot of pressure is needed. The combination of this, and the fact that it has a tight bore, means that it has very good projection, and this contributes to the trumpet's unique and powerful sound. Besides the three valves that change the notes, there are also slides, which are used to adjust the tones and help with better intonation.

When you are looking for a trumpet you will notice that there are many different keys available. The most popular is the B-flat since this is the natural tuning of a trumpet, although, modifications of the trumpet's length results in different keys being achieved. Of these, C is probably the most popular.