Friday, January 12, 2018

Secrets of the School Band Pt 1. - Brass Section

Following on from last week, this week we are going to take a look at the School Band.
School Band - Photo by CopaDave on Visual hunt / CC BY-ND
The Band is made up of Brass & Woodwind instruments, and this week we will start by having a look at the Brass Section.
Brass Section - Photo by Phil Roeder on / CC BY
Now, forgive me if I start gushing, because this is my favourite bit. I was a brass player myself a million years ago, and the beauty in the sound of a group of well tuned, well played brass instruments in second to none - imho.
Trumpet player - Photo on
One of the great things about Brass instruments, is that all of them - except the enigmatic Trombone - are played exactly the same way, with a buzzing mouthpiece, and three buttoned valves that lengthen and shorten the tube, thus changing the pitch and therefore the note being played. If you were like me as a child and thought you could only get three notes on a Trumpet, you are very wrong! The higher register is achieved by tightening the aperture  - which in the Brass section, is your lips - so the reason we look so impressed by Trumpet players hitting those really high notes is because it means they have really - really - strong lip muscles. And just like any other muscle, it needs to be exercised - it's better to do five minutes practice every day, than nothing for three days then an hour all at once. Ouch!
A Trombonist - Photo credit: rhwalker22 on /  CC BY
That enigmatic Trombone I mentioned has a slide instead of valves to change the length of the tube. This means two things: 1. you need longer arms to start on this baby, and 2. you can do an awesome party trick called a glissando - or gliss as the cool kids say - which is that long slidy note that goes from the bottom to the top in one smooth motion, the yyooooouuuuuUUUUPPPPP! This is what makes it so popular for so many different types of music. Every Trombone player I know is in at least three different bands. Choose this instrument and you will never be lonely!

Brass mouthpieces - Photo credit: ACE Foundation on Visual Hunt /  CC BY
So the thing that makes a Brass instrument a Brass instrument is the buzzing mouthpiece. It's a round cup shaped affair that you pop over your lips and blow a raspberry into. This is quite a feat, and takes practice to get it right. In the early years (and I know some professionals that still do this), it's not unusual to pop the mouthpiece into your pocket so you can sneak in a few minutes of practice during the day as you go about your routine. Also, the bigger the instrument the bigger the mouthpiece, and to an extent, the easier it is to get a sound out of. My first performance on the Trumpet (the smallest mouthpiece of the Brass family) was quite a long set, and left my lips swollen and bleeding. The conductor mentioned to me that maybe I'd be better off switching to a larger instrument for a while, as the mouthpiece wouldn't hurt me so much. I moved down to a Tenor Horn, and have never looked back. (The Tenor Horn is popular in traditional Brass Bands, but not in common use in school bands. The mouthpiece is the same size as the Trombone, so the next size down from the Trumpet is the Trom).

A Euphonium - Photo credit: Vater_fotografo on Visual Hunt /  CC BY-SA
So after the Trumpet and the Trombone, the next biggest instrument in the school Brass Section is either a Baritone Horn or a Euphonium, or in some cases, both. They are of similar size and shape, the difference being that the Eupho has a conical bore and the Bari has a straight bore. That might sound like a bit of a bore to you :P But the point of the matter is that the Baritone gives a sharper sound and the Eupho is a warmer tone. "Euphonium" is Greek for "beautiful sound" - and oh, it is.

The Tuba - Photo credit: usarmyband on VisualHunt /  CC BY
Heading in size order, the big boy of the band is the Tuba. You have to be pretty tough to play this baby. Simply holding it is a feat in itself. And you need a powerful set of lungs to push enough air through to get the big booming "BOOP" that it's famous for. The equivalent of the bass guitar in a rock band, it lays down the foundation for the music, and adds substance. And looks nice and shiny in the process!

French Horns - Photo credit: slgckgc on /  CC BY
The one-member-of-the-family-that-always-has-to-be-different of the Brass Section is the French Horn. Similar principles to  the rest of the family - buzzing mouthpiece and three valves - but the mouthpiece is more like a cone than a cup (I've never tried one, but it looks ouch!), and keys instead of buttons. It also looks different, being very decoratively arranged in a circular shape. The pay off for all this is that is sounds AH-MAAAH-ZING. If the Euphonium is "Beautiful", then the French Horn must be "GORGEOUS".

Photo credit: TheodoreWLee on Visualhunt /  CC BY-ND
At the end of the day, the choice to play a Brass instrument is something that will set you up for the rest of your life. Learn one, you've automatically learnt them all. Play literally any genre of music you can think of, and sounds awesome while you're doing it. Low maintenance, cheap to run (really the only ongoing accessory you need is valve oil), lightweight and something you can carry with you everywhere (well the smaller members of the family at least - not many people could pop a Tuba in their handbag!) - and the age old tradition of Brass Bands that I hinted at earlier (go Google it now - I'll wait!) is still alive and well in every city - so your social life will thank you. Now I may be biased, but I think little Johnny coming home and saying he's just joined the School Music Program and wants to play Trumpet (or Trombone, Baritone, Euphonium, French Horn or even Tuba) would be music to my ears - literally :)

The Music Spot display table at a School presentation night
And we at The Music Spot know that journey very well, so we have made it very easy for you to get all the accessories you need, in one convenient package. We also have the books that each school requires, and stands to put then on, and expert advice if you are feeling overwhelmed at beginning this exciting journey. Come and have a look at our Brass Cabinet today!

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