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How To Play OTHER BRASS WIND INSTRUMENTS

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OTHER BRASS WIND INSTRUMENTS

In addition to the well-known trumpet, cornet and slide trom-
bone, brass bands use several other brass instruments. Some of
these are also used in the brass sections of big symphony
orchestras. Everybody knows in a general way what most of
these instruments look like, but we have found that very few
people are sure of what they are called. For this reason we are
including pictures and brief descriptions of them. The instru-
ments are the French horn, the mellophone, the alto, tenor and
baritone horns, the euphonium, the recording bass, the bass
tuba, and the Sousaphone.

All these instruments are played in the same general way as
the trumpet and cornet, by pressing down three or sometimes
four valves to make the notes.

The French horn, which consists chiefly of a very slender
conical tube wound round in coils, is one of the most difficult
of all wind instruments to play. Its beautiful, mellow tone,
however, makes it one of the most valuable instruments in a
large orchestra where it produces a tone quality no other
instrument can duplicate. A fine French horn, like a fine violin,
is practically a hand-made job, and every inch of the tubing is
as smooth as glass and is correctly and uniformly graduated in
thickness.

It is said that expert players use seven different kinds of lip
efforts to get the tones they want from the French horn, and
even the best players will sometimes "crack" or make the wrong
note now and then, owing to the remarkable difficulty of playing
the instrument.

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