Brass instrument

begins with the trumpets announcing the majestic start of festivities at the bull ring. The bull fight begins with the chart breaking into a burning samba groove at measure 11. The saxes make the first statement of the melody at measure 19. Crisp brass backgrounds punctuate the second statement of the melody at measure 35. At measure 51, the harmonized trombones and bari sax begin a smooth-flowing bridge. When the trumpets take over the melody at measure 59, the bridge should build in volume…

in HD ("SW 32nd St. Navy Brass Band Recap"). You can feel the community environment of veterans, the local civilians in a military-dominated city, and their families gaining that sense of community through music and by the uniquely military nature of its transmission. As with the nature of the military, the specific band members rotate in and out with their tours of duty but the main instrumentation played remains, the show continues to go on, and the 32nd Street Brass Band lives on (Reichow…

I had three main goals for this semester: improved tone quality, blowing more air through the trumpet and playing in balance with the rest of the ensemble. I feel as if I have improved upon or met these three goals. For example, with blowing more air, I have changed my posture from last year. When playing, especially with wind ensemble, I have straightened up my back and sat up straight, as opposed to last year when I slouched a bit against the back of my chair and sagged my embouchure as a…

Prior to the 19th century, the trumpet was simply a long brass tube with a bell and mouthpiece that we refer to today as the natural or Baroque trumpet. It could only play the pitches within the harmonic series that it was keyed in. If other pieces were required, because of a key change for instance, the trumpet player had to change crooks. This lengthened or shortened the total tubing and changed the key. To add a few tones between the notes of the harmonic series, small holes were drilled in…

A trumpet is an instrument of versatility and beauty. These instruments have a rich history and plethora of great musicians to back it up. As a brand new owner of this great instrument the cleaning and care of such a valuable item, for the first time, can be intimidating. However, this is not true. The cleaning and maintenance of a trumpet is a simple task that will help you become more familiar with your own instrument and give your trumpet a long lifetime of use. Some items that are necessary…

When I was a freshman in High School, I participated in an activity called “Winter Percussion”. It was much like marching band, but it took place during the winter and spring season, and it featured a smaller ensemble composed mostly of percussive instruments. Throughout the season, we had practice almost nightly, working to put together a show that would be performed in competition with other drumlines. One of my favorite memories begins after one of these practices. As the practice came to…

away from Physical Education as I possibly could, and I hated art, so I decided to pick band. I had never yet taken a music lesson or picked up any instrument. At the start of class, we got to try out all the instruments and choose one. I came home and told my parents, “I want to play the tuba.” I did this mostly because I knew the biggest instrument would be the most annoying. Seventh grade boys are always thinking of ways to annoy their parents. My mother said simply, “No.” When I asked…

During my ongoing business conference to Colorado to learn about future career opportunities for my dual degrees in Communication design and Computer Science, I got to attend an orchestra concert presented by the Hapless Heroes who were conducted by Leslie Stewart. The show was musical theatre where they had a live orchestra playing in front of the stage while the actors explained the Greek tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. I attended this amazing show on the 4th of December. I love learning about…

In Roll With It: Brass Bands in the Streets of New Orleans, Matt Sakakeeny explores how New Orleans is very different from the other stereotypical American city as he writes about it as “utilize voices and instruments as technologies for producing subjectivity, identity, and culture” (p.6). Sakakeeny also uses fieldwork to learn about and explain different power-related processes, such as personal and professional mobility, which will be discussed in greater detail. Because Sakakeeny’s approach…

Have you ever wanted to play the most notable instrument in a band, or have the glory of being one of the most original instruments to this day? If so, the tenor saxophone is perfect for you! The tenor saxophone is a woodwind instrument that is very outstanding in jazz musical groups and is also one of the most important sounds in a concert or marching band because it plays the inner harmony parts or doubles the melodic lines in a musical piece. The Tenor is pitched in B flat and is larger and…