Trumpet
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The Trumpet is used to play all kinds of music ranging from South American ballads to classical orchestral pieces. Blazing fanfares and moody mellowness are all characteristic trumpet sounds. The trumpet sound is produced by its distinctive shape : a cup-shaped mouthpiece, narrow metal tube, and flaring bell.
| Family |
| Brasses |
| Pitch range |
| Two-and-three-quarter octaves. |
| Material |
| Brass, usually covered in lacquer. |
| Size |
| About 18 in (46 cm) long ; total length of unwound tube is 4 ft 6 in (1.40 m). |
| Origins |
| The earliest valve trumpets were built in Germany in 1820, and in the States around 1825. They were refined in Europe during the 19th century. |
| Classification |
| Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
| And also... |
| Trumpets are at least 3,500 years old : silver and bronze trumpets were among the objects found in the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamen in Egypt. |
