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| The loud, clear sound of the trumpet has been used to send signals and messages for a long time. Trumpets were once used to frighten enemies in battle, and to celebrate big ceremonies with blazing fanfares. The tone of the modern trumpet is produced by its distinctive shape: a cup-shaped mouthpiece, narrow metal tube, and flaring bell. |
Composer: Mussorgsky Piece: Pictures at an Exhibition Orchestra: New York Philharmonic Conductor: Sinopoli |
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Danny is playing our trumpet. He "buzzes" his lips into the trumpet's cup-shaped mouthpiece. There are two ways he can play different pitches: he can press down on the keys that control the trumpet's three valves, and he can change the shape of his lips against the mouthpiece. His trumpet is 18 inches long - but if he were to unwind the tube, it would be four and a half feet long! He'd have a hard time holding it up and carrying it around.
Trumpets are at least 3,500 years old - early versions of the trumpet have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, including King Tut's! |
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