- All brass instruments need air flow to produce sound. Brass players blow air through their instrument's mouthpiece, while vibrating their lips, to produce a resonating tone that can then be adjusted in pitch by either a valve or a slide. Brass players can also adjust the tuning of a note they are playing by adjusting their lips on the mouthpiece.
- Certain valve instruments such as the tuba and trumpet allow the player to adjust the pitch of each note by pressing down one, or a combination of one or more, valves. The valves adjust the length of the instrument's tubing, which changes the pitch of the note being played. Valves act in a similar way to a guitarist pressing down on a string to shorten it, thus causing the pitch to change.
- Other brass instruments, such as the trombone, use a slide system that allows the player to adjust the pitch of each note. The slide is pushed out, or pulled in, to adjust the length of the instrument's tubing. This acts in a similar fashion to the valve system as the different lengths of the slide produce different musical tones as the player blows through the mouthpiece.
