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trump-it.comTrumpets are members of the brass family of instruments, also technically known as the "lip-reed" family for the way in which the player's lips serve as a vibrating reed to help produce and control sound. The trumpet, one of the higher-pitched brass instruments, is constructed of a about 6 1/2 feet of brass tubing, three valves and a mouthpiece. Some trumpets also have interchangeable parts of the brass tubing that can be inserted and removed when needed to playing higher (shorter pieces of tubing) or lower (longer pieces). The flared end of the tubing is called the bell. - When a player blows into the trumpet, his lips vibrate and push air through the tubes of the trumpet. The smaller the mouthpiece, and the tighter the player's lips, the higher the resulting note is. Looser lips and a bigger mouthpiece create lower sounds. According to bandmaster Patricia Garren, many trumpet players practice by playing scales on just the mouthpiece, without the rest of the trumpet, to increase their control of the levels of tightness and looseness in their lips, and to control high and low notes.
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The three valves can be pressed in various combinations to change the pattern of air flow through the trumpet's tubing, and thus alter its length. These alterations create different pitches.
