Parts of the Trumpet

Video Transcript

"Hi. Now we are going to discuss the parts of the trumpet. And basically the parts of all brass instruments. They're made of conical shaped tubing that's bent and the bend creates an airflow in the instrument. Now, not all brass instruments are alike. As time evolved and manufacturing techniques became more precise, tonality and construction of instruments became I guess more durable and more refined. The basic construction of the trumpet in the modern era is the mouthpiece which is basically a bored out hole with a rim and a bowl and a shaft. And that goes into the neck piece here, flange into the neck piece, snugly fit so you can buzz your lips and vibrate the air through the tubing. The mouthpiece is the most important part of the instrument. That's where your mouth meets, "where the rubber meets the road" as they say. And I'll show you right now just exactly how you make some sounds. You make your buzzing lips...and if you can hear that sound...I'm tonguing...it's almost like a little spitting...and there you have the basic sound of a trumpet. Back in ancient times, there would be a straight tubed bugle and often times you would hear...and that would signal armies to charge or retreat and they would have different signals because you could hear it for sometime. That is the mouthpiece...the most important part of all wind instruments."