Instrument Name: Trumpet
Key: Bb
Family: Brass
Sound production: Air is pushed through closed lips into the instrument mouthpiece. This forces the lips open hundreds of times a second and creates a standing wave in the air column of the instrument.
First Invented: Metal trumpets have been played across the world since the time of the ancient Egyptians, but they weren’t really used in music until the middle ages. Instead they were used for ceremonial purposes or military signalling. The modern trumpet was developed in 1818 by Friedrich Bluhmel and Heinrich Stölzel, who came up with the valves that allow us to play the full range of notes. Trumpets without valves are known as natural trumpets.
Ancestors: Bugle, horn.
Materials: Brass.
Range: 2.5 octaves.
Famous Trumpeters: Dizzy Gillespie, Alison Balsom, Tine Thing Helseth, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Maynard Ferguson, Wynton Marsalis.
Famous Trumpet Makers: Yamaha, Vincent Bach, Andreas Eastman.