trumpet

Brass instrument with a long history. It exists worldwide in a variety of forms and materials. It has a shallow, cup-shaped mouthpiece and a generally cylindrical bore that expands into a moderately flared bell. The sound can be brilliant, penetrating, and of stable pitch, making it useful for signalling and ceremonies. In Medieval times, the trumpet was a ‘natural’ instrument, consisting of a simple tube with no extra mechanisms. It was therefore only able to produce the ‘natural’ notes of the harmonic series, depending on the length of its tube. In the early 17th century, valves were introduced, giving access to the full range of notes.

Today the trumpet is valued for its clearly focused, brilliant tone. It makes up part of the brass section in a modern orchestra, where the trumpet in B flat and the trumpet in C are most often played. It is also used in military brass bands and is an important instrument in jazz, where players show off skills using the high harmonics. Famous jazz trumpeters include Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. Other trumpets sometimes used include the bass trumpet, and several smaller trumpets such as those in D and E flat and the piccolo trumpet in B flat.