Meet the Brass Family | Omaha Symphony Virtual Instruments

Meet the Brass Family and learn about its different members. The instruments in the brass family are all made of a shiny metal, called brass—which is how they got their name. The instruments are made by twisting the metal into all sorts of shapes and sizes. Brass instruments include the trumpet, trombone, horn, and tuba.

Brass instruments have a mouthpiece. When the player blows air through the instrument using the mouthpiece, their lips vibrate or buzz. Brass have buttons called valves, and pistons that change the length of the tube. The trombone has a slide instead of valves. The pitch is changed by adjusting the tube length and by how fast the players buzz their lips. The sound makes its way out through the end of the instrument, which is shaped like a funnel and called the “bell.” This resource, “Meet the Brass Family,” demonstrates how brass instruments make sound and change pitch. Examples are provided for each instrument.