WEBVTT

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What gives the trumpet its clarion ring

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and the tuba its gut-shaking 
"omm pah pah?"

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And what makes the trombone so jazzy?

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The answer lies not in the brass
these instruments are made of,

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but in the journey air takes

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from the musician's lungs
to the instrument's bell.

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Like any sound, music consists
of vibrations traveling through air.

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Instruments are classified based on
how those vibrations are produced.

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Percussion instruments are struck.

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String instruments are plucked or bowed.

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Woodwinds have air blown 
against a reed or sharp edge.

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For brass instruments, however,

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the vibration come directly 
from the musician's mouth.

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One of the first things a brass player
must learn is to breathe in deeply,

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until every possible particle of air
is crammed into the lungs.

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Once all that air is inside,
it must come out through the mouth,

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but there, an internal battle takes place

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as the musician simultaneously tries
to hold their lips firmly closed

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while blowing enough air 
to force them open.

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The escaping air meets resistance
from the lip muscles,

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forms an opening called the aperture

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and creates the vibration 
that brass players call "the buzz."

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When a mouthpiece is held up
to those vibrating lips,

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it slightly refines the buzz,

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amplifying the vibration 
at certain frequencies.

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But things get really interesting


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depending on what instrument
is attached to that mouthpiece.

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A brass instrument's body 
is essentially a tube

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that resonates with the air 
column blowing through it.

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The way that sound waves
travel through this column

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forms a limited pattern of pitches
known as the harmonic series,

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with notes spaced far apart
at the lower end,

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but coming closer together
as the pitch increases.

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The musician can alter 
the pitch of the note

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through slight contractions of the lips
and alterations to air volume and speed.

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Slower, warm sighing air 
produces lower pitches,

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and faster, cool, flowing air
produces higher pitches in the series.

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But any single harmonic series has gaps
where pitches are missing

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and the versatility of brass instruments

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lies in their ability to switch 
between multiple series.

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On instruments like the trumpet,
valves can be lowered

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to increase the length of tubing 
the air travels through,

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while on a trombone, 
this is done by extending its slide.

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Lengthening the tube stretches
the vibrating air column,

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reducing the frequency of vibrations
and resulting in a lower pitch.

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This is why the tuba, 
the largest brass instrument,

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is also the one capable of playing
the lowest notes.

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So changing the instrument length
shifts its harmonic series,

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while slight variations of the air flow
and the player's lips

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produce the different notes within it.

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And those notes finally emerge through
the flared bell opening at the end.

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What started as a deep breath
and a vibrating buzz on the lips

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has now been transformed
into a bold and brassy tune.

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The musician's skillful manipulation
of every part of the process

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from lungs,

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to lips,

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to the mouthpiece,

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to the instrument itself creates
an amazing palette of pitches

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that can be heard in musical genres
across the globe.

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By harnessing the power 
of natural resonance

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in a flexible and controllable way,

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brass instruments are great examples
of the fusion of human creativity

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with the physics of our world.