Today we’re getting to know the brass family — the loud, bright, fun-loving cousins of the orchestra. (And yes, I’m a little biased here, since my daughter plays trumpet. There’s just something about the sound of a room full of brass players warming up.)
We talk about what actually makes an instrument “brass” (hint: it’s not the metal), why the trombone is the odd one out with its slide instead of valves, and how each member of the family got its personality — from the bold, attention-grabbing trumpet to the tuba, the gentle giant holding everything up from underneath.
You’ll also hear a callback to Peter and the Wolf, where the French horn plays the wolf, and a little detour into our family’s long love affair with Trombone Shorty (we’ve driven hours more than once just to hear him play).
In this episode, we cover:
- The one thing every brass instrument has in common (try it yourself — buzz your lips!)
- How valves and slides work to change notes
- The trumpet’s history as the instrument of fanfares and announcements
- The French horn’s surprising range, from the sound of the wolf to grand, noble melodies
- The trombone’s glissando and why it sounds unlike anything else in the orchestra
- Why the tuba is the roots of the tree the rest of the brass family grows from
Listen along: A full playlist of the brass clips featured in this episode is linked here.
Related episodes:
- Episode 122 — Peter and the Wolf
- Episode 131 — Holst’s The Planets
- Episode 115 — Fanfare for the Common Man
- Episode 71 — The Trombone