Assignment 20 - Ethan Scott - How to Play Trumpet

When you begin to play the trumpet it is impossible to do so without putting the instrument together first. To do this you take the mouthpiece and insert it into the receiver of the lead pipe. To make a sound you must buzz your lips into the mouthpiece which will cause the air inside the trumpet to "activate" or move which creates the sound you hear from a trumpet. To play notes you use the valves of the trumpet to change the length of the trumpet. Each combination of valves changes it by a unique length and slots the sound into a different harmonic frequency. The second valve alone drops the pitch by one harmonic half-step, the first valve alone drops the pitch by a harmonic whole-step, the third valve alone or first and second valves together drop the pitch by three harmonic half-steps. You can use these combinations together to go down by two whole-steps (second and third valve) five half-steps (first and third valves) and finally three whole-steps (All three valves).