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The Brass Instrument manual explains how your instrument works – what the valves do and what happens to the air – as well as the effects of different components on sound, tone and playing style. This valuable guide to caring for and understanding your brass instrument is completed by image galleries of iconic instruments past and present, along with the players associated with them.
List of contents
Detailed illustrations showing construction, maintenance and repair. The fundamentals: what the valves do; what happens to the air; ranges of brass instruments. Design and manufacture: the effects of different materials, bore sizes and mouthpieces. Illustrated list of specialist tools. Slides, piston and rotary valves, spouts, bells, soft and hard soldering, polishing, lacquering and plating. Variations within the brass family: from country to country, from orchestral to jazz. What makes a brass player? The psychology behind the music. Iconic instruments: images of the most collectable instruments, famous players and significant design features. Modern innovations: how technology and customer expectations have changed brass instruments.
About the author
Simon Croft is widely known as a writer for the musical instrument and professional media sectors. He is the co-founder of Playmusic (the UK's only free magazine for musicians) and author of several technical books. A keen musician, he is also a trained musical instrument maker and repairer.
Andy Taylor has been making brass instruments since 1974, when he joined Paxman Musical Instruments as a trainee. Today, he heads Taylor Trumpets, which designs and hand-builds trumpets, flugelhorns, cornets and mouthpieces for customers around the world.
Summary
The Brass Instrument manual explains how your instrument works - what the valves do and what happens to the air - as well as the effects of different components on sound, tone and playing style. This valuable guide to caring for and understanding your brass instrument is completed by image galleries of iconic instruments past and present, along with the players associated with them.
