Brass Bulletin 17, I / 1977 (page 28–29) · 2 min. read

I myself have formed this instrument

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I myself have formed this instrument.

How often one hears this phrase pronounced!

Now let's examine it. Trumpet, horn, trombone and tuba are aerophones. The sound-producing system is composed of labial matter (the lips) which produces a certain number of vibrations. These are transmitted to an air column that gives them "body", i.e. tone colour. It is man that commands the lips: it is the tubes of the instrument that delineate the air column. The two elements have the tendency to counterbalance their actions. If they do so completely, there will be an optimum accuracy and richness of sonority. If, however, the lips are the only mobile element, they have to impose their action onto the air column in exactly the way they want it to react. The molecular pressure of the air column changes continually, just as is the case with the labial vibrations: the places of the nodes and pressure points of the vibrations are different for each note. To form an instrument would mean to facilitate the formation of the vibration nodes by artificially creating pressure convexities at these places. But it is the tube which holds the air column, and the tube is rigid. To evade this rigidity, one would have to deposit some kind of material. But in this case only a few notes would profit — those that have a node at those places where the deposit is — whereas all the other notes would be placed at a disadvantage.

No, acoustically speaking, the instrument as offered by its maker cannot be further formed. It can only be deformed by dents. The lips, however, are adaptable and can learn. To form a tube, the instrument maker has a hydraulic press send a pressure of appr. 400 atmospheres through it. What is the human breath compared with such force? Nothing of course — but on the other hand our lips are extremely vulnerable. It is already surprising that someone should consider "forming" a metal instrument at all, but to think of "forming" a mouthpiece by one's breath or its motor is downright absurd.

Nobody can form the instrument or its mouthpiece by working them: one adapts oneself.

But why, will you say, get upset over those proud ones that think they can form and improve their instrument?

Because from a pedagogical point of view such notions are dangerous. A teacher, f.i., will dissuade a pupil from buying a good instrument under the pretext that he will deform it by his lack of experience, by his faulty way of blowing. The result: the poor pupil risks damaging his lungs having to play on some badly made or old instrument with leaking valves. The pupil will very soon get bored or deformed by the instrument. On the other hand it is easy to pretend that the instrument was badly formed to begin with and that it is not at all the pupil's fault if he does not make any progress (even on a good instrument) and that only buying another instrument could bring a change.

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