Equipment

Part 1

The Baroque trumpet, the high trumpet and the so-called Bach trumpet

Edward H. Tarr examines the Baroque trumpet and clarifies the origins and meaning of the so-called “Bach trumpet.”

By Edward H. Tarr

Part 1

On the early history of valves and valve instruments in Germany (1814-1833)

At the origin of modern brass: Herbert Heyde uncovers the true story of valve invention—revealing rivalries, experiments, and the breakthrough that transformed musical history.

By Herbert Heyde

And approach the realm of making beautiful music

A rare and powerful call from maestro Roger Bobo: at the height of the “Tuba Explosion”, he challenges players to define — at last — the ideal instrument.

By Roger Bobo

Understanding the mouthpiece

A brass player's limitations may have less to do with technique than equipment, as subtle changes in mouthpiece design can transform comfort, response and performance.

By John Stork

Points and areas of corrosion in brass instruments

Red spots on brass instruments were often blamed on players and poor maintenance, yet the causes of premature corrosion may lie in manufacturing and surface treatments.

By Karl Hachenberg

Are all valve oils the same?

By David H. Elgas

On the Sackbut or Harmonic Trumpet

From Pierre Trichet’s Traité des Instruments de Musique (c. 1640)

A seventeenth-century description of the sackbut captures its moving slide, chromatic freedom and bass role at a moment when the instrument was still being defined.

By Pierre Trichet

The Remarkable Story Behind the Cover

A war, a theft, and an unexpected recovery turned one nineteenth-century cornet into a witness to musical memory beyond its craftsmanship and sound.

By Jean-Michel Gauffriau

Boosey & Hawkes

A spectacular revival

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Part 2

The Alto Trombone

By Benny Sluchin

Norbert Böpple

Master craftsman

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Kröger Trumpets - From the hands of a master

By Franz-Josef Kröger

The bell-tuning trumpet

Colin Bloch examines bell- and slide-tuned trumpets, comparing intonation patterns through controlled tests and outlining structural causes behind observed deviations.

By Colin Bloch

Part 1

The Alto Trombone

By Benny Sluchin

Stomvi mouthpieces made to order

Inteview with Vicente Roncero

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

The Langhammer/Meinl saga

From Christian Langhammer to Gerhard A. Meinl and Ja Musik GmbH

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

For the love of Besson trumpets

By Hal Oringer

Part 1

Josef Kail (1795-1871)

Forgotten brass instrument innovator

By Cizek Bohuslav

J. G. Albrechtsberger (1736-1809)

Concertino for chromatic trumpet

Study by Reine Dahlqvist arguing that Albrechtsberger’s 1771 Eb concertino was intended for Jew’s harp rather than keyed or slide trumpet.

By Reine Dahlqvist

Horns and Huntmen's trumpets

By Herbert Heyde

The F/Bb horn with whole-tone ascending 3rd valve

A different horn, a different approach: Francis Orval explores how an ascending 3rd valve reshapes technique, intonation and response.

By Francis Orval

The Wrong Brass?

Between blind fidelity and reckless modernisation, instrument substitutions force performers to decide when the score’s wording serves—or betrays—the music.

By Rudolf Lewy

Part 2

On the early history of valves and valve instruments in Germany (1814-1833)

From invention to rivalry: the early history of rotary and piston valves reveals a battle of ideas, patents, and craftsmanship that transformed brass instruments forever.

By Herbert Heyde

Yamaha-Frankfurt, a strategic Workshop

By Jean-Pierre Mathez