Research

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

Special Hungary

The Trumpets in the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest

Four little-known trumpets in Budapest open a window onto Viennese makers, historical construction, pitch and the fragile survival of museum instruments.

By Leo Kappel

Oscillatory Mechanism of the Glotis in Horn Playing

A horn note may begin before it is heard, as subtle vocal-fold oscillations appear to prepare the airflow that the lips will ultimately shape.

By Philippe-Henri Dejonker, Francis Orval, R. Miller, R. Sneppe

Part 3

Playing and singing simultaneously on brass instruments

From Weber's Concertino to Berlioz's chord writing, acoustic principles explain how combination tones emerge from simultaneous playing and singing on brass.

By Benny Sluchin

Some ways of improving the development of the lips in brass players

Brass players borrow from sports medicine as Soviet electrical stimulation, acupuncture and massage test new ways to build endurance and restore overworked lips.

By Sergej Gorovoj

The Measurement of Mouthpiece Pressure

Objective measurements on trumpet players challenge common beliefs about mouthpiece pressure, showing stable individual patterns across pitch, dynamics and playing level.

By P. Kenny, John Davies

Science in the service of music

Interview with René Périnelli

Where trumpet teaching once relied on intuition, René Périnelli and Jean-Jacques Greffin brought physiology, medical imaging and science into daily practice.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Mouthpiece pressure in Horn Playing

Graduation project in technical method

Long before sensors entered the practice room, one horn student measured embouchure pressure by hand, challenging assumptions that still shape brass pedagogy.

By Edgar Bürger

Brass instrument research at Surrey University

Acoustics, materials, bore design, and player perception meet in Surrey research linking laboratory measurements with the realities of brass performance.

By John Goodwin