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The term ‘Brass’ loosely refers to metal instruments with or without valves or with slides.
Most youngsters will probably come into contact with these instruments through school, religious organisations or they may opt to join a band as a hobby. There is nothing quite like the experience of playing in a large brass band, being part of a big, full, sound, performing a rousing composition. Playing in a brass band not only teaches music but also instills discipline.
Lets explore the different kinds of bands.
The Traditional Brass band that you might find performing in the park or giving a concert in the town hall will have a junior section so that they can teach youngsters to play and will provide the instruments so keep the band alive as older members retire.
The range of brass instruments will normally consist of Cornets, possibly Trumpets, Tenor horns, Euphoniums, The Bb Bass and Trombones.This would be the core instruments, added to these their is an abundance of other Horns that could also be included.
Concert bands tend to have a woodwind section. Orchestras will have trumpets instead of cornets and French horns instead of the Tenors.
Brass is not just for playing classic brass band music, but is used in big band scenarios teamed with saxophones and rhythm sections usually made up of around sixteen musicians.
For the young musician starting out this is a hard area to break into until you have reached a competent standard.
Some senior schools do have bands of this style and some can be of a very high standard.
You also have Jazz bands featuring trumpet and trombone and for traditional jazz a clarinet.
In the previous edition of ‘Parents and Kids’ you will find in the ‘Keeping kids off the street’ feature, Marching Bands this is a completely different way of using brass, with more diverse instruments like the Sousaphone that actually wraps around the player and none valve trumpets or cavalry trumpets that change notes purely by changing the shape of the players lips.
 To play a brass instrument requires plenty of puff and the ability to use your lips to form the different apertures to form the notes. Give a brass player a mouth piece and he ,or she could play a tune on a length of copper pipe.
It is possible to play five notes in one octave just by altering your lips, add valves or in the case of a trombone, a slide and you have the means to play every note in the scale by altering the length of the ‘tube’.
Getting Started
Brass instruments do tend to be expensive although trumpets, cornets and trombones can be purchased for a few hundred pounds new or better still buy second-hand, but the larger, more complex instruments can run into thousands of pounds and tend to be purchased by the organisation that runs the band and hired or lent to the up and coming musician.
If you decide on playing at home, teach yourself books for the trumpet or trombone are very good and remember once you have learn't a valve instrument the fingering applies to the majority of the other instruments.but you do need to get used to the different size mouthpieces for the larger instruments.
Practising
We have all heard the old story of the teenager who wanted to learn the trombone, forced to practice in a phone box by his parents. These days with devices such as practice mutes and double glazing, practising at home should not be to problematic. You will need a music stand and a case to keep your instrument safe (brass instruments look awful full of dents) A stand for your instrument would also be useful. By joining an organised group, whether at school or an evening situation, a lot of these problems are solved, as the instrument will probably be provided ,so will the practice venue (there is still no substitute for home practice) and you will be taught, along with others.
The Rewards
Whatever type of brass band and music you choose you can be sure of meeting like minded people and making some good friends. Some bands travel abroad to perform so you will have the opportunity of travel.
Should you become competent enough to become professional, then an interesting career, whether you are a boy or girl can be very rewarding. But if like the majority of musicians, you are only interested in playing for pleasure you will have years of memorable concerts and gigs and will meet a host of fellow musicians on the way.
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