Trumpet

The trumpet is among the oldest musical instruments. Its first known uses was in 1500 BCE. It was made of bronze and silver and found in Egypt. The trumpet is commonly used to play classical music and jazz music. It can also be used in ska, classical, jazz, rock, blues, pop, rap, Cuban music, mariachi, Eastern European folk music and funk.

FAMOUS TRUMPETERS

Louis Armstrong

Miles Davis

Tuba Family Pictures

A Tubachristmas at Rockefeller Center in NYC

Serpent--the ancestor of the Tuba

Euphonium

Sousaphone

Tuba

Wagner Tuba

Tuba

WHAT IS IT?

The tuba is the lowest member of the brass family. The first version was patented by Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and Carl Moritz in 1835. It has since evolved with help from many other instrument designers including Adolphe Sax.

It has 3-6 valves (usually 4), and its tubing is coiled and ends in a wide, upward pointing bell.

WHERE IS IT USED?

--orchestras, bands, jazz, marching bands

--often would fill the role usually played by a string bass, especially in jazz

WHAT OTHER INSTRUMENTS ARE RELATED TO THE TUBA?

Serpent--precursor to the tuba; mouthpiece like a brass instrument but tone holes and keys like a woodwind; conical tubing curved into a serpent-like shape

Euphonium--a sort of tenor tuba; plays more in the trombone range; sometimes referred to as a baritone

Wagner Tuba--"a cross between horns, trumpets, trombones, and bass tubas"; designed to be played by horn players (The Encyclopedia of Music, Max Wade-Matthews and Wendy Thompson, 2006)

Sousaphone--see below

THE SOUSAPHONE

--named after John Philip Sousa, famous composer and bandmaster who popularized the instrument

--tubing circles the player, making it easier to carry and play standing up or marching

--the bell extends above the player's head and points forwards

--supported by the left shoulder

--variations exist in other countries

FAMOUS TUBA PLAYERS

John Fletcher, William Bell, Howard Johnson, Philip Catelinet, Roger Bobo

WELL KNOWN TUBA MUSIC

John Fletcher playing "Flight of the Tuba Bee"

Tuba solo in "Bydlo", Pictures at an Expedition by Mussorgsky

Also:

Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring"

Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries"

Gershwin's "An American in Paris"

TUBACHRISTMAS

An yearly concert held in cities around the world celebrating "those who play, teach, and compose music for instruments in the tuba family," according to the Wikipedia article on the event.

TUBA JOKE

"How do you clean a tuba? with a tub-a toothpaste!"

Piano Timeline

1700--Bartolomeo Cristofori invents the “piano e forte”

1732--First published piano music, Ludovico Giustini

1739--First known upright piano built by Domenico del Mela in Italy

1771--Robert Stodart takes out a patent using the name "Grand" to describe his instrument

1773--First public piano performance in New York

1781--Mozart and Clementi 'duel' in Vienna

1803--Erard Brothers of Paris present Beethoven with a piano

1842--First patented design for player piano, Claude Seytre

1924--Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue premiered

1929--Great Depression seriously limits piano manufacture everywhere

1939-45--World War II effectively halts piano manufacture everywhere

Early 1950s--Wurlitzer released their first electric piano

1953--Liberace wins 2 Emmy Awards for network television programs

2000--Piano300 exhibition opens at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., celebrating the 300th anniversary of the piano\

http://www.concertpitchpiano.com/TimeLine.html

http://hem.passagen.se/daveo/Wurlitzer_english.htm

A Brief History of the Piano

What came before the PIANO?

CLAVICHORD

-strings hammered

-notes could be sustained

-vibrato created by wiggling keys

-quieter sound

-could control volume

-used in homes, small rooms

HARPSICHORD

-strings plucked

-notes could not be sustained

-no vibrato

-second keyboard on the single instrument could be added for more sound

-no volume control

-used in chamber ensembles

When and How did it become the PIANO?

Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the pianoforte (what we know as the piano) in 1700. This date is confirmed by “an inscription made by…a court musician in Florence…in a copy of Gioseffo Zarlino’s Le istitutioni harmoniche,” a major musical text of the time.

Cristofori improved upon the shortcomings of the harpsichord and clavichord. His piano was shaped like a harpsichord. Inside was system where the strings of the piano were struck by hammers that would immediately bounce back so as not to dampen the vibrations of the strings. This and thicker strings caused bigger and unhampered vibrations, making the piano a much more versatile instrument than its ancestors, especially in terms of dynamic control.

Why was it called the PIANOFORTE?

Cristofori’s new instrument allowed for both loud and soft dynamics, so its name reflected this ability.

Edwin M. Ripin, et al. "Pianoforte." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 1 Apr. 2010. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/21631

Piano Genres

Piano can be found in many types of music.

Some examples are:

Classical





Jazz

Piano: Basic Techniques

Basic Piano Techniques










The video below shows how one must keep their hands while playing.








He remains relaxed and he never makes a great effort to reach the notes.

• Fingers should be naturally curved, playing on the tips of the fingers or fleshy part next to your .


• You should form a "paw". Knuckles should not be caved in or too high. Knuckles could be fairly flat, but just slightly up, like a bridge. The same with the wrists and elbows.


• Wrists should be even with the white keys, never too high or low.


• Elbows should be out from the body, allowing the weight of your arm to travel freely to your wrists and allowing for horizontal movement across the keys.


• Always sit up straight, shoulders back, create a small arch in the middle of your back.


• Imagine a string going up through the center of your body, out of your head.


• You should sit far enough from the piano so that your elbows are slightly towards the front of your chest.


• Sit no more than one half to three quarters on the bench. Both feet flat on the floor or pedals.

I think the best way to start is to learn to read basic music. Learn the notes and some basic chords. There are websites that can help you learn.

http://www.notationmachine.com/how_to_read_sheetmusic/readingmusic.htm

http://www.tutorials.com/09/0917/09171.asp