2 Learning & Playing Tuba/Trumpet/Euphonium/Baritone/Flugelhorn/French Horn/Cornet

In this video, Brett Youens describes the logic behind the system of valves on brass instruments, with the tuba used as an example.

http://www.geocities.com/freewillyb/

(Transcript)
Hi. Let's look a little more at brass instruments with valves and how they work. This is a tuba, but as we know, it could just as well be a trumpet, or a euphonium, or a French horn, or a flugelhorn; they all work on the same principles.

Let's look today at the logic behind the system of fingerings.

If you think about it, there are only two possible states for a valve: either depressed or not. A lot like a human, I guess. So if each of the three valves has two different possibilities - and we have two times two times two - which gives us eight possibilities.

The highest note we could play is by not depressing any valve. And a little lower is pressing the baby; a little lower is pressing the daddy, and a little lower is pressing the granddaddy.

Now, let's think about this from the bottom up: If we press everything, then we get the lowest note we could. And a little higher, subtracting the baby, subtracting the daddy, subtracting the granddaddy. So this is just a mirror image of itself. And these two notes, of course, produce - again, aside from tuning issues that don't concern us here - the same note.

Now, think about the following: Every single note that a tuba or a trumpet or a flugelhorn or a French horn or a euphonium ever plays, they play it with one of these eight possibilities. So there's not much in the way of memorization that's necessary. And, if you think about it, there is actually nothing in the way of memorization to understand this system. You don't have to memorize that the one in the middle is by pressing the granddaddy, you don't have to memorize that the one before the end is by is everything except for the baby. If you just think about the logic behind the system, then it's very simple.

Nothing, add the baby, add the daddy, add the granddaddy.

Everything, subtract the baby, subtract the daddy, subtract the granddaddy.

So that's the logic behind the system.

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• cornet
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[moisturize]

You're hilarious. Are you making money off this? Make money off this.

[PianoWallaby]

@moisturize Thanks...I think. (?)

[23headstrong]

what about a baritone horn with 5 valves?

[PianoWallaby]

@23headstrong If you have a baritone with 5 valves it is - according to my research, as I am not an expert on this - probably fairly old (and very rare). Apparently the 5 valve baritone (actually known as the 5 valve euphonium) has those valves to increase the number of fingering possibilities. Wikipedia has a page on the 5 valve euphonium if you are interested. Thanks for the comment.

[Morahman7vnNo2]

But what if you play a Piccolo Trumpet? (I don't, I regular Bb Trumpet)

[PianoWallaby]

Piccolo trumpets works on the same principles. They often have a fourth valve, which is just like the fourth valve on a tuba, or the trigger on a trombone. Thanks for the comment.

[1SquidBoy]

@altosaxophoneist203 The fingerings AREN'T more complicated. They just shift over to the Bb side.

[1SquidBoy]

@crazo7 The trigger is just the other horn, it just takes the air through the Bb side. Makes a Bb horn. not anything crazy.

[crazo7]

but the french horn has a trigger...

[altosaxophoneist203]

the fingerings are more complicated for a french horn if you play a double horn that goes from f to Bb likemine does and btw what would i have to diffrently from french horn sense im gonna play the horn and tuba this year?

[mojiganga2]

I love it!! awesome thanks! btw your hot!

[iter68]

hey, i want to ask what is the note by pressing the only 3rd key? i think there is no that key. like trombone, it has 7 distinct positions so according to your chart there should only be 7 possibilites, not 8. all brass instrument use this principal.

[dude42dude]

i play euphonium to

[max24f]

dont worry guys he probly sleeps in his moms basement