The brass family of instruments can be played both loudly and brilliantly. They are wind instruments which today are made of brass metal, a combination of copper and zinc. They have mouthpieces.
Like the woodwinds, the player uses air to make the sound, except in brass instruments the player’s buzzing lips in the mouthpiece start the air moving. The air moves inside the long tube of the instrument. Because the tube is so long, it is bent and folded so the player can hold it more easily.
Brass instruments provide the dramatic sounds that rise crisp and clear above the rest of the orchestra.
