Brass Instrument Mouthpieces

The mouthpieces of different brass instruments are significantly different and contribute to the characteristic timbre of the instruments. They consist of a cup with a rim to accommodate the lips and a backbore tube to connect to the rest of the instrument. Besides providing the place for the player's lips to vibrate, the mouthpiece lowers the high resonances of the instrument (the mouthpiece effect).

The "Lip Reed"

Brass instruments achieve their air column excitation from the action of the player's lips against the mouthpiece of the instrument. This so-called "lip reed" action of the lips provides the brass player with a wide range of adjustment of both the pitch and quality of the tone, but requires training and practice.

The embouchure formed by the player's lips against the mouthpiece must seal the opening so that maximum use of the airflow is made, and the lips must tighten by the right amount to excite the higher vibrational modes of the air column to produce the higher notes.

Playing Ranges of Brasses

The low bass brass instruments such as the tuba and trombone make strong use of their pedal tones. The French horn has a very low range as well, but can reach higher than the other bass brasses because of the sharpness of its high resonances which makes more of them playable. The trumpet does not make use of pedal tones in normal playing.