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The name “brass” historically derives from the material which was used in creating of these instruments. Nowadays people also get to apply copper and silver in the producing of these instruments. But in the Middle Ages people who didn't know how to produce it from metal used timber for the instruments of the similar method of sound production. Brass instruments consist of modern French horn, tuba, cornet, trombone, trumpet and flugelhorn.

Ancient people created a technique of playing horns and shells from the first steps of civilization. Later instruments that were alike horns were produced when people began to do instruments of metal. Usually such musical instruments were used during hostilities, hunting or had some divine destinations.

The ancestors of contemporary brass instruments were hunting horns, military bugles and postal pipes. Those instruments didn't have any gear and produced only several sounds of natural scale. Timbres of sounds were changed with the assistance of the lips of a player. At that time also fanfares and other signals of hunting and military destinations appeared. They were based on the natural scale and solidly settled in musical practice.

With the developing of metal working progress and the production instruments of brass it became possible to create tubes of different dimensions and finishing. The notion “natural instruments” appeared with the progress of brass instruments production and the improvement of various natural scales. Natural scale was the basic scale of those instruments because at that time people didn't invent valve gear yet. It was the age when guilds of trumpeters began to appear. There were two types of them: martial trumpeters and chamber trumpeters that played heavy parts in hard high register.

Nineteenth century became the century when valve gear was created. The art of performing was changed owing to this invention and the possibility of scales was increased. The principle of that gear was in adding the crown in the basic pipe. It changed the form of musical instruments and the pitch was lowered.

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