Today is Trumpet Day! 10 things you might not know about trumpets.
The trumpet is probably the oldest instrument in the brass family, its use dating back to the 2nd Millennium BC. They were made from conch shells, animal horns, wood or metal.
A couple of trumpets were found in Tutenkhamen’s tomb in 1922. One was Silver and one was bronze and both had images of Egyptian gods engraved on them. They were both still playable, and in fact were used in a concert broadcast on the BBC World Service in April 1939. Some suggested at the time that due to the curse of opening an ancient tomb, the use of these trumpets was directly responsible for Britain getting involved in the second world war!
Trumpets are loud. They can reach a volume of 110 decibels which is as loud as a power saw.
This is probably why the earliest uses of the instrument was as a signalling device, on the battlefield or to make announcements. It wasn’t until the late 14th century that they were used as musical instruments.
They come in different pitches from the piccolo trumpet, which was invented in about 1890 by Belgian instrument-maker Victor Mahillon, specifically to play the highest trumpet parts in works by Handel and Bach, to the bass trumpet. The most commonly played trumpet in the UK and USA is the B-flat trumpet.
A standard modern trumpet is a long, slim metal tube with three valves, bent into a shape resembling a paper clip. If it were stretched out, it would be 6.5 feet long.
The longest playable trumpet ever made was built in Indonesia in 2009. It was 105 feet long and had a bell 17 feet in diameter.
The first trumpet manufacturing factory was opened in Paris by Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the Saxophone, in 1842.
The note produced varies according to the length of tubing the air must travel before leaving the instrument. The longer the distance, the deeper the note. Opening the valves on the trumpet changes the length of tubing, thus changing the pitch produced by the trumpeter.
Famous trumpet players include jazz trumpeters Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Ball, Herb Alpert and Miles Davis. People famous for other things but who also play the trumpet include the singer Kesha, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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