Brass instrument valve
Encyclopedia
Brass instrument valves are valves used to change the length of tubing of a brass instrument
allowing the player to reach the notes of various harmonic series
. Each valve pressed diverts the air stream through additional tubing, individually or in conjunction with other valves. This lengthens the vibrating air column thus lowering the fundamental tone and associated harmonic series produced by the instrument.
Valves in brass instruments require regular maintenance and lubrication to ensure fast and reliable movement.
found in the majority of valved brass instruments was invented in 1838 and patented in 1839. They are sometimes called Périnet valves after their inventor, François Périnet. They work by diverting air obliquely through ports in the stock of the valve so that a loop of tubing is included in the air stream, lowering the pitch. The stock of the valve is cylindrical and moves up and down through a larger cylindrical casing.
works using a short circular plug housed in a larger cylindrical casing. Ports are cut along one plane through the stock and direct the airflow into the lengths of tubing when the stock is rotated 90 degrees.
Trombone
F-attachment valves are usually rotary, with several variations on the basic design also in use, such as the Thayer axial-flow valve and Hagmann valve
. French horns almost always have rotary valves, and many tuba
s have rotary valves.
Joseph Riedlin is credited with the first use of rotary valves on brass instruments in 1832.
in 1821 by Christian Friedrich Sattler of Leipzig
. In this valve type, the simultaneous movement of two pistons bends the air flow in two right angles to introduce an additional valve loop. These turns cause constrictions in the bore
, that make the instrument harder to play, but they are still used today despite their drawbacks.
At first, the two pistons were operated by a lever connected with braces, but the later Vienna model of these valves was operated by long rods connecting the pistons to spring-loaded keys on the other side of the instrument.
They are called “Vienna valves” because while they have fallen out of favor in comparison with the modern rotary valve in almost all places, they are still used almost exclusively in Vienna, Austria, where players prefer the more smooth legato
and mellow, natural horn
-like tone.
, who first applied these valves to the french horn in 1814. Until that point, there had been no successful valve design, and horn players had to stop off the bell of the instrument, greatly compromising tone quality to achieve partial music
.
In a Stölzel valve, the air enters through the bottom of the valve casing, up through the hollow bottom end of the piston, and through a port to the valve loop. The air is then led through an oblique port in the piston to a short tube connecting the valves where it is then directed through the second valve and out the bottom.
This type of valve, however, had inherent problems. It forced the air to double back on itself and the 90 degree turns disrupted the bore, causing significant undesired back-pressure. These problems were improved upon later by the double-piston valve.
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
allowing the player to reach the notes of various harmonic series
Harmonic series (music)
Pitched musical instruments are often based on an approximate harmonic oscillator such as a string or a column of air, which oscillates at numerous frequencies simultaneously. At these resonant frequencies, waves travel in both directions along the string or air column, reinforcing and canceling...
. Each valve pressed diverts the air stream through additional tubing, individually or in conjunction with other valves. This lengthens the vibrating air column thus lowering the fundamental tone and associated harmonic series produced by the instrument.
Valves in brass instruments require regular maintenance and lubrication to ensure fast and reliable movement.
Piston valve
The piston valvePiston valve
A piston valve is a device used to control the motion of a fluid along a tube or pipe by means of the linear motion of a piston within a chamber or cylinder.Examples of piston valves are:...
found in the majority of valved brass instruments was invented in 1838 and patented in 1839. They are sometimes called Périnet valves after their inventor, François Périnet. They work by diverting air obliquely through ports in the stock of the valve so that a loop of tubing is included in the air stream, lowering the pitch. The stock of the valve is cylindrical and moves up and down through a larger cylindrical casing.
Rotary valve
The rotary valveRotary valve
A rotary valve is a type of valve in which the rotation of a passage or passages in a transverse plug regulates the flow of liquid or gas through the attached pipes. The common stopcock is the simplest form of rotary valve...
works using a short circular plug housed in a larger cylindrical casing. Ports are cut along one plane through the stock and direct the airflow into the lengths of tubing when the stock is rotated 90 degrees.
Trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
F-attachment valves are usually rotary, with several variations on the basic design also in use, such as the Thayer axial-flow valve and Hagmann valve
Hagmann valve
The Hagmann Valve is a rotary valve for trombone that was developed by René Hagmann in the early 1990s. His intention was to address some of the problems with the popular Thayer Valve, in particular the maintenance issues caused by its relatively complex design....
. French horns almost always have rotary valves, and many tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
s have rotary valves.
Joseph Riedlin is credited with the first use of rotary valves on brass instruments in 1832.
Axial flow valve
The Thayer axial flow valve is a replacement for the traditional rotary valve found on trombones with F attachments. Invented by Orla Ed Thayer (with assistance from Zig Kanstul) in 1976. It uses a conical plug, allowing a deflection of the airflow by only 25 degrees or less.Double-piston valve
The double-piston valve, also called the Vienna valve or pumpenvalve, is a type of valve that preceded the modern single piston Périnet valve. It was first produced in a trumpetTrumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
in 1821 by Christian Friedrich Sattler of Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
. In this valve type, the simultaneous movement of two pistons bends the air flow in two right angles to introduce an additional valve loop. These turns cause constrictions in the bore
Bore (wind instruments)
The bore of a wind instrument is its interior chamber that defines a flow path through which air travels and is set into vibration to produce sounds. The shape of the bore has a strong influence on the instruments' timbre.-Bore shapes:...
, that make the instrument harder to play, but they are still used today despite their drawbacks.
At first, the two pistons were operated by a lever connected with braces, but the later Vienna model of these valves was operated by long rods connecting the pistons to spring-loaded keys on the other side of the instrument.
They are called “Vienna valves” because while they have fallen out of favor in comparison with the modern rotary valve in almost all places, they are still used almost exclusively in Vienna, Austria, where players prefer the more smooth legato
Legato
In musical notation the Italian word legato indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, in transitioning from note to note, there should be no intervening silence...
and mellow, natural horn
Natural horn
The natural horn is a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the modern-day horn, and is differentiated by its lack of valves. It consists of a mouthpiece, some long coiled tubing, and a large flared bell. Pitch changes are made through a few different techniques:* Modulating the lip tension as...
-like tone.
Stölzel valve
The Stölzel valve bears the name of its inventor, Heinrich StölzelHeinrich Stölzel
Heinrich David Stölzel was a German horn player who developed some of the first valves for brass instruments. He developed the first valve for a brass instrument, the Stölzel valve, in 1814, and went on to develop various other designs, some jointly with other inventor musicians...
, who first applied these valves to the french horn in 1814. Until that point, there had been no successful valve design, and horn players had to stop off the bell of the instrument, greatly compromising tone quality to achieve partial music
Chromaticism
Chromaticism is a compositional technique interspersing the primary diatonic pitches and chords with other pitches of the chromatic scale. Chromaticism is in contrast or addition to tonality or diatonicism...
.
In a Stölzel valve, the air enters through the bottom of the valve casing, up through the hollow bottom end of the piston, and through a port to the valve loop. The air is then led through an oblique port in the piston to a short tube connecting the valves where it is then directed through the second valve and out the bottom.
This type of valve, however, had inherent problems. It forced the air to double back on itself and the 90 degree turns disrupted the bore, causing significant undesired back-pressure. These problems were improved upon later by the double-piston valve.