Some Things to Take Note Of

I was on a roll the other day and decided to look up some trivia about my favorite musical instrument- the trumpet. So here goes:

In the Baroque era, trumpeters formed a guild that provided them with privileges above and beyond that of other musicians. The guild had rules regulating who could play trumpet, where they could play, and for whom they could play for. The members guarded their rights jealously and were in constant conflict with unguilded trumpeters.

A trumpet may seem short and compact when compared to larger brass instruments, such as the trombone, but this small instrument contains roughly 6 1/2 feet of tubing. That’s taller than the average human being, yet the instrument can fit comfortably in your hands.

The trumpet may only have three valves, but you can actually play 45 distinct notes by manipulating those valves.

Before 1815, music written for trumpet was intended to be played by the natural trumpet. This ancestor to the modern trumpet had no valves. This meant that the natural trumpet player was limited to about seven notes. However, the comfortable range on a modern trumpet can span almost three octaves (about 18 notes)

I would be remiss if I didn't also include what may be the two most common (and untrue!!) trumpet jokes:

How many trumpet players does it take to change a light bulb?
None, because the world revolves around them!

How do trumpet players traditionally greet each other?
"Hi. Nice to meet you. I'm better than you."

Here's a "video" that features what many consider the first great trumpet solo by Pops- Louis Armstrong- West End Blues

And one of the great solo performances in this video from Mark Baud and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band: