The trumpet only has three keys, called valves, which are played in seven combinations to make all of the possible notes. Depressing the first valve, for instance, can produce a low B-flat ...

This week’s Smithsonian Snapshot celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month with American jazz legend John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie’s trumpet. In the 1940s, Gillespie, renowned for his harmonic complexity and ...

solders a complete Vincent Bach trumpet by hand at the factory in Elkhart, Indiana. Ashlee Rezin / Sun-Times Share It begins with a low, barely audible rumble. The double basses, contrabassoon and ...