Lesser Known Brass

Reid and I have fascinating conversations. But the really interesting ones happen in the car, often on a long road trip when both of us are very tired. Why else would any two people discuss oddball brass instruments?

First up we have the flumpet. Yes, the flumpet. It was designed as a combination of the flugelhorn and the trumpet, hence its catchy name. It was custom designed by David Monette at the request of jazz musician Art Farmer.

More commonly played with the mouth rather than shown here in true Monty Python inappropriateness, the buisene is a long straight trumpet without valves. The buisene is often depicted being used to play a fanfare by fancily dressed medieval fellows, unlike these fellows who are not dressed at all. The buisene sometimes gets its own costume, festooned with a drapey scarf that coordinates with the fancy fellows' outfits

Finally, we have the tromboon, shown here being played by its inventor PDQ Bach, aka musical satirist Peter Schickele. The tromboon is a trombone with the mouthpiece of a bassoon. Possessing, says Mr Bach, all the disadvantages of both. I truly wish there were more lesser known brass instruments. They may exist, but they are so very much lesser known that even Reid does not know of them. And, no, there is no way to reclaim the five minutes you spent reading this nonsense.