Introduction Assignment (due 4/3 com 4/12)

When people think of a trumpet, the last thing that probably comes to their mind is one with no

valves that’s almost three feet long. The first thing that people usually remember about trumpet is

that it has three valves and that it is one of the louder instruments of the bunch. This image that is

created when describing a trumpet definitely gives the instrument a certain stereotype of it being

obnoxious or even easy to play because of there being a limited number of valves. As all trumpet

players know, this could not be further from the truth. Baroque and natural trumpet players truly

disprove those stereotypes with elegance and provide lots of context about the instrument's

physical origins and the challenges that come with it. To what extent are the use of tone holes on

baroque trumpet useful in playing various passages? Based on my findings on this topic, I can

conclude that tone holes greatly improve a trumpet players chance at having better playing

accuracy and help intonation and rhythms throughout various passages. They can truly transform

one’s natural trumpet playing but may not prove to be as useful as some think.