Building a Natural Trumpet

The natural trumpet is a baroque era ancestor of the modern trumpet. Without valves or other technical means to change notes, this seamless, single piped instrument uses only the performer\u27s embouchure to accurately control pitches. Using the harmonic series, the natural trumpet has the capability of producing a limited number of tones. Understanding the historical construction and evolution of the trumpet is essential for all trumpet performers and brass musicians. Confusion and struggles can easily occur in musicians who do not fully understand the basic physical properties of their instruments. This presentation focuses on the building techniques and the construction process of the natural trumpet as taught at the Natural Trumpet Making Workshop in Bloomington, Indiana. Sponsored by the C. Farrell Fine Arts & Research Scholarship, the one-week construction workshop of the natural trumpet stemmed from traditional historic building practices from 17th century Nuremburg, Germany. The presentation will cover the steps of hand constructing a natural trumpet, a brief historical background of the instrument, and a presentation of the hand-built trumpet created at the workshop. For her work on this project, Sarah Martinson was nominated for the SOURCE 2014 Scholar of the Year Award. She also received a College of Arts and Humanities Best Oral Presentation Award