How brass instruments work - Al Cannon

翻译人员: zac bleu 校对人员: Jenny Yang

What gives the trumpet its clarion ring

是什么赋予小号清澈的声音？

and the tuba its gut-shaking "omm pah pah?"

是什么让大号发出荡气回肠的蓬叭叭

And what makes the trombone so jazzy?

又是什么赋予长号爵士风？

The answer lies not in the brass these instruments are made of,

答案并不在于它们的材质——铜

but in the journey air takes

而在于空气

from the musician's lungs to the instrument's bell.

从音乐家肺部到乐器的旅程

Like any sound, music consists of vibrations traveling through air.

跟所有声音一样，音乐依靠空气震动来传播

Instruments are classified based on how those vibrations are produced.

乐器是震动产生方式的不同而分类的

Percussion instruments are struck.

就像打击乐靠敲击

String instruments are plucked or bowed.

弦乐器靠弹拉

Woodwinds have air blown against a reed or sharp edge.

木管乐器靠吹奏

For brass instruments, however,

而对于铜管乐器来说

the vibration come directly from the musician's mouth.

演奏者的嘴巴才是震动的直接来源

One of the first things a brass player must learn is to breathe in deeply,

铜管乐器演奏家要学的第一件事就是深呼吸

until every possible particle of air is crammed into the lungs.

尽可能地把每一口气都吸进肺里

Once all that air is inside, it must come out through the mouth,

吸满以后再吐出来

but there, an internal battle takes place

于是，内部斗争就开始了

as the musician simultaneously tries to hold their lips firmly closed

音乐家在紧闭嘴唇的同时

while blowing enough air to force them open.

必须鼓足能够迫使它们打开的空气

The escaping air meets resistance from the lip muscles,

溢出的空气遇上了来自嘴唇的阻力

forms an opening called the aperture

从而形成空穴

and creates the vibration that brass players call "the buzz."

就能产生铜管演奏家所说的共鸣

When a mouthpiece is held up to those vibrating lips,

当乐器衔口紧贴颤动的嘴唇时

it slightly refines the buzz,

便能提炼出共鸣

amplifying the vibration at certain frequencies.

特定频率的震动被放大

But things get really interesting

真正有趣的是

depending on what instrument is attached to that mouthpiece.

不同的乐器和嘴连接后产生的不同效果

A brass instrument's body is essentially a tube

铜管乐器的其实就是

that resonates with the air column blowing through it.

一段能与空气柱共振的管体

The way that sound waves travel through this column

声波穿过这段柱体

forms a limited pattern of pitches known as the harmonic series,

形成有限的一组固定样式的音调叫做泛音

with notes spaced far apart at the lower end,

这些音符在低音区分得很开

but coming closer together as the pitch increases.

但当音调升高时音符就变得紧凑起来

The musician can alter the pitch of the note

通过轻微收缩嘴唇，改变空气的体积和流速

through slight contractions of the lips and alterations to air volume and speed.

音乐家就可以改变音符的音高

Slower, warm sighing air produces lower pitches,

缓慢，柔和的呼气产生低音

and faster, cool, flowing air produces higher pitches in the series.

快速，冰冷，涌动的空气形成一系列高音

But any single harmonic series has gaps where pitches are missing

但任何简单的泛音都会因音调的缺失而产生缺口

and the versatility of brass instruments

所以铜管乐器的多功能性

lies in their ability to switch between multiple series.

得依靠它们在多重演奏中的转换能力

On instruments like the trumpet, valves can be lowered

像在小号那样的乐器上，活塞可以变低

to increase the length of tubing the air travels through,

增加空气流过管体的距离

while on a trombone, this is done by extending its slide.

而在长号上则通过拉动滑管来完成

Lengthening the tube stretches the vibrating air column,

拉动滑来管延伸空气柱的波长

reducing the frequency of vibrations and resulting in a lower pitch.

来降低振动频率产生低音

This is why the tuba, the largest brass instrument,

这就是大型铜管乐器

is also the one capable of playing the lowest notes.

能够演奏重低音的原因

So changing the instrument length shifts its harmonic series,

所以调节乐器长度改变泛音

while slight variations of the air flow and the player's lips

流动的空气就会在演奏者的嘴唇产生微妙的变化

produce the different notes within it.

不同的音符便随之舞蹈

And those notes finally emerge through the flared bell opening at the end.

从喇叭口跃出，浮现在你的耳畔

What started as a deep breath and a vibrating buzz on the lips

深呼吸，在唇间发出的震动

has now been transformed into a bold and brassy tune.

变化身成了雄伟奔放的曲调

The musician's skillful manipulation of every part of the process

音乐家们对每一步都能够得心应手

from lungs,

从肺部

to lips,

到嘴唇

to the mouthpiece,

再到乐器衔口

to the instrument itself creates an amazing palette of pitches

造就了乐器本身能让全世界各流派音乐家

that can be heard in musical genres across the globe.

为之感到惊艳的音调调节能力

By harnessing the power of natural resonance

通过一种可调可控的方式

in a flexible and controllable way,

对自然共振能量的驾驭

brass instruments are great examples of the fusion of human creativity

铜管乐器成为了人的创造力

with the physics of our world.

和物理世界规则融合的一个很好的例证