Eric Wiethorn, age 9, of Pittsburgh, Pa., for his question:

HOW DOES A TRUMPET WORK?

A trumpet is a treble brass wind instrument with a shallow cupped mouthpiece. A trumpet player can produce all the notes of the scale by pressing on three piston valves in various combinations.

Most of the instrument’s length is of small bore tubing. The trumpet’s bright tone is sharper than that of the cornet, which is used more as a melodic instrument. The trumpet is best suited to the fanfare style and is generally found in symphony orchestras and bands.

Early trumpets, going back to 2000 B.C., didn’t have valves. Natural horns of shell or bone were probably the first trumpets.