Probably the loudest instruments in the orchestra without amplification are the brass section. You can't ignore brass musical instruments. In the hands of a beginner, they sound terrible but they produce wonderful music when played by a virtuoso. They are used in many varied forms of music and are heard in symphonic works, rock music, reggae and soul. These are instruments that are difficult to play well and need constant practice. A lot of school children start their musical studies by taking up the cornet. It takes a long time to get anywhere near to Louis Armstrong's standard.

The Dixieland style from New Orleans was popular in the early part of the 20th century. Marching bands would commonly contain a trombone, cornet, clarinet, tuba, banjo and drum. Trombone, not used for solos as much as other brass musical instruments, developed with Jack Teagarden and Tommy Dorsey's swing bands. Everyone is familiar with the great jazz trumpeters and their cheeks puffed out with all the effort. The Be Bop era brought the genius of Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, two fine horn blowers. The saxophone is another great jazz component, especially when Charlie Parker strutted his stuff.

The saxophone would also find a home in rock and roll, often heard in crowd-pleasing solos. Brass musical instruments would make a big contribution to soul music in the form of funk. The era of funk was dominated by the Godfather of Soul, James Brown and also George Clinton and Sly and the Family Stone. Musicians such as Fred Wesley on trombone and Maceo Parker on saxophone defined the sound. Miles Davis created his brand of jazz fusion in the 1970s with a merging of jazz and funk.

Classical music has also benefited from the brass section, particularly in the use of the trumpet and the French horn. These brass musical instruments that appear on classical records also influence modern songwriters. When Paul McCartney listened to a recording of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, he was intrigued by the sound of the piccolo trumpet and he subsequently included one on his Beatles hit, Penny Lane. Another McCartney written Beatles track, For No One from the Revolver album, features a French horn solo.

Reggae often makes use of a brass section, normally a three-part combination of saxophone, trombone and trumpet. Songs often start with a brass introduction and the horns, as they are referred to, go on to play a counter melody throughout. No matter what the genre, brass is here to stay and would be sorely missed.