Brass instruments are wind instruments that produce sound through the vibration of a tube caused by blowing air through it. Pitch is adjusted through the use of slides, valves or keys to change the vibratory length of the tubing. The sound is generally loud and brilliant.
Despite its name, this category is defined by how the sound is produced rather than the material of the tubing, and thus some brass instruments are actually made from wood (such as the alphorn and cornet). Likewise, some woodwind instruments are made of brass rather than wood, such as the saxophone. Among the most common brass instruments are the French horn, trumpet, trombone, euphonium and tuba.