← Brassissima · Project overview

Project and orientation

An introduction to the questions, methods and development of the Brassissima project. Earlier foundations remain documented for reference; experiments and analyses are being progressively reviewed and updated from 2026.

From experiments to a new stage of the project: years of experimental work are being reviewed and presented anew from 2026. Videos illustrate processes in space and time; PDFs provide room for derivations, measurement details and extended analyses.

Music as the motivation

Music is at the heart of this work. The enjoyment of sound, shaping a phrase and playing with others is its starting point. As musicians gain command of an instrument, they discover new expressive possibilities—and encounter questions about response, intonation and the behaviour of the instrument.

Measurements and models help investigate such questions more closely. Musical objectives give the work its direction; playing experience, listening and practical verification are part of the process.

A route through the project

1. Start with the foundations: Section 2 with Videos 1 and 2 leads from simple tubes to waves, reflections, resonances and local changes. These foundations apply to wind instruments generally, including woodwinds.
2. Consider the complete instrument: Section 3 with Videos 3 and 4 introduces trumpet components, their valve paths and targeted perturbations. Specific results depend on the geometry and excitation mechanism being investigated.
3. Explore topics in greater depth: The PDF documents provide derivations and detailed analyses; Section 4 and Section 5 connect the methods with measurements and particular instruments.

The trumpet is a frequent example here, and brass instruments are my main focus. Shared acoustic foundations also offer insights into other wind instruments, while their differences must be taken into account when applying the results.

A project in continuous development

Ongoing work focuses on current technologies and the latest research findings. Earlier stages remain in the legacy archive only for as long as they support context and traceability. Legacy material that is no longer needed is being removed step by step.

Languages and the continuing revision of the project

The project overview and all six section pages are available in German and English. The underlying documents retain their original languages and are being progressively revised and developed. Videos are accompanied by German translations; German subtitles are available for the four published episodes. Each PDF entry explicitly identifies its language, original level and publication status.

Four distinct project objectives

• A

  Theoretical and practical foundations

  Understand fundamental acoustic relationships, describe them theoretically and investigate them through practical experiments. These foundations provide the common basis for the other project objectives.

• B

  Measurement and evaluation of existing instruments

  Measure and analyse existing instruments using current methods, then assess them against defined criteria. This area first documents and evaluates the instrument as it is.

• C

  Optimization of existing, measured instruments

  Use the measurement and evaluation results to develop targeted changes, simulate their effects and verify them in practice. Optimization objectives are defined for the particular instrument and its intended use.

• D

  Development of new possibilities

  Research and develop new geometries, concepts, methods and tools. This area extends beyond evaluating and optimizing instruments that already exist.

The foundations are covered in particular in Section 2 and Section 3. Section 4 covers measurement methods; Section 5 documents measured instruments and optimization projects. New possibilities are developed through simulations, experiments and discussion in Section 6 .

Current videos

Start the new series with Videos 1 and 2 in Section 2 – Acoustic foundations. Videos 3 and 4 follow in Section 3 – Simulation and theory.

Watch the complete video series →

Current PDF documentation · from 2026

No new PDF edition from 2026 onward is linked in this section yet. New publications will be added with their language, version and date; earlier editions can be found in the legacy archive.