British brass band in the context of "Brass band"

The brass section of the orchestra, concert band, and jazz ensemble consist of brass instruments, and is one of the main sections in all three ensembles. The British-style brass band contains only brass and percussion instruments.

They contain instruments given Hornbostel-Sachs classification 423 (brass instruments).

The euphonium (English: /juˈfoʊniːəm/ yoo-FOH-nee-əm; Italian: eufonio; Spanish: bombardino) is a tenor- and baritone-voiced valved brass instrument pitched in 9-foot (9′) B♭ an octave below the B♭ trumpet or cornet, employed chiefly in brass, military, and concert bands. The euphonium is a member of the large family of valved bugles, along with the tuba and flugelhorn, characterised by a wide conical bore. Most instruments have four valves, usually compensating piston valves, although instruments with four or five rotary valves are common in Eastern and Central Europe.

Euphonium repertoire can be notated in concert pitch in the bass clef, or in the treble clef as a transposing instrument in B♭. In British brass bands, it is typically treated as a treble-clef instrument, while in American band music, parts may be written in either treble clef or bass clef, or both. A musician who plays the euphonium is known as a euphoniumist, a euphonist, or simply a euphonium player.

The tenor horn (British English; alto horn in American English, sometimes E♭ horn) is a brass instrument in the saxhorn family pitched in E♭ with three piston valves. It has a bore that is moderately conical, like the cornet and baritone, and normally uses a deep funnel-shaped mouthpiece. In Europe it is known as the Althorn and has rotary valves and an oval shape.

It is most commonly used to play inner harmonies and off-beats in British brass bands and Mexican banda music, reading transposing treble clef, whereas the horn dominates in concert bands and orchestras. In the late 20th century it began to be considered as a serious solo voice, and has amassed a repertoire of contemporary concertos and other solo works.

The baritone horn, or often simply the baritone, is a valved brass instrument pitched in B♭ in the saxhorn family, employed chiefly in brass, military and concert bands. It has three or sometimes four valves, usually piston valves, although rotary valves are common in Eastern and Central Europe, where it is called the Tenorhorn. The bore is moderately conical, like the E♭ tenor horn and cornet, although narrower than the closely related euphonium and other valved bugles, like the flugelhorn and tuba. It uses a wide-rimmed cup mouthpiece of similar dimensions to trombone and euphonium mouthpieces. Like the trombone and the euphonium, the baritone can be considered either a transposing instrument reading B♭ treble clef, or a non-transposing instrument in bass clef.

In British brass bands, the standard instrumentation includes parts for two baritones, in addition to two euphoniums. In US concert band music there is often a part marked baritone, but these parts are commonly intended for, and played on, the euphonium. A baritone can also play music written for a trombone due to similarities in timbre and range.