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How are trumpets distinguished from horns by the shape of their bores?
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wind instrument
The Japanese end-blown flute, or shakuhachi.
In the classification of trumpet-type aerophones, the primary distinction between these two instruments lies in the shape of their bore:
- Trumpets are characterized by a cylindrical bore, which typically expands only in the final third of the tube's length before terminating in a small bell.12
- Horns possess an expanding (conical) bore throughout all or part of the tube's length and generally end in a large bell.12
While these definitions are standard in the Sachs-Hornbostel system, they can be difficult to distinguish in practice. Some scholars prefer to classify instruments as horns if they are known or believed to have developed from animal horns or tusks, while categorizing other lip-vibrated instruments as trumpets.2