Jon Skillings is an editorial director at CNET, where he's worked since 2000. A born browser of dictionaries, he honed his language skills as a US Army linguist (Polish and German) before diving into ...

New Orleans celebrated Mardi Gras last week with that signature brass band sound. In the seven years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, a local man has played a role in bringing that sound ...

Brass instruments have been around in one form or another for thousands of years. They've played a part in historical military campaigns, religious ceremonies, and—of course—the development of music ...

Steve Bockus used a Bunsen burner's blue flame to do battle with a stubborn, stainless-steel flute. • He lowered the woodwind instrument into the fire, then tested its keys. • Still stuck. So Bockus ...

From trumpets to tubas, brass instruments are powered by buzzing lips! Dr. Rob and the Crew reveal how vibrations become sound, why bells flare, and how valves and slides change pitch. With balloon ...