Does the webbing seen in some trumpets change the sound?
Back in high school I played the trumpet for 6 months, and then clarinet for the next 4.5 years (high school is odd in Quebec, and it's not important to the question anyway), and I was a science student, so I have a decent idea of how a wind instrument makes different tones.
Recently I got a chance to see one of my favourite bands (SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS) live for the first time and noticed something about one member's trumpet: it had a sort of webbing in the 2 big bends, like on a duck's foot.
My question is how would it affect the sound? Would the additional stability prevent the pipes from vibrating and altering the vibration of the air flowing inside? Or would they maybe send the vibration to the rest of the tube? (though that would likely also have the same effect)
This is the trumpet of that player:
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When it comes down to it, every decision regarding the construction of an instrument will have some effect on the instrument's own distinctive timbre. With that said, there will probably always be some point of diminishing returns where these changes in the design don't make any noticeable difference.
Notice that above I said "distinctive timbre," and not anything about a good or bad quality sound. This is because different playing environments require different timbres; between an instrument with this webbing and an instrument without, Chris Martin might choose one, and Wynton Marsalis might choose another. (Indeed, a quick Internet search of the latter shows him playing on both types of instruments!)
For me personally, these extra braces improve instrument response quite a bit; I don't get that "push back" that I get with some other instruments. This suggests that yes, the increased stability of the pipes does improve the vibration flowing through the horn. But it's also tough to isolate this one factor from the various other construction decisions that go into manufacturing an instrument.
I've learned that Kanstul apparently creates trumpets with movable braces; this would be an interesting thing to experiment with!
And if you're really in the mood for some research, you can check out some scholarly literature on (and related to) the matter; here is an interesting start!
It does affect the sound, but by how much is debatable and I doubt anyone could reliably discern between a trumpet with or without this kind of bracing in a blind listening test.
The main thing it does is affect the way the instrument resonates. When you play a brass instrument, you set up a vibration in the air stream inside the tubing. Some of this vibration will transfer into the instrument itself, which is just a loss of energy. This extra bracing is supposed to reduce this parasitic resistance. I have a trumpet that looks a lot like the one in your second picture, and the feeling is very noticeable. It's much easier to play and doesn't push back as hard as a normal trumpet.
There are fads in trumpet construction, some concerned in 'coupling' the mouthpiece to the mouthpipe, others with controlling mechanical vibration of the tubing.
Play a note on your trumpet. Feel the vibration of the tubing, even of the bell. Not much, is there? I wouldn't worry TOO much about these fads.
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