In the orchestra, the trumpet is the highest-pitched standard brass instrument.
The trumpet has a compact, mostly cylindrical tube that flares into a bell. Its bright tone and ability to project clearly over an orchestra have made it important in ceremonial music, jazz, military bands, and symphonic repertoire. Modern orchestral trumpets usually use three valves, allowing players to change the effective length of the tubing and produce the chromatic scale.
The French horn can often play high notes and may sound higher in particular passages, but the trumpet is generally treated as the highest-pitched member of the standard orchestral brass family. The trombone usually occupies a lower register, while the tuba is the lowest. These instruments are all brass instruments because sound begins with the vibration of the player's lips against a mouthpiece, not because every one is made entirely from brass.
The word “trumpet” covers a large family of instruments, including natural trumpets and piccolo trumpets, but the modern orchestral B-flat and C trumpets are the usual reference in this classification.