Unlike most of these sorts of things, this one has a definite answer: 2. They cannot blow air out of their mouths. However, since they have no hands to work the valves, it wouldn't sound too good, assuming they could get it to stay in place to begin with.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 7 months ago (1 children)

assuming they could get it to stay in place to begin with.

Perhaps the mouthpiece would serve as a "flared base," as it were.

[–] MeDuViNoX 2 points 7 months ago

We might have bigger problems if you've been inserting the flared base first.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Valves aren't needed to "sound too good", they're needed to get more notes. Without valves, you've still got the harmonic series. Any piece played on bugle could also be played on trumpet. And the majority of classical compositions up until the late 19th century. (All classical compositions until the early 19th century.)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Good to know. Could a dolphin blow different notes with its blowhole?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Probably not. I'm not a brass player or a marine biologist but as I understand it the way a brass player's embouchure works would not be replicable by a dolphin's blowhole (it's not just "send air through the tube", it's more like blowing a raspberry). They wouldn't be able to play any note, let alone different notes.