Trumpets are among the oldest wind instruments. Many indigenous peoples have built simple trumpet-like horns from various materials. These instruments only play the natural harmonics. Today's valveless hunting horns work on the same principle.
The beginning of the 19th Century saw the invention of the valve trumpets. Valves made it possible to create chromatic melodies. There are trumpets with rotary valves (Trumpet Concerto) and with pump valves (Perinet valve trumpets). The concert trumpets were played mostly in the classical orchestras, while the Perinet trumpets were used in jazz and popular music. Today Perinet trumpets are also being used in orchestras.