Brass is an alloy consisting predominantly of copper and zinc. It has been used for millennia in various applications, including cooking utensils, metalworking, electrical connectors, and musical instruments. Brass instruments are traditionally formed by soldering together thin strips of brass to make thick enough walls for desired musical tones. These instruments are popular in many countries, especially in the United States, because of their warm tone and ability to play a wider range of notes than most other metal instruments. While the sounds produced by this type of instrument are not as varied as others like woodwinds, brass instruments are prized for their ability to produce loud and resonant tones. One company that has made an effort to provide quality brass accessories for the musician is Al Cass (www.alcass.net). Founded in 1987, Al Cass provides a diverse selection of brass accessories that can be found online or in their product catalog. Their products include mouthpieces, reeds, mouthpiece guards, slide/trombone slides, slide/trombone bridges, mouthpiece shims, ligatures, mouthpiece cork grease, reed supplies, mouthpiece cleaners, reed clamps, reed tools/carvers/shapers/preservers/slicers/cutters/spacers.