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.)

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 2 points 5 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.