When school marching band becomes just a memory for a former trombone player, where does the once-loved instrument end up? Where does a musician’s trumpet go when its valves are damaged beyond repair?

I failed at the saxophone so I don’t need the 6 easiest brass instruments to play in a band. But maybe you do. Maybe you, unlike me, did not fail at saxophone. Maybe you will pass or even succeed!

Jon Skillings is an editorial director at CNET, where he's worked since 2000. A born browser of dictionaries, he honed his language skills as a US Army linguist (Polish and German) before diving into ...