[TPIN] Starting a beginner on a Cornet vs Trumpet

[Tim Phillips]

Rod,

RANT MODE ON
It's like beating your head against a wall to try and convince people of 
this - ESPECIALLY when it comes to orchestra guys.   Eh.. it's orchestra 
- play everything on C trumpet.  You'd think it was written in scripture 
that "Thou Shalt have no other trumpets before thy C in orchestra 
(unless thou needest  something smaller to make the part easier)".  I do 
understand that I am in the minority, but like Don Quixote I'll keep 
raising the standard whenever I can. 

Trumpets and cornets make VERY different sounds to me - just like 
different pitched trumpets have different sonorities.  I could be wrong, 
it seems quite obvious in a lot of band scoring that the composers used 
the cornets to blend with the rest of the band more and the trumpets 
were used more sparingly (especially in the war horse transcriptions).  
I think if band players were to use the cornets as indicated, they may 
find a better blend and get the infamous left hand less often.
RANT MODE OFF

St. Timothy Phillips of Magnesia, Patron Saint of the Constipated
iplatrpt at unifourbrass.org
http://www.unifourbrass.org

Rod Brawn wrote:
> Hi Gang,
>    For as much as they are similar they are different.  A cornet aims 
> to make a different sound than a trumpet.  That there is a difference, 
> one only need to check out the arrangements of British Military Bands 
> to see that there is a call both for cornets and trumpets.  There is a 
> difference in the kinds of parts that are written for both 
> instruments.  Holst's Eb, and F Suites for Military band, and the R.  
> Vaughn Williams Folk Song Suite are just a few examples of this kind 
> of writing.  Maybe the fact that the shepherd's crook style cornet is 
> more of a British thing has something to do with it.  How specifically 
> the approach should be different, is something perhaps someone else 
> who is more familiar with this kind of thing can articulate.  One 
> needs to remember that the U. S. of A. is not the only place where 
> trumpets and cornets are played. Come to think of it I'm sure Claire 
> Grundman wrote for Trumpet and Cornet, and didn't Alfred Reed have 
> both trumpet and cornet parts.  Again, maybe there is someone out 
> there who can comment more expertly on this topic.
>