davidjohnson

sans garlic, s'il vous plais! good one!

dj

tom turner

Hi Trent,

The Opera is a wonderful long bell cornet. When you can, go "all the way" and try the super-intimacy of a short bell cornet! The immediate and intense "player feedback" of the short bell makes the intimacy . . . player-to horn-to audience-to player, etc. even more humanly connected.

I played only trumpet once the Army issued me one during my service band times ('71-'74), and then I continued cornet-less until around 1999 when I got a pristine, restored Boston 3-Star. I literally couldn't put it down for about eight months unless a job called for trumpet.

The short model changed my playing and my conception about what was "right." In so doing I think it also benefitted my trumpet and fluglehorn playing, as that distinctive "third voice" began to emerge . . . that "human-like" sound that only a cornet can really make.

When doing solo concerts now, or when playing in intimate settings with sensitive musicians, I'll most times grab the cornet to make that most intense of connections between my soul and my music.

When playing cornet I am selfish . . . for I'm so connected to the music that's coming from the horn . . . and I'm in "brand-new love" with the sound of the horn again . . . as if it were brand new!

Trent, how did the recording go? Could you tell a difference on tape? If not, please consider a deep V mouthpiece for your cornet with a very open backbore. The sound will literally translate from your soul through the horn with a sweet, buttery warmth and fullness.

Warmest regards,

Tom

PS: Nawwww, I ain't smokin' wacky weed . . . those who have experienced that intimate, warm cornet sound know exactly what I'm talking about!

TrentAustin

Hi Tom,

The recording is going very well! I think you'll hear a difference on the tap between my LR Eclipse, Olds Opera Cornet, and CT flugel. I used a Monette B-4FL cornet piece on the Opera, and actually think it might be too dark... but what a heavenly sound and playability. The horn just rocks my universe.

I have one more session tomorrow as I'm recording with a bunch of different artists and then it's off to mastering. The raw sound of the recording already sounds great and I can't wait to "polish" it up a little. "Hey, what button makes me sound like Freddie??" hahah

Hope your well and take care!
-T

ecarroll

TMers,

I heard recently (was it here?) that Dave Douglas is playing the cornet nowadays and thought of resurrecting this old thread.

How many of you are playing the cornet these days? Is it in a jazz setting? Chamber music? Brassband? Other?

What sort of horn/mouthpiece combination?

...curious, as always,
EC

John P

I'm preparing Carnival of Venice for a recital on my teacher's Edwards short cornet with a british style deep-cup Stork mouthpiece. It's such a dark, chocolatey sound. Everything, right down to the articulation is so different than the trumpet. So much more smooth and connected. The low notes really leap out of the horn! I can kinda see now why some people used to say that the trumpet was "vulgar".

tromj

Ed, I play cornet for Jazz and Klezmer as much as possible, besides teaching (for the 10th year) the St. Hilda's and St. Hugh's Brass Band, (founded by our friend Doug Hedwig) where I play loads of cornet for the kids. When I play club dates, I bring it, but if the right sax players are not on the gig, I always end up having to over blow, even on stuff that should be softer.

trumpetmike

Surrey Brass (the symphonic brass ensemble I play with) are using cornets in a couple of pieces in their upcoming concert - we prefer the sound for certain pieces. Instead of five trumpets (in various configurations) we are moving to 3 cornets, soprano cornet and flugel (brass band style). If nothing else, it will add to the pile of instruments that we will have on the stand (we will all be using Bb trumpets, probably all using C as well, 5 flugels, 3 piccolos, soprano cornet, Eb trumpets - a veritable sea of instruments )

ecarroll

TMike,

A sea indeed, and each with its own characteristic sound -- the art of the player, perhaps. Great.

I found it sad when Black Dyke ran Jimmy Watson off for introducing trumpets, etc., for certain "non- traditional" repertoire (the gender mess didn't help either) (guess they thought that they were the Vienna Philharmonic). I'm a big believer in creating the widest palette of sounds possible.

Tromj,

Klezmer cornet cracks me up . . . the clarinetist must love you!

Cheers, mate(s)
EC

tromj

Oh no, it really makes a lot of sense.i did a recording session where i pulled out the Cornet for one tune, and the clarinet palyer started to get nervous. He had done some gigs with a big name Klezmer-Jazz- New Music trumpeter who is known for his musical genius, not for his chops. I couldn't understand why, but convinced him to let me try it. After we recorded the track, he said to me, "I have only heard so and so play cornet. I didn't know they could be plyed in tune."
In Klezmer playing, there were two styles. One is playing like a military band trumpet player, the other is to play more like the rotary flugelhorn type playing heard in Balkan bands, which more closely relate to the clarinet or violin style of the music. Cornet matches well with the latter style.
Trumpet players like Mannie Klien and Ziggy Elman came along later and esentially imitated the clarinet players they heard.

rowuk

The symbolism of the cornet was a strong point made by Mr. Arban over a century ago. An instrument equal in expression to a flute or violin. The trumpet was rather vulgar in comparison. Calling those great soloists cornetists could be interpreted: a) equal in expressivity to a great violin or flute player b)not completely loyal to orchestral playing or c) due to the instrumental family to which the cornet belongs: just plain horny