| If I were magically anointed as "Dictator of the World," I'd mandate that all kids start on a good cornet, not a trumpet!
Cornets are shorter and easier for shorter arms to hold, their sound is less vulgar and brassy so the kids don't start sounding like "razor blades in the wind," and . . .
THIS WOULD MEAN that all the kids who grow up to be local players in community bands, community theatre productions and churches would have a little gentler sounding horn that had a rich, sweet sound!
THINK ABOUT IT . . . who HASN'T played in church productions with a weak choir and the music director has trouble keeping the musicians from drowning out his choir?!!!
With a sweet, shepherd's crook cornet and a deep V mouthpiece the musicians would not have a problem being too loud and too bright.
I was hired last December to play in a church production and we had that exact same problem. The other two trumpeters, both high school band directors, only had trumpets. I offered to bring a couple of extra shepherd's crook cornets . . . but they didn't even own cornet mouthpieces anymore!!!
I had no problem though, I just played my part on my shepherd's crook cornet!
Tom |