[Tradjazz] Cornet V/S Trumpet

[Bruce McNichols]

Very interesting subject matter Bill.  I've heard many discussions on many things, but I sure have never been involved in one on this subject (ha ha).

>From my humble experience speaking with musicians and fans alike, I've heard many versions of what is a cornet? (or coronet as some mistakenly call it) and how does it relate to a trumpet?
  Yes, the cornet is conical (the tubing gets progressively bigger, from mouthpiece to the bell - which then flares out).  The trumpet is conical, from after the mouthpiece to just before the bell.
Many say that the cornet is a smaller instrument.  My experience tells me that many cornets appear to be smaller than many trumpets since the cornet tubing is often shaped in a tighter pattern than many trumpets.  That said, I've seen many rather large cornets (although they may still appear to be squatter than a trumpet.  Conversely, my friend Michel Bastide (leader of the Hot Antic Jazz Band of France) has at least one cornet that, to me, appears to be exactly the same as a trumpet.  Looks can be deceiving.  The fact that it's conical, makes it a cornet (not the fact that it appears to be a trumpet).
  As an aside, some years ago I was chatting with trombonist Dick Dreiwitz, who informed me that the trombone he had (at the time) was in reality, a bass slide cornet.  As some of you may know, a trombone slide can be removed from the horn, and put back the other way (upside down).  On that particular horn, you couldn't do that.  Because . . . it was conical (hence a bass cornet).  To most observers, it was a regular, normal, trombone.  My my.
~~~
While we're on the subject, how about a sax vs. a clarinet?  Pretty much the same thing.  It's more basic than simply one is metal and the other wood (or plastic).  There are metal clarinets, and there are plastic saxophones.  Yes, the mechanics are usually different but the basic thing is that a sax is conical, and a clarinet is cylindrical.  

~~~
Recently, I was snagged into a hot conversation about the playing range of a cornet as compared to that of a trumpet.  A few folks in that conversation maintained steadfastly that a trumpet can play higher than a cornet can.  I acknowledged that a cornet often has a more mellow sound than does a trumpet.  That said,  I submit that a cornet can play as high as a trumpet.  

Over the years (many of them) I've observed that the type of music that seems to attract high-note players is often Big Band sounds and more of what I call modern jazz.  
  To be sure, Louis and Jabbo were high-note players of a much older style of music.
The cornet seems to be often favored by players of the older styles of music.  For the most part, it seems that old-style players seem to be less likely to want to show off with flashy high-note pyrotechnics.

It seems to me that the cornet and the trumpet are instruments in the same playing range.  Whether or not the players have equal capability to hit those stratospheric notes, is another matter.

~~~
OK list-members.  Come and get me.

McN


      To: <tradjazz at list.okom.com>  
      Subject: [Tradjazz] Cornet V/S Trumpet  
      Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 21:42:24 -0500  
      From: "bill" <sylvia1 at ptd.net>   
     
Hey Folks,

I'm a newbie just trying gather some answers concerning the differences/nuances
 between these two instruments... Alright, I know that one is conical and the other
 is tubular... learned that from listening to OKOM and  handy info  if I go on
 Jeopardy.   But the sound....  Does it only depend on the musician?   Does the
 instrument truly create a difference??? I'd just like some ramblings and opinions on
  this subject.

Thanks,

Bill G
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