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A Typical Cornet Sound?



 
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ajwan
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Joined: 09 Apr 2017
Posts: 47
Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:09 am    Post subject: A Typical Cornet Sound? Reply with quote

I'm a 40ish comeback player who has played only French Horn in high school. Although I've only played french horn at that time, I've always been a closet cornet player looking back. I decided two years back to "come back" and I've made the switch to the cornet (only 26 years later).I've been on the cornet for about 2 years, but only gotten really serious about it in the last 3 months. As I've been practicing technique and range studies on the cornet daily only for the last 3 months, my effective knowledge of cornet playing is quite deficient I'm embarrassed to say!

However, in the last few months after hanging out in TH, I've learned quite a bit (by listening to/watching a lot of James Shepherd, more recently Richard Marshall, and many others). Thanks to all for some really informative posts.

In the other thread I mentioned that I currently accompany the organ and choir; I will venture to guess I'll likely join a community brass/wind band in the near future.

I recall that my highschool band director had a particular affinity towards Vaughn Williams, Gustav Holst, and Alfred Reed for competitions and concerts. For one competition, our highschool band was rehearsing Folk Song Suite (ad nauseum at the time, but still very much enjoyed the rehearsals). We were tasked to listen to this specific rendition by the London Wind Orchestra:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KARQn0p2us4

The 1st cornet was played by James Watson.

For those familiar with this Suite, are the cornet solos (presumably played on a cornet, and presumably on a Besson Sovereign derivative) typical of a "cornet sound"? I ask as it seems a little bright and cutting. But having been brought up on this particular recording this is the sound I thought of when I think "cornet". Knowing what I know now from TH, a cornet sound is typically darker/richer (and a combination of the player/instrument/mouthpiece). I've heard many other versions of this Suite by other bands that have used cornets (and trumpets for that matter) for the solo that sounded "darker" than the version played by the London Wind Orchestra.

Thanks and cheers.
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Dale Proctor
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Joined: 26 May 2005
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Location: Heart of Dixie

PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

James Watson and Philip Smith were featured soloists with our brass band a couple years before Mr. Watson passed away. Talk about some pressure! I can find no fault in either ones playing...

Seriously, though, some cornet players sound brighter than others, and you wouldn't necessarily want a brass band cornet sound on a wind ensemble concert piece like that one, or the Holst pieces. Just my opinion, though.
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ajwan
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Joined: 09 Apr 2017
Posts: 47
Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dale Proctor wrote:
James Watson and Philip Smith were featured soloists with our brass band a couple years before Mr. Watson passed away. Talk about some pressure! I can find no fault in either ones playing...

Seriously, though, some cornet players sound brighter than others, and you wouldn't necessarily want a brass band cornet sound on a wind ensemble concert piece like that one, or the Holst pieces. Just my opinion, though.


Thanks for your reply! I'm humbled and amazed at the pedigree of players TH has to offer. I'm heartened to have found this kind of connection. I do have a CD copy of "Wind Music of Holst and Vaughn Williams - London Wind Orchestra (Denis Wick, 1978)" that I often play to relive my highschool band days! My 9-year old daughter enjoys the tunes from this CD too.
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Last edited by ajwan on Tue Apr 25, 2017 9:01 am; edited 1 time in total
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Dale Proctor
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 9:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks! I don't really have any "pedigree", but have been lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time to meet/play with some big names. Goes to show that even hacks can get lucky...

I'm a big fan of that same British wind music - add Crown Imperial to the list. We played a lot of it in high school back in the day, and I've played brass band arrangements of a lot of those pieces more recently, too.
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kehaulani
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Joined: 23 Mar 2003
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Location: Hawai`i - Texas

PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 10:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dale Proctor wrote:
- add Crown Imperial to the list. We played a lot of it (British band music) in high school . . .

Dale, an aside that you might enjoy.
I went to a large high school and for the recessional, the band director choose Crown Imperial. We played it through, without the cut, and as it ended my chops had had about enough for one day. But . . . I looked up just in time to see the director signaling to us "back to the top" and to play the entire tune all the way through again. Gad!!

Regarding the soloist's recorded sound, personally I thought it sounded a bit tinny and certainly wouldn't use it as a role-model sound for myself..
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Dale Proctor
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 10:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="kehaulani"]
Dale Proctor wrote:
...
I went to a large high school and for the recessional, the band director choose Crown Imperial. We played it through, without the cut, and as it ended my chops had had about enough for one day. But . . . I looked up just in time to see the director signaling to us "back to the top" and to play the entire tune all the way through again. Gad!!...


Yes, there were protests when we added it to a brass band program a couple years ago. Too demanding, they said (and to be fair, the brass band version is more of a blow, since all the non-brass parts have to be covered)... So, the director cut part of the middle section out.
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