Worth it to get a cornet?

[VintageHorns]

I'm currently in college with a passion for music. However I've always wondered if it's worth it to get a cornet. It seems like money would be better spent just getting a trumpet in another key, valve alignment, etc would be more worth it than simply a darker sounding horn? I'm quite inexperienced but it seems like why not just get a flugel mouthpiece or something to achieve something that a cornet could provide.

[p76]

Depends on what you're going to be playing - if it's mostly classical stuff yes go trumpets in different keys etc. first.

If you have a hankering for trad jazz, or BBB, then yes, get a cornet.

Cheers,
Roger
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Bb - Selmer Radial, Yamaha YTR634, Kanstul 1001, Kanstul 700.
C - Yamaha 641.
Cornet - Olds Ambassador A6T, Besson 723, Olds Ambassador Long.
Flugel - Kanstul 1525
Mpc. - ACB 3CS, ACB 3ES, Curry 3BBC, Kanstul FB Flugel

[roynj]

The college experience is often a world of itself when it comes to a wide variety of playing opportunities. You will find that when you get out into the real world, the performance opportunities will be much more limited, and depending on your location, sometimes near zero. This being the case, one must actively seek out ensembles, gigs, solo work, etc. that appeal to your own musical interests. Roger is absolutely right in that you need to kind of think about your own musical preferences and intentions. That will help to inform your decisions in terms of acquiring horns/equipment.

[chapahi]

[TrumpetMD]

[spitvalve]

If you want to play all those old barn-burner solos from Clarke and Arban, a good cornet is generally more nimble, but not absolutely necessary. A cornet is on my wish list, but after piccolo, C, and Eb/D trumpets, in that order.
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Bryan Fields
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1991 Bach LR180 ML 37S
1999 Getzen Eterna 700S
1979 Getzen Eterna 895S Flugelhorn
1969 Getzen Capri cornet
Eastlake Benge 4PSP piccolo trumpet
Warburton and Stomvi Flex mouthpieces

[Christian K. Peters]

Hello all,
Many responses touched on the idea of what the intent would be of having a cornet. I would come at the notion like this...If you are trying to learn the literature of trumpet and are a trumpet performance major, you need the tools for all the genres. Certainly early or traditional jazz used the cornet as did the likes of Herbert Clarke and others in solo works. I might add that concert band music of mid century, had cornet and trumpet parts that were written differently to exploit the sound differences of the bores and timbres. I hope that the wind band conductors would ask that those parts be covered appropriately for the sake of intended sound. So, my thinking is that if you can afford having instruments to learn the genres, you should spend the money. It is a part of the education. Now, I also realize that many students don't have that luxury, and I would hope that the trumpet studios would have the instruments to loan. Like with trumpets, cornets should be chosen for sound quality, not just because it is called a cornet. The modern student cornets don't cut it in my book.
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Christian K. Peters
Schilke Loyalist since 1976

[kehaulani]

Agree that it simply depends on what you want to play.

FWIW, I played in wind ensembles, ensembles, big bands, combos, theater orch., regular orch., military band, you name it and played trumpet the entire time. But I got the old music and BBB bug so got a couple of cornets.

Like I said, depends on how you want to use a horn.
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"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[amateurcornetist]

[cheiden]

Sure some wind ensemble and orchestra stuff would seem to want for one, but I haven't felt the need. I've only felt the need when playing in a BBB. But that was at a workshop I attend only occasionally. Only if I were to join a local BBB would I feel compelled to get a cornet. Not that I mind having a good one for traditional cornet literature. The vintage one I have needs some work, a better mouthpiece, and probably a valve job.

A flugel, picc, C or Eb would probably be more useful. Which, would depend on your particular situation.
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"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
Charles J Heiden/So Cal
Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb/Yamaha 731 Flugel/Benge 1X C/Kanstul 920 Picc/Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim on 1.5C underpart

[Denny Schreffler]

Another opinion among opinions –

– Buying an old, inexpensive, used cornet sometimes presents a secondary problem of finding the proper mpc for the horn. Old Conns (of a certain vintage) and Olds cornets should have pieces with special shanks. Once the shank taper is sorted out, there is the cup/rim quest.

Many of us fool around with old cornets hoping to find one that “speaks” to us but for performance horns to be used in refined ensembles, we’ll spend the money for one of the many pro cornets now available.

Your idea to get a flgl piece to get a different sound is not really off base.

The Curry TF in your regular rim size is a lot of fun. Not a true flgl sound but warm (if not rich) and beautiful. In addition to using it as a flgl or cornet get-by, it can be very useful in legitimate situations. Very useful for ppp entrances, for example. The piece (or similar ones from other manufacturers) are used by many orchestral players for certain situations.

Get a Curry TF mpc that you will use for certain things for the rest of your career.

Get a pro cornet when you need one.

Dabble in old cornets when you’ve got the time and money for a hobby.


Denny

[oldblow]

Be careful how you go about slaking your interest in cornets. I dabbled with some cheap ones, and found that I like cornet much better than trumpet for general playing. Now I keep a Besson 10-10 silver shepherd's crook and a Kanstul American long cornet at hand all the time. They never see their case. When I need a trumpet, I rummage around the house and find one, but my gig bag is only loaded with cornet and flugelhorn.
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Felton (Butch) Bohannon

[amateurcornetist]

[delano]

[snichols]

This really all depends on your school, teacher, and ensemble directors. At my undergrad we (the trumpet studio) played everything on trumpets - even the "cornet" parts in wind ensemble. I don't think I touched a cornet the entire time I was there. At grad school however, anytime there was a part for cornet it was played on cornet - mainly in the wind ensemble - so my cornet got a lot of use. But even then, it's not worth spending a lot of money on a cornet unless you're planning to do specialty playing like brass bands or something. For basic wind ensemble or orchestra duty, there are plenty of used cornets under $500 that are more than sufficient. Just check Craigslist and eBay. Ultimately, unless you personally get really into some sort of specialized cornet playing, a cornet isn't going to be paying the bills or winning you auditions, so don't spend too much money on it.

Don't get sucked into the back and forth about "cornet sound and flexibility" or "cornet vs trumpet" that some of these people are going on about. This sounds like a purely practical matter, and unless you are super interested in it or your ensemble directors/teacher mandate it, then spend the money on a C trumpet, flugel, piccolo, valve alignment, or whatever else that you'll get more use out of.

[Nonsense Eliminator]

Whether a cornet is useful depends entirely on what you're doing.

If you're playing symphonic music, a cornet is less useful than just about every other horn you can imagine. Yes, there are orchestral cornet parts, but even then, it's not absolutely required until you're in a professional situation (and even then it depends on the orchestra and the piece). You need a C and a piccolo and an E flat more for sure, and quite possibly rotary, F/G, and even flugel (if you find yourself also doing pops shows or pit work).

If you're playing jazz and commercial music, a flugel will be way more useful in almost all situations.

Where you need a cornet is a brass band or some wind bands.

Now, if what you're doing is playing for your own enjoyment, a cornet may be extremely useful. It's a little easier to play quieter and warmer, you can read the same parts, you don't have to learn to contend with a different key, if you show up for community band rehearsal with one probably nobody will strangle you. But it's important to remember that this situation, while very common on TH, probably has little in common with the O/P's.

My suggestion would be that while you're in school, focus on acquiring and learning the instruments you certainly need. If there's extra money burning a hole in your pocket, go visit some exceptional teachers or hear some exceptional concerts or save it up until you know what other horns you need. As I said, for most orchestral players, a rotary trumpet will be more useful than a cornet -- but I ended up in a ballet orchestra in a town with a professional brass band, so I have three cornets and no rotary trumpets...
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Richard Sandals
NBO

[snichols]

[bnsd]

I take my cornet to ALMOST every gig (exception being the commercial soul/Motown/rock band)...

For playing around the house, AFTER I've done my studies, I love taking the cornet out and playing some Arban's and some trad jazz. A good cornet is totally unlike a trumpet or a flugelhorn for me.

Even in big band settings, when I get the chance to pull it out for a jazz solo, I always grab that instead of my lead horn (except when the solo is clearly a scream type solo over the ensemble)

as others have already pointed out... the flexibility on a cornet is a lot of fun, and the darker sound and slightly softer volume tend to blend in well with smaller ensembles.

[Dale Proctor]

If you plan on playing in a BBB, a good concert band, or soloing, then you need and/or can use a cornet. If you have some mad money and just want one, then buy one - a good one is fun to play. If none of those apply, then buy something more useful, like a C trumpet, picc, or flugelhorn, depending on which way your musical interests lean.
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"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away ." - Sir Thomas Beecham

[Dennis78]

Of course you need/want a cornet! But........

You’re going to need a short cornet with and without a shepherds crook, you’ll also need a long cornet with and without a shepherds crook and one that is shaped like a trumpet and then.........

You’ll need at very least a half dozen mouthpieces and one of them should definitely be a Denis Wick 4, and then maybe.........

An antique cornet of your fancy
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a few different ones