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Relationship to trumpet

Cornets were invented by adding valves to the post horn in 1814. The valves allowed for melodic playing throughout the register of the cornet. Trumpets were slower to adopt the new valve technology, so composers for the next 100 years or more, often wrote separate parts for trumpet and cornet. The trumpet would play fanfare-like passages, while the cornet played more melodic passages. The modern trumpet has valves (or a similar mechanism) that allow it to play the same notes and fingerings as the cornet.

Cornets and trumpets made in a given key (usually the key of B♭) play at the same pitch, and the technique for playing the instruments is very similar. However, cornets and trumpets are not entirely interchangeable because the timbre (or tone quality) of their sound differs. Also available, but usually seen only in the brass band, is an E♭ soprano model (often shortened to just "sop"), pitched a fourth above the standard B♭. This instrument, with usually just one in a band, adds an extreme high register to the brass band sound and can be most effective in cutting through even the biggest climax.

Unlike the trumpet where the tubing mostly has a cylindrical bore, the tubing of the cornet has a mostly conical bore, starting very narrow at the mouthpiece and gradually widening towards the bell. The conical bore of the cornet is primarily responsible for its characteristic warm, mellow tone, which can be distinguished from the more penetrating sound of the trumpet. The cornet's sound is often preferred by jazz artists as it relates better to the other instruments commonly used in jazz ensembles. The conical bore of the cornet also makes it more agile than the trumpet when playing fast passages. The cornet is often preferred for young beginners as it is easier to hold, with its centre of gravity much closer to the player.

The cornet in the illustration is a short model traditional cornet, also known as a "Shepherd's crook" shaped model. There also exists a long-model cornet which looks about half-way between the short instrument and a trumpet. This instrument is frowned upon by cornet traditionalists and it is not clear what its intended role is. However the common opinion is that it has a more musical sound than the short model or trumpet. The long-model cornet is generally favoured in the United States, but has found little following in British-style brass bands.

Playing/technique

Like the trumpet and all other modern brasswind instruments, the cornet makes a sound when the player vibrates ("buzzes") his lips in the mouthpiece, creating a vibrating column of air in the tubing of the cornet that generates a musical sound. When the column of air is lengthened, the pitch of the note is lowered.

From the basic length tube of the cornet the player can produce a series of notes, like those played by the bugle, which has gaps in so that true melodic playing is impossible except in the extreme high register. So, to change the length of the vibrating column and provide the cornet with the ability to play chromatic scales, the cornet is equipped with three valves. The action of each valve is to add a length of tubing (and thus vibrating air column) between mouthpiece and bell. As the player presses the valves, they lower the pitch of the cornet and can thus play complete chromatic scales.

Lists of important players

Today's players

These are some influential cornet players in the world today.

Ron Miles, Denver based jazz musician and composer.
Olu Dara, jazz musician and father of world famous rapper Nas.
Warren Vache, Jr., mainstream jazz and recording artist.
Richard Marshall, current Principal Cornet player of Black Dyke Band.
Roger Webster, current Principal Cornet player of Grimethorpe Colliery Band and formerly Black Dyke Band.
Carl Saunders, a Salvation Army cornet player who has recorded numerous CDs and performed at many prestigious events world-wide
David Daws, a Salvation Army cornet player who is renowned for his lyrical style of playing and effortless technique.
Philip Cobb, current Principal Cornet player of Hendon Salvation Army band, second solo cornet of The International Staff Band of The Salvation Army, ex-Principal Cornet player of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain.
Chris Howley, Principal Cornet of Polysteel Band, ex Sunlife Principal Cornet.
Jim Cullum, traditional/swing jazz and recording artist, leader of the Jim Cullum Jazz Band of San Antonio, Texas.
Chris Tyle, traditional/swing jazz and recording artist, leader of the Silver Leaf Jazz Band of New Orleans.
Geoff Arnold, former principal cornet of the Swadlincote Salvation Army band
Mark 'Slim' Roberts, Australian traditional style player and The Salvation Army's Parramatta YP Band leader.
Dave Douglas, New York based jazz musician and composer, with a long association with John Zorn's Masada.
Kevin Metcalf, Canadian, Australian-based former member of The Salvation Army's Canadian Staff Band and current Soprano Cornet for The Salvation Army's Sydney Congress Hall Band.
Alan Garratt b.1936, a former Salvation Army cornet player who is known for his warm tone and technique. Currently principal cornet of the Salvation Army Central Division Fellowship Band. Learned to play at High Wycombe Salvation Army. Still teaches at schools in Buckinghamshire despite being in his 70s

The cornet was used in early jazz by King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. Later in his career Armstrong switched to trumpet, following a general trend towards trumpet. Notable performances on cornet by players generally associated with the trumpet include Freddie Hubbard's on Empyrean Isles by Herbie Hancock, and Don Cherry's on The Shape of Jazz to Come by Ornette Coleman.