Trumpet: Encyclopedia II - Trumpet - Types of trumpets

Trumpet - Types of trumpets

The trumpet is by convention a transposing instrument, pitched in several keys relative to concert pitch. The most common is the B♭ trumpet, but C, D, E♭, E, F, G and A trumpets are also available. The C trumpet is most commonly used in orchestral playing, where its slightly smaller size gives it a brighter, more lively sound than the B♭ trumpet. In the orchestra, players of both B♭ and C trumpets need to know how to transpose because of the instrument's non-chromatic predecessor (before the advent of the valved trumpet, music was always written in C major and the trumpeter would adjust their instrument to the key of the music). The B♭ trumpet's typical range extends from the written F# (concert E) immediately below middle C, up to about three octaves higher. Standard repertoire rarely calls for notes beyond this range, and the fingering tables of most method books peak at the C (high C) two octaves above middle C. This is partly because notes in the higher register may be achieved with almost any fingering, as with so-called pedal tones in the octaves below the standard F#. Several trumpeters have achieved fame for their proficiency in the extreme higher register of the instrument, among them Arturo Sandoval, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Chase and Maynard Ferguson, who helped make well-known the term double high C to describe the next octave above high C. Trumpeters with great endurance and/or range are said to have impressive chops.

The smallest trumpets are referred to as piccolo trumpets. The most common of these are built to play in both B♭ and A, with separate leadpipes for each key. The tubing in the B♭ piccolo trumpet is exactly one-half the length of that in a standard B♭ trumpet. Piccolo trumpets in G, F and even high C are also manufactured, but are more rare. Many players use a smaller mouthpiece on the piccolo trumpet. The tone is metallic and clean. Because of the smaller mouthpiece size, the player's embouchure is affected much more severely than when playing a regular trumpet; endurance is often limited to very short periods of playing per day. Many piccolo trumpets have four valves instead of the usual three: the fourth valve takes the instrument down in pitch, usually but not always by a fourth, to allow the playing of lower notes which are otherwise hard to obtain on a three-valve instrument. Among its best-known proponents are Maurice Andre, Wynton Marsalis and Hakan Hardenberger.

The bass trumpet is usually played by a trombone player, being at the same pitch and using a similar mouthpiece.

The slide trumpet is a B♭ trumpet that has a slide instead of valves. It is very similar to a soprano trombone.

The pocket trumpet is a compact B♭ trumpet. The bell is usually smaller than a standard trumpet, and the tubing is more tightly wound, to reduce the instrument size without reducing the total tube length. Because of their contorted shape, the intonation is severely hindered.

There are also rotary-valve, or German, trumpets, as well as alto and Baroque trumpets.

The trumpet is often confused with its similar-looking relative, the cornet, which has more conical tubing, while the trumpet is more cylindrical. This gives the cornet a mellower tone, but because the two instruments have the same range and a substantially similar sound, music written for cornet and trumpet is interchangeable. Another relative, the flugelhorn, also has conical tubing and an even richer tone, and is sometimes augmented with a fourth valve to extend the lower range of the instrument.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Types of trumpets", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki