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and many people like to play solos on the trumpet at home
to enjoy its rich, golden tones.
The cornet differs from the trumpet in appearance and in
tone, but both instruments are played and fingered in the
same way. The trumpet is longer and has a clear, brilliant tone;
the comet's tone is more mellow. It is perfectly possible for a
person to play both instruments since there is no difference in
the methods of fingering or tone production.
Both instruments are among the easiest to learn to play inso-
far as making the notes is concerned. It is more difficult, how-
ever, to learn to blow into them or "tongue", to produce a good
tone. This does take time and practice.
Fig. 80 shows both a trumpet and a cornet and their princi-
pal parts. Each has three valves or pistons and connected with
the valves are slides which are used for tuning. Heat and cold
affect these instruments, making them play a little sharp or
flat, and the valve slides can be moved to correct these condi-
tions or others that might put the instrument slightly out of
tune. There is also a water key, placed where most of the water
gathers during playing, by means of which the water is dis-
charged from the tubing. A good deal of water also gathers in
the third valve slide and is removed by taking off the end of
the slide.
Trumpets and cornets are pitched in Bb. This means that
when you read and finger the note C, the note that comes out
is Bb. Thus, if you and a friend who plays the piano are play-
ing together from the same music, your friend would have to
play each note a whole tone lower than written in the music
in order to be in tune with you. Trumpet and cornet music is,
of course, written with this in mind; so in a band or orchestra
all you have to do is to play your part and it will fit in with the
other instruments.
The trumpet is held for playing as shown in Fig. 81. The left
hand holds the instrument in a horizontal position, with the
fingers clasped over the valves. The arms should be slightly
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