Discover The Different Types Of Trumpets

The most common trumpet is in the key of Bb. However, there are many different types of trumpets that are available.

If you are a beginning trumpet player, or just don’t know much about them, then you probably wouldn’t know the difference. Here we’re going to decipher the different types of trumpets that are available.

• Key of Bb – Like I said before, the Bb trumpet is the one that is most common, and also one that most trumpet players start out with. Used for many different types – or genres – of music, the Bb trumpet is equally at home in classical, jazz/blues, rock/pop, fusion, and more.
• Key of C – Trumpeters use the C trumpet mostly in orchestral or classical music, as it makes playing that sort of music a little easier than on the Bb due to being keyed a half step up.
• Piccolo – The piccolo is also used mostly in classical music, and a Bb piccolo is pitched an entire octave above a regular Bb trumpet. You can also change the key of your picc from Bb to A by a simple exchange of a leadpipe. There are also some piccolos available in key of C, F, and G.
• Flugelhorn – The flugelhorn has a more mellow sound than a traditional horn, and is commonly used in jazz and pop music. Jazz music arrangers commonly write for slower ballads to utilize the flugelhorn, as it tends to give off a mellow tone similar to a french horn.
• Cornet – With tubing that is more conical and with more bends than a regular trumpet, the cornet also has a mellower sound, although not quite as mellow as a flugelhorn. Music for both instruments are written in the same key, so they are interchangeable.
• Pocket Trumpet – The pocket trumpet is mainly just a compact Bb horn, which allows you to play the same music in the same key as regular. One word of caution, however, is that there are some manufacturers out there that make pocket trumpets that have a less-than-desirable build quality. Pocket trumpets are a good alternative for younger musicians that are too small to support the size and weight of a regular trumpet, or for someone that is looking for a compact horn that can be taken anywhere.
• Soprano – Usually keyed in the key of G, the soprano is based on the old military bugles. They can also be heard in the modern drum and bugle corps.
• Bass – A bass trumpet is one alternative to the trombone, and is actually played with a shallow trombone mouthpiece. Its music is written in treble clef, which makes it easier for a trumpet player to read.
• Slide – A slide trumpet is a combination of a trumpet and a trombone. It has a trumpet body, but uses a slide instead of valves.
• Rotary – Also known as the German trumpet, the rotary utilizes rotary valves, similar to a french horn, instead of the piston valves of a regular trumpet. Rotary trumpets are most commonly keyed in the key of Bb or C.

Now we’ve gone over the different types of trumpets that are available. I hope that you’ve found this information useful.

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