I'm a cornet player and I was wondering if there were any music shops in Sheffield which specialise in brass instruments (well, more specialist than somewhere like Fox's). Cheers.

Sorry I can't help you on this but I can't resist saying:

The cornet is a beautiful instrument to hear... Do you triple-tongue it?

No folks, I'm not being personal! :D

EDIT:
Google came up with THIS (http://www.knowhere.co.uk/518_musicians.html) , It may be of some use to you...

Originally posted by Pseudonym
Sorry I can't help you on this but I can't resist saying:

The cornet is a beautiful instrument to hear... Do you triple-tongue it?

No folks, I'm not being personal! :D

EDIT:
Google came up with THIS (http://www.knowhere.co.uk/518_musicians.html) , It may be of some use to you...

Yes, I can triple tongue, it's a technique which is used fairly irregularly but important to master nonetheless.

Thanks for that link, I did do a google and couldn't really find anything of any help.

Cheers :)

Hi fellow cornet player here. You'll find you have to travel up to Leeds, York, or down to Nottingham for anywhere more specialist than Fox's.

I got my current cornet from Brass Band Supplies in Leeds, ended up buying an ex display Besson Prestige, got an excellent trade in on my old Sovereign, and battered them down on the price as well.
http://www.bandsupplies.co.uk/StockItems.asp?SubCategory=77

Depending on your standard, there are a number of bespoke brass instrument manufacturers in the UK as well. Smith Watkins Brass, and Taylor Trumpets, for starters.

Have a look on http://www.themouthpiece.com/vb/index.php?s= for some recent discussions on the relative merits of various makes.

Do you play in a band at all?

would anyone recall the story, about ten years ago abrass instrument was found in the basement of a school in the US, taken in for clean up and repair, the shops always have a list of stolen instruments from the past, the shop owner looked this one up as it was unusual, turns out it was stolen in germany during the war.... but get this, it belonged to a man in Sheffield.

I would be interested to know the outcome, and how it ended up.

Originally posted by squirrelz
Hi fellow cornet player here. You'll find you have to travel up to Leeds, York, or down to Nottingham for anywhere more specialist than Fox's.

I got my current cornet from Brass Band Supplies in Leeds, ended up buying an ex display Besson Prestige, got an excellent trade in on my old Sovereign, and battered them down on the price as well.
http://www.bandsupplies.co.uk/StockItems.asp?SubCategory=77

Depending on your standard, there are a number of bespoke brass instrument manufacturers in the UK as well. Smith Watkins Brass, and Taylor Trumpets, for starters.

Have a look on http://www.themouthpiece.com/vb/index.php?s= for some recent discussions on the relative merits of various makes.

Do you play in a band at all?

Hi there, I'm a poster on the mouthpiece and read quite a lot of stuff on there. Are you 'Squirrel' minus the Z? I'm a grade 8 standard player who is now at uni. Have been up here for a year but didn't get round to playing at all last year and in fact haven't played properly for several years. I've got a Getzen eterna and an oldish sovereign which I'm prepared to trade in but not sure how much I'd get for them in today's market. The eterna is in good nick, about 10 years old. The sov is older than that and the lacquer is pretty knackered on it.

I was at the Open gala concert last sunday but couldn't make the saturday, so couldn't get a look at the new Yamaha. I was never a fan of Maestros but apparently this is a better instrument.

The reason I want a change is that the Getzen is a bit thin in the upper register, whilst the sov blows easier but I don't like the valves. I prefer shorter travel. When I was a young lad it didn't bother me so much but it seems like things have moved on now and getting a new instrument might be beneficial.

I'm going to see Richard Marshall from Grimethorpe for lessons.

I'm about to join Tapton youth band just to get back into the swing of banding and playing regularly. I would like to take it further though. I know there are a few good bands in the area. I saw Stocksbridge wanted some cornet players but being out of practice I'm not sure I'm up to that just at the moment. Once I've been back into it for a few months then I'll see.

I'd be interested to know what deal you got on your prestige. How far did you manage to knock them down, and what did they give you for your old sov? I've heard good things about Smith Watkins too.

Once I'm back into regular practice and playing I'd like to at least get on the back bench at a first or even champ section band. Just got tp put some hard work in first.

Cheers.

Originally posted by Jonesy
Are you 'Squirrel' minus the Z? Guilty as charged! :D

I played on a Getzen Eterna a long time ago - know what you mean about it being a bit thin high up.

The deal on the Prestige, I basically ended up paying £825, including the trade-in. I guess it depends on what model of Sovereign you've got as to how much it's worth, but mine was worth about £375.

Once you've got your lip back in, there are a few bands of a reasonable standard in south yorkshire, surprisingly few in Sheffield though. Stocksbridge being the only Championship section band in the city, and Stannington (where I am), and Chapeltown, in the 1st section. Moving further afield, there's Barnsley Building Society Band, Wakefield Metropolitan, also in the 1st section, and Strata Brass who are a very good 2nd section band.

I've probably missed a few other bands of note (old age kicking in ;)), but I'd suggest when you're ready you go to a few different bands and see which one you feel you like most.

Most bands seem to be short of strong cornet players these days, so I'm sure you won't have any problems finding a suitable position.

Thanks for that info. So even firguring in the money you got for the trade-in, you got a very good price. Cheapest I can find for a prestige is about £1350.

The obvious question, and obviously it's very very subjective, but how does it play? Good points/bad points? Compared to Maestros and other inrtsuments you've played.

I don't know what it is with the Getzen. I borrowed someone else's and it was the same, so don't think it's just mine. It seems like as soon as you try and play an A or above, the sound becomes thin and airy. Beyond a super E, all sound quality disappears really.

Do you reckon that some bands will let me go along for a blow if I ask nicely even if they haven't got any current vacancies as such?

Cheers.

The Prestige has a very large bore, couple that with a deep cup mouthpiece and you get a very deep, mellow sound. Takes some filling though, even compared with a large bore sovereign.

It does have it's faults though, the tuning slide trigger is next to useless, for instance. Polish and grease it up nicely, and it works briefly, then sticks again. Some people have had problems with the valves on them - I've had the third valve stick at the start of a run on a cadenza, which was pretty embarrassing, but a one-off. Oh, and the laquer has tarnished around the base of both water keys.

The sound though is great, and you can get an amazing amount of air down the thing. The upper register seems pretty true, and its pretty effective above top C. The super-G at the end of Birdland is achieveable if a bit of a squeak, but super-F's are certainly possible.

I've not played a Maestro for a while, but the original ones seemed a bit of a hard sound. The new Yamaha Xeno is supposed to be pretty good though.

I'm pretty sure most bands would let you turn up for a blow, I can put you in touch with Stannington (obviously), Barnsley Building Society, and Strata, and can probably get you details for Chapeltown and South Yorkshire Police Bands if you want to try them.

If you're currently any where near grade 8 standard, I would have thought you'd be able to sit on the front row in 1st section quite easily!

Thanks for this info mate. Having never played in a contesting band I'm not really too sure what sort of standard individuals on front/back row are. Obviously to play in top bands like Dyke you have to pretty damn good even if you're the 'worst' cornet plater in the band but once you get down into your average champ/1st section band I'm not too sure what it's like, having never sat in there.

I had an offer to go and play with Derwent Brass (think they're still champ section) when I was a lad but unfortunately throughout my teens golf, football and the female sex took over a little so I never got round to it! Wish I'd done it now but at least it's not too late.

I've also read of valve issues on the prestige. Roger Webster obviously doesn't play each instrument for long enough to spot certain things!

The worst moment I ever had was the little button-style water key on the Getzen sticking and not coming back out! Bit hard to play with the it open....!

This is a long shot but you wouldn't happen to know what instrument David Daws plays thesedays would you? I've always been hugely envious of his sound (though of course much of it is down to him not the instrument!).

In terms of joining bands, do decent bands generally hold formalised auditions for vacancies, or will they invite you to come along for a blow so that they can see how you fit in?

I've no idea what David Daws plays on, in fact I'd never really heard of him before!

Most bands don't have formalised auditions in my experience, its more a case of turning up for a blow, and usually the conductor will ask the people sat either side of you their opinions. For an end chair position, however, you would probably be expected to play a solo.