Let’s compare the regular trumpet and pocket trumpet. You might be surprised to know that there are not too many differences to speak about here except for the compact size.
But yes, we can definitely get into more details. First and foremost, pocket trumpets have so many advantages compared to the regular trumpets.
They look way more jazz to begin with. The most important factor is that it is easily portable. You can easily fit this into a briefcase and carry it around wherever you go without any difficulty. Moreover, they are far cheaper. Sound quality is something everyone wonders about.
Let me tell you, it provides the same sound quality as the full-size trumpet. However, they might be slightly different. Pocket size trumpets tend to produce thinner sound in comparison. Also, pocket size trumpets are louder.
The finer points
Now let’s focus on the finer points.
- As you can imagine, pocket trumpet offers far more novelty in comparison.
- Since the tubing is so tight, you may find it harder to play.
- You would also miss the projection and warmth of the regular trumpet.
- What about the preferences of the musicians? To be honest, most of the professional musicians don’t want to use it. They still prefer the regular trumpet for obvious reasons. The only person who promotes pocket trumpets is Don Cherry. Maybe it needs time to catch up. Times are changing really fast, so who knows.
- Speaking of the price, pocket trumpets are comparatively cheaper in general. You can see that in the case of common brands like CarrolBrass, Jupiter, Kanstul, etc. However, some of those brands can be as expensive as the regular trumpet brands.
- As everyone knows, despite producing similar sound quality, professionals are not ready to use it extensively yet. It is still considered as a novelty piece of instrument. And I would suggest you to use it only as a novelty for now.
The quality
There are people who would say that you should stay away from pocket trumpets. And there are people who would endorse it wholeheartedly. So, where exactly does it stand?
Well, first and foremost, nobody can debate the fact that it is compact in size and easy to carry around. You can fit it in a suite case and carry it around wherever you want to go.
And as for the sound produced, the better quality ones produce quality sound which can be compared to the sound produced by the regular trumpet.
The tone really matches. And a regular listener may not find much difference at all. It can be a bit louder for the player as it is very close to your ears.
And there is a suggestion that the sound produced is thinner. Whatever be the case, except for the size, it pretty much offers the same thing.
Trouble areas
However, there are a couple of issues that you need to consider. First and foremost, it is difficult to play for sure. If you are not used to it, you might find it hard to master.
Also, you will come across so many cheaper versions on the market today. And the cheaper versions produce very poor quality sound. In that case, you can put it in the showcase as a display item.
It won’t be helpful at all during a performance. But that is not the case when it comes to the quality pocket trumpets available in the market today.
It’s new
As you can imagine, whenever something new is introduced, it often meets with resistance. And people take time to warm up to it. This might be one of the reasons why many bands and orchestra are not ready to accommodate it yet.
Also, not enough professional players have given it a fair chance. So, who knows, things might change drastically in the future.
Considering it is small and easy to carry, more and more professional players might try it. Also, students can play a big role in popularizing it.
Whenever you decide to buy a pocket trumpet, buy it from the best in the business. Maybe you have to spend more money, but it is totally worth it. I believe that pocket trumpets are going to get more and more popular in the coming days.
