The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B♭. It is not related to the medieval cornett or cornetto.
Trumpets were slower to adopt the new valve technology, so for the next 100 years or more, composers often wrote separate parts for trumpet and cornet. The trumpet would play fanfare-like passages, while the cornet played more melodic passages.
Cornets are made in a given key (usually the key of B♭) play @ the same pitch, and the technique for playing the instruments is nearly identical. It can be effective in cutting through even the loudest tutti climax.
The tubing of the cornet has a mostly conical bore, starting very narrow at the mouthpiece and gradually widening towards the bell. The conical bore is primarily responsible for its characteristic warm, mellow tone, which can be distinguished as a unique from other brass band instruments. . The cornet is often preferred for young beginners for students as it is easier to hold, with its centre of gravity much closer to the player.
