Pocket Trumpet

The Pocket Trumpet is a 'fun sized' member of the brass family. It has the same length of tubing and is pitched in Bb, however by winding the tubing much more tightly it is reduced to a more compact overall size. It has a cylindrical bore, so is definitely a trumpet rather than a cornet, but the bell diameter is much smaller than a standard one. This tightly wrapped tubing and smaller bell means that the air flow is more restricted than on a normal trumpet resulting in an instrument that is not as free blowing with a tone that is somewhat thinner.

You are unlikely to find a pocket trumpet in any traditional group such as an orchestra, concert or brass band. They really are a novelty instrument but can be good fun if used in the right performance environment. Technically they can be played in any ensemble that has trumpet parts but as mentioned above the overall sound quality would suffer.