CarolBrass CPT-1000-YSS Mini Pocket Trumpet

By definition, any pocket trumpet or cornet is smaller than a conventional instrument of the same type and pitch. Yet within that definition, there can be a surprising range of dimensions, to the extent that some pocket trumpets are more than 10″ in length (mouthpiece removed). Include a bell with a normal bell diameter (~ 5.0″), and the resulting instrument won’t seem that much smaller than a compactly designed (but non-pocket) cornet. After all, the whole point of making a pocket instrument is for effect, either practical or visual, so the smaller the better. Average length (again, mouthpiece removed) is typically in the range of 8.75″ to 9.75″. What greeted me is an extraordinarily small instrument, one that measures just 6.75″ in length (2+ inches shorter than average), with a bell diameter of 3.75″. How small is that, historically speaking, as pocket instruments go? It happens to be the same length as the well-known, but incredibly rare, Holton C150 pocket cornet—an instrument discontinued when Holton ended trumpet production in Elkhorn, WI. The C150 was very closely patterned after the Philadelphia Distin “Baby” cornet won by Herbert Clarke in 1886 (who later had a long association with Holton). Even back in the late 19th century, when many companies made pocket cornets, the “Baby” was the smallest of them all. For many years, the C150 was touted as the world’s smallest pocket cornet. But the C150 has been out of production for some fifteen years, and even then, extremely few were ever produced. That being the case, the CPT-1000 is truly the world’s smallest pocket trumpet currently in production. Admittedly, we are talking about differences of a few inches, or even fractions of an inch. But when one considers the primary factors for wanting a pocket trumpet, this can be important. Use as a “travel trumpet” is often cited. If that’s the desired use, the CPT-1000’s case will fit easily in any suitcase and take up less space than many shaving cases. If the goal is “cool factor” during a live performance, then a pocket barely larger than your hand will have the desired effect. Carol Brass must certainly have had small children in mind as well. In recent years, unfortunately, school band directors have all but abandoned cornets for beginners, forcing youngsters to hold full-length trumpets out at arm’s length. The further the horn is held out, the heavier it will seem to become as time passes. Such a short trumpet is held quite close, and thus far more easily. This market likely dictated the three color choices for case piping. Due to the proliferation of cheaply made (and barely playable) pocket trumpets available online, it may be a challenge to convince band directors that the Mini Pocket Trumpet should be considered the exception and quite suitable for students.