Denis Wick Cornet Guide
The cornet mouthpiece is not a smaller trumpet mouthpiece. It uses a funnel-shaped cup that defines the instrument's characteristic round, blending tone. Denis Wick pioneered the modern cornet mouthpiece and remains the British brass band reference.
Cornet ≠ Small Trumpet Mouthpiece
A trumpet mouthpiece has a bowl-shaped cup (U or V profile at the base). A cornet mouthpiece has a funnel-shaped cup — wide at the rim, tapering continuously to the throat without a distinct cup-throat transition. This difference alone creates the cornet's warmer, more blending tone character versus the trumpet's projecting brilliance.
The cup has a distinct flat or U-shaped bottom before the throat transition. Creates a clear acoustic break between the vibrating air column and the leadpipe. Produces focused, brilliant, projecting tone. The throat transitions sharply.
No distinct cup bottom — the shape tapers continuously from rim to throat like an inverted cone. Larger effective resonating volume at the top encourages warmer harmonics. The air enters the leadpipe more gradually, producing the round, blending character of the cornet sound.
Never use a trumpet mouthpiece in a cornet or vice versa — the shank outer diameter differs (cornet is larger), and the cup geometry would produce wrong tone color and intonation. Even "trumpet-in-cornet" adaptors change the geometry enough to alter slotting.
Denis Wick Cornet Numbering
Denis Wick cornet models use a simple descending number system where lower numbers = larger rim diameter. Unlike Bach (which uses letter suffixes for cup depth), DW cornet models without a suffix are always the standard funnel cup. Suffixes like "B" indicate a narrower bore variant.
Quick rule: DW 2 = large orchestral rim; DW 4 = standard all-around; DW 5 = student default; DW 6 = smaller embouchure. Heritage series uses the same numbers with updated rim geometry — narrower inner peak, more focused articulation.
| Model | Rim (mm) | Series | Cup | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DW 2 | 17.40 | Standard & Heritage | Funnel / Medium | Large, open orchestral cornet; brass band principal solo |
| DW 3 | 17.00 | Standard & Heritage | Funnel / Medium | Orchestral / brass band; most popular large-scale cornet model |
| DW 4 | 16.76 | Standard & Heritage | Funnel / Medium | All-around brass band and concert band model |
| DW 5 | 16.20 | Standard & Heritage | Funnel / Medium | Standard student model; widely used for learning |
| DW 6 | 15.88 | Standard & Heritage | Funnel / Medium | Smaller rim for students and players with smaller embouchures |
| DW 10 | 15.24 | Standard | Shallow | Smaller rim, shallow cup; high register specialist |
| Heritage 2 | 17.40 | Heritage | Funnel / Medium | Heritage rim geometry; more focused articulation than standard 2 |
| Heritage 4 | 16.76 | Heritage | Funnel / Medium | Heritage all-rounder; modern British brass band default |