This is AN INNOVATIVE IDEA, CLASSICAL wind instrument combining the advantages of
cornett, trumpet and clarinet.
1) It utilizes as sound generation method of buzzing the lips with trumpet mouthpieces (or wooden cornett mouthpieces ) , as brass instruments do. Thus for those that love this sound of the human lips in a trumpet mouthpiece as modulated by a material tube , the lip-o-phone, it is an instrument that they like too.
2) It utlizes the simpler method of diatonic scales notes layout and fingering system of a clarinet (e.g. if no keys an only holes a 8front +1 thump fingering system) based on the 1st and 3rd overtone mainly , which is simpler fingering for 7-notes diatonic scales melodies compared to a valved trumpet which based on at least 5 overtones and which with the valves favors the 12-notes chromatic scale
3) Its size compared to the root pitch is like that of the clarinet and in overall the wind instrument resembles a classical wooden cornett which also generates sound by buzzing the lips inside very small trumpet-like mouthpiece, except that it is not conical as the cornett but of straight tube as the clarinets.
4) Because it is not utilizing a cone or bell at the end the sound is not penetarting and loud but gendle silky, and soft as the other wind instruments (flute, clarinett, cornett etc). It must be noticed though that the art of buzzing the lips at a stable resonating pitch to the tube, as it is known from the brass instruments, is not easy. Playing brass instruments is more difficult than playing a duduk, a clarinet, or a saxophone just because of the lips buzzing stability issues not to mention the chromatic and non-diatonic layout of the notes by the valves (or slide). Still the lipophone is easier to play compared to a trumpet and most brass instruments and about as easy as playing the wooden cornett. Still more difficult than a duduk, a clarinet or a saxophone. If it is utlilized wooden cornett mouthpieces instead of brass trumpet mouthpieces, the pitch of the lips buzzing is more stable.
5) Sizes of 70 cm and root Bb3 are normal , but if someone would like lower roots Bb2 F2 , C2 etc and still be able to play them easily we should use flexible plastic pipes or tubes coiled around a cylinder, so that we can put the 8+1 holes close, and cover themeasily as if playing an alto A4, or Bb4 flute. A method much like that of the medieval wooden rackett wind instrument or the coiling of the tube of the brass wind instruments.
In the next picture is such Lipophone rooted at D3 and in the 2nd photo for comparison a conical type cornett (diatonic piccolo trumpet) . The cornett has a fingering system much like a whistle and saxophone (slightly different) , while the Lipophone a fingering system excatly as the clarinet.
And if for the body we utilize a clarinet tube and for mouth piece a french horn mouthpiece then this is shown in the next pictures
The picture below is of a mute cornett (diatonic piccolo trumpet) . The trumpet-like small cornett mouthpiece is inside the narrow upper hole of the wooden tube.
The picture below is a trumpet-like cornetti mouthpiece which is smaller than the trumpets (inner diameter from 12mm to 14mm, Trumpet mouthpieces have usually inner diameter 16mm-17mm.) .
A cornetti (diatonic piccolo trumet) mouthpiece can fit best after appropriate adoption to a
piccolo size clarinet tube or chalumeaux to give a more modern type of a soprano Lip-o-phone. Cornetti types mouthoieces are optimalin the 4th and 5th octaves.
1) As it turned out after experimentaion the various sizes of cornetti and brass winds mouthpieces are optimally correlated to particular octaves rather than particular instruments
2) Under this approach and classification the optimal octaves and mouthpieces go like this
a) Cornetti mouthpieces (11mm-15mm) are optimal in the 5th octave of the piano
b) French horn mouthpieces and mega 7C trumpet mouthpieces are optimal in the 4th octave of the piano
c) Alto-horn mouthpieces are optimal in the 3rd octave of the piano
d) Double trombone mouthpieces are optimal in the 2nd octave of the piano
3) From this point of view cornetti mouthpieces have a market musical need (besides cornetti players) for a big population of piccolo trumpet players! Inspite of the fact that due to industry tradition the musician themselves do not know it because they have not tried it!
I have tried it and they make greatly easier the playing of the piccolo trumpet compared to standard piccolo trumpet mouthpieces that are too big for the 5th octave!
4) Also the use cornetti mouthpieces for the oboe did not give very satisfactory results as the playing for some reason was falling to start from one octave lower than that of oboe. Instead the french horn mouthpieces for oboe were much satisfactory and besides a bit of volatility in the sound depending on the embouchure the intsrument was functional
The same exactly with the soprano saxophone and cornetti and French horn mouthpieces.
The correlation of mouthpieces and octaves holds also even for overtones flutes when instead of a fipple lips-base mouthpieces a re used.
