Hi,
I want to learn cornet, but is this wise being a flute player. I don't want it to affect my flute playing, but if it does, is there an instrument that will be okay.

how about something that doesnt involve your lips?????......piano?.....string instrument?

Good Luck

If cornet were to affect your playing, I wouldn't think that any brass instrument would work. Percussion's incredible, though! (And will help flute, as it improves rhythm!)

I was told not to learn a different instrument after saxophone and clarinet as it would affect my embrochure. I have decided to try piano, and I have a guitar but I dont play that.

People do play both brass and woodwind sucessfully.

Isn't saying that it will affect your embouchure a bit like saying 'If the wind changes your face will stick like that' to a child who is pulling faces?

You'd play flute like a flute and cornet like a cornet...... might be a bit awkward going directly from one to the other without a break but otherwise is there really a major problem? You use muscles in other parts of your body in more than one way without any trouble so why not your mouth?

I agree

If anything it makes your playing stronger as you are excercising more muscles in your mouth, I have noticed this in my own playing. I play both Brass and Woodwind and manage swapping between the two fine, even straight after one another

No problem playing the two. I had people saying to me that it wouldn't work but I find it best not to think about it. As long as if you play both equally then it's fine. I play flute, sax, clarinet and trumpet, and scraping away on the violin, just to give my lips a rest. I'm working like mad at the moment on trumpet for an exam, and I know my flute tone is suffering a little but that's only because I've hardly played it in the last few weeks, it'll soon come back though, hopefully!
Go for it!

I play trumpet and flute (along with other things) and dont have any trouble, but I dont take playing the trumpet seriously and I tought myself and just play hymns for church. I think if I went to a teacher they would try to make me change my embouchure. The only brass instrument that flautists should think about is the French Horn because of the lip usage - Flute and French horn both use 2/3 upper lip, 1/3 lower when it comes to embouchure technique, but all other brass is the opposite could cause problems. I have freind who plays horn to Diploma standard and she has been told that the only other wind instrument she is allowed to play is the flute for the same reasons.

As long ago as 1970, I recall Alan Lumsden saying that the low embouchure (2/3 lower lip) was no longer favoured among orchestral brass teachers. It may remain in the brass band world, for all I know.

i took up the trumpet 2 months ago and to be honest everytime i cannot play very good tone on flute after i have been playing the trumpet, i need a rest in between.

I know many people say that flute and brass shouldn't be mixed. I discovered only a short time ago that a very good tenor horn player I know actually also plays flute, which surprised me a little - so it can be done. I also know a cornet player who started off on flute, and although I don't think she still plays it very much any more, she managed with both. If cornet is what you want to learn, I say you should go for it - or at least give it a try!

Thanks for all the replies.

I suspect it's one of those personal things - I know a lot of people who are very much "learn whatever you like, it'll all help, nothing will give a bad effect" - BUT I also know people who have had to give up other instruments because their flute (or whatever) embouchure has been adversely affected. It's probably something you have to try, to find out if it'll work for you.