David Monette
Encyclopedia
David G. Monette is an American
craftsman
who designs and builds custom-built brass instruments and mouthpiece
s for musician
s.
Monette's experience as a trumpeter and the influence of acoustician Arthur Benade lead Monette to redesign the trumpet mouthpiece with the goal of improving playability and sound quality. Since the first mouthpieces reached the market in 1985, Monette has made mouthpieces for tuba
, trombone
, Eb trumpet, and A and Bb piccolo trumpet.
He has designed mouthpieces and trumpets for Maynard Ferguson
, Wynton Marsalis
and Charles Schlueter
, as well as tubist Chester Schmitz. Monette designed the flumpet
, a combination of a trumpet
and flugelhorn
, for jazz
musicians Art Farmer
and Mark Isham
.
Monette designed his first trumpet in 1983. A perfectionist, he has said that his vision is to create a trumpet with the "perfect sound", which, according to Monette, is a sound that "gets out of the way" of the connection between a musician and an audience.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
craftsman
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...
who designs and builds custom-built brass instruments and mouthpiece
Mouthpiece (brass)
On brass instruments the mouthpiece is the part of the instrument which is placed upon the player's lips. The purpose of the mouthpiece is a resonator, which passes vibration from the lips to the column of air contained within the instrument, giving rise to the standing wave pattern of vibration in...
s for musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s.
Monette's experience as a trumpeter and the influence of acoustician Arthur Benade lead Monette to redesign the trumpet mouthpiece with the goal of improving playability and sound quality. Since the first mouthpieces reached the market in 1985, Monette has made mouthpieces for tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, Eb trumpet, and A and Bb piccolo trumpet.
He has designed mouthpieces and trumpets for Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
, Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
and Charles Schlueter
Charles Schlueter
Charles Schlueter, born in Du Quoin, Illinois, is the retired principal trumpeter of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Schlueter studied with William Vacchiano at the Juilliard School...
, as well as tubist Chester Schmitz. Monette designed the flumpet
Flumpet
The flumpet is a hybrid musical instrument blending qualities of the trumpet and flugelhorn.It was inspired by Art Farmer, a virtuoso jazz musician who traveled with both a trumpet and a flugelhorn in his baggage. He played with equal facility on both, but switched from one to the other to exploit...
, a combination of a trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
and flugelhorn
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
, for jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musicians Art Farmer
Art Farmer
Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet/flugelhorn combination designed for him by David Monette. His identical twin brother, Addison Farmer Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa –...
and Mark Isham
Mark Isham
Mark Isham is an American trumpeter, synthesist, and film composer. He works in a variety of genres, including jazz, electronic, and film.-Life and career:...
.
Monette designed his first trumpet in 1983. A perfectionist, he has said that his vision is to create a trumpet with the "perfect sound", which, according to Monette, is a sound that "gets out of the way" of the connection between a musician and an audience.