The flumpet is a hybrid musical instrument

Musical instrument

A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...

 blending qualities of the 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...

.

It was inspired by 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 –...

, a virtuoso 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...

 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 each instrument's tonal qualities. The trumpet is more strident, the flugelhorn more mellow.

The Monette Corporation

David Monette

David G. Monette is an American craftsman who designs and builds custom-built brass instruments and mouthpieces for musicians.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...

 first designed and made a prototype of the flumpet for Art Farmer in 1989. http://www.monette.net/newsite/instruments_flumpet.htm

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:...

also plays a Monette flumpet (built for him in 1995). http://www.isham.com/trumpet.html

External links

• About Art Farmer's Flumpet
• Flumpet II - sales description at Monette