It appears that my gripes about how rehearsals were being taken have been reinforced by others in the band and the recently rehearsals have been a lot better, though there’s always a danger of it slipping back through habit.

I’m particularly looking forward to next Tuesday’s rehearsal as we have members of Fodens band coming to give instruction and also to let us try some of their old Courtois instruments. It’s always good to get advice from other players, particularly from those who play in one of the top brass bands in the UK.

One concern I have though is that we have been told that it is the band’s intention to purchase a set of instruments, possibly the set from Foden’s, with a view to everyone in each section playing the same type of instrument. This concerns me because I currently play a Besson Sovereign cornet and choose this instrument after auditioning it alongside other cornets from Schilke, Getzen and Holton. I settled on the Sov because it was comfortable for me to play, offering the right amount of feedback, had the right weight and produced a nice tone. I don’t pretend that I can play it well, but for me, it was the right instrument.

I don’t mind trying new instruments, after all I’ve never played a Courtois cornet and it may be that I get on with really well. But what if I don’t? Am I going to be forced to play an instrument that I don’t find right for me? If it comes down to this I suspect I’ll be looking for another band.