Blowing my own Trumpet...

[ajaxfetish]

I played the trumpet through Jr. High before switching to the French Horn. You won't find one that sounds like a sax, but there are some different types. The standard one is the Bb trumpet, and that'd probably be the best for you. It does take a while to learn, largely because you need much stronger lips than you do for most other activities, so unless you compete in kissing tournaments, you'll need to build them up (kind of like getting callouses for the guitar). The standard trumpet has a cylindrical bore which gives it that bright, brassy tone. There's numerous manufacturers of varying quality, so you should do a little research before buying to know how good yours is. I haven't checked it out in years so I don't know what kind of price range to expect. (you might want to rent one first to get a feel for the instrument before making the investment to buy one. Any local music store should have them available for rental)

The main two variations I can think of are the piccolo trumpet, a very small trumpet with 4 valves (the buttons you press down), and the cornet, which is actually a different instrument, but very similar. The difference there is that the cornet has a conical bore, which gives it a darker, more melodious sound (it's the same difference between the trombone and French Horn, if that gives you any idea of the tonal change).

Anyway, it's a great instrument, and I hope you have fun.

Ajax