bigpapajosh

is it worth it to have a copper bell? im looking at having one put on my horn, i hear that they provide better feedback, and this is appealing to me because i sometimes get lost in the section and cant hear myself, but i dont know if it really makes that big of a difference. and if i decide to have this done, where should i get the bell, and who should do attach it.

tunefultrumpet

I found that a copper bell can have quite a different sound compared to normal brass bells. It can give you a very distinctive sound for chamber group or jazz combo where you are the only trumpet. But I'm not sure that it would blend quite as well for you with your section. They are supposed to have the best projection at distance of any metal. I don't think it would give you appreciably more feedback. If you are sitting between players who play quite strongly on the same part you may still have problems hearing yourself.

rowuk

Bigpapajosh,
I have a question: if your horn doesn't do the job, why do you still have it?

Comment: the copper bell will NOT solve your problem. Whether or not they provide better feedback depends on much more than the copper.

If you do not hear yourself in the section, the easiest thing to do is to adjust your music stand to reflect sound back to you.

There are a ton of reasons why one cannot hear themselves and most are unrelated to hardware. If the band is not in tune, getting lost is normal. If your sound is thinner than your neighbors, it is also normal. If everybody is playing too damn loud, a third reason.

Copper can make your sound darker and that makes it even harder to be heard.

Suggestion: trade horns with somebody in the section and compare notes after the rehearsal. You may be in for a surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!

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miles71

A copper bell will be able to blend with anything, and it can project over anything. Depends on the rest of the horn and the player.

TD

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bigpapajosh

its not that people around me play too loud, the band is decently in tune, and i love the way the horn plays, i just need a way to hear myself, and i think ill try the stand angle.

Grizzle

If you can't hear yourself, you're probably playing in tune. That's why 2nd tier string players are always playing sharp--because they can't hear themselves unless they play sharp!

Herseth was always heard, even at low dynamics. It's all about the sound opulence, which is usually something only the player can fix. You can't teach a horn a darn thing.

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R.A.S.

What kind of horn are you playing, and what horns are the others in your section playing? Thickness of metals on the horns? Kind of plating or laquer? Size of horn bore? etc. ........

What size mouthpiece are you and others playing on?

I have a mostly-copper (rose brass) bell on my C, and I love it.
I also have played on a brass + silverplate version of my C, and it was beautiful, too.

Get to an expert teacher who can listen to you and help you decide what (if anything) to do.

bigpapajosh

im on a stage one vintage, with a warburton 3md top 7 backbore, i tried the stand angle method to no avail today. the rest of the section is on various horns ranging from getzen, benge, conn and bach.

i notice the horn has much less feedback than my benge and buescher, but the sound is too good to pass up.

R.A.S.

Sounds like this is a question for Manny (Laureano).

miles71

Blending is a good thing in a band, you shouldn't hear yourself sticking out.

Ask your buddies in the section if they can hear you well enough to blend and see what they say. I dont think any horn has a great deal of feedback, after all they all face away from us

TD

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www.domenicomusic.com