jamiefoxer

I'm a newbie to trumpeting. About to start lessons.

I wanted to know, what are some good types of mouthpieces, which are good for what styles, which are "all purpose", and if there are some that are easier to play on. Basically, my new trumpet doesn't have a mouthpiece with it, so I was wondering what I should go for.

I plan to use the trumpet to (in the future) become a pro trumpeter, so I'd like to buy a professional grade mouthpiece (not a student model).

Can anyone help?

trickg

My advice to you is to use one of the following mouthpieces, whichever is most comfortable: Bach 7C, 5C or 3C. If you are a newbie, you don't need to look any further than those three.

Also, while I admire your enthusiasm, if you are truly new to playing, don't you think that it might be just a bit presumptuous, putting the cart in front of the horse so to speak, to plan on being a pro trumpet player at this stage of the game? Some of us have been at it quite a long time and are not "pros". What I'm trying to say is that while hard work will take you a long way toward that goal, you are also going to have to have a certain amount of inate ability, ie talent, to leverage toward that goal. It isn't something that just happens as a natural progression of playing and practicing. Most people will have to overcome a roadblock or two (or five or six!) before attaining the level of proficiency to play at a pro level. For some, it's range, for others, it fingers, and for others, it might be a sound issue. Sometimes hard work alone is enough to overcome the limitation, but in some cases, the issue has to be looked into from different angles and sometimes a whole new approach is necessary in order to overcome whatever playing obstacle is in front of you.

Best of luck to you and keep us posted on your progress.

__________________
Patrick Gleason
email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com

"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
"At my signal, unleash hell."
- Maximus Decimus Meridius

Manny Laureano

May I echo what Patrick said in a different way?

I don't know if you're a junior high student who's never played anything or a college student who's played piano for ten years or a horn player in high school who's switching to trumpet.

In any case, the trumpet must be enjoyed for its own sake before professional aspirations are entertained. While I like that you have a plan for your future, it's just unnecessary until you find your voice on the trumpet. The most important thing to decide on is a basic size. Do you have very thin lips? Do you have very thick lips? The size, for now, is more important.

I started out on junk and now play the best I can afford because my job demands it. All that is demanded by you is a sound that you love that keeps you motivated to play better and better. If you've never played a brass instrument, it takes a while to develop the muscles and coordination of sound-motivated thought, so, go with what makes it easiest. If you have played a brass instrument you know what I'm talking about. Your instincts need time to settle in so you can play expressively.

Good luck,

ML

brassmouth

Also, remember to try more then one brand of mouthpieces when picking the first one. For instance, i hate Bach mouthpieces, and i play much better on other brands like Schilke, Giardinelli, or Parduba, for instance. Just because most people use a certain brand doesn't mean it will be equally as benaficial to you.

Heavens2kadonka

Brassmouth,

I would disagree. He needs to learn how to produce tone before he can become a mouthpiece connoisseur like the rest of us.

Find a Bach 3C, 5C, and 7C. Put them up to your lips, see which one feels the most comfortable. Go from there.

I started on a 5C.

Oh, and I agree with the above statements. Dont play just to be the best, or be better than someone. Play for fun, then for love. See where those two feelings take you.

Van

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trickg

I started on a 5B for cornet. Later I moved to a 7C, (when I inherited my sister's Yamaha YTR 739T trumpet) which worked very well for me until I got a wild hair to buy a new mouthpiece because it had a neat display in the store and they looked very cool. The mouthpiece?

Marcinkiewicz.

I'm not sure now why I made the change, other than at the time it was just assumed that as you advanced as a player, then a mouthpiece change was in order. I was a sophomore in HS at the time and I consider it to be one of my more foolish decisions regarding things that have altered my playing. I didn't need to make a mouthpiece change and the adaptive process took well over a month.

My advice stays the same - 3C, 5C or 7C and go from there.

__________________
Patrick Gleason
email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com

"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
"At my signal, unleash hell."
- Maximus Decimus Meridius

brassmouth

when i read this i laughed. I dont know about you but i'm certainly not a mouthpiece connoisseur. is it even possible to be a mouthpiece connisseur in this day and age?sounds more like an oxymoron to me.

Rick Chartrand

This may be a bit of a late entry into this thread, but when I started out I played a Getzen 7c that came with my new Getzen horn I purchased at that time.

One of the big problems for me in the beginning is that I had a heck of a time playing the 7c because it was to big for me way back then. My lips now are very well developed after 15 years, and I can go for 2 hours or more on a Bach 1c that I have in my mouthpiece collection.

If you are just starting out I think you should try a Holton Heim #2 which is a 10c. It is extremly easy to play and is a small cup mouthpiece, but is a V-Cup which gives it a very lyrical sound.

To this day I play a Heim and love it. It gives me tremendous endurance and great high notes.

Rick AKA Trumpet Man