Solar Bell

Manny,

I haven't played a C trumpet in 30 years. (and then only once or twice)

I am requested to play one in a couple weeks. I have a friend's Schilke C1 trumpet, very nice horn. he sounds great on it.

Very unpleasant surprise for me yesterday.

I picked it up and I sound TERRIBLE on it! (worse than my Bflat!)

The pitch in my head is fine, i don't have a problem with that, but the SOUND is just thin and tinny and sounds really pinched.

I have been playing the same mouthpice for over 25 years. It was a Jet Tone Bill Chase and is now a GR equivalent
A relatively shallow mouthpiece. I get a big and fat sound on the Bflat but I am stumped by this.

I found the biggest mouthpiece in the house, my son's Bach 10 1/2 C that was a LITTLE better, but the rim is too narrow.

As i said, it's not the horn it's me, so I called 911.

I am a veteran player, but I know many high school and college players are getting their first C trumpets. Maybe this will help them too....

BUT.....Help me!!!!

-cw-

__________________
Chuck Willard
The Willard of Oz

"Don't be afraid to see what you see."
Ronald Reagan

Manny Laureano

Chuck,

If it's possible to find a similar rim and a deeper cup, that's your first line of attack, says I. It'll be a gradual process and if you can get yourself to a really hip music store with a vast array of mouthpieces you'll be in luck. Go real gradual and find the outer limits of what feels comfortable and what sounds best. If you can strike that balance, you win!

ML

Solar Bell

Manny,

It's off to the pro shop I go.

One more question, (maybe two)

I'm learning the mechanics after 45+ years of playing,

Why, if the C trumpet, or D or any high brass is a smaller horn, is shorter, why would I need a deeper mouthpiece.

It just seems that a bigger horn would need more air or a bigger mouthpiece.

Teach this "old dog" something.

-cw-

__________________
Chuck Willard
The Willard of Oz

"Don't be afraid to see what you see."
Ronald Reagan

Manny Laureano

Chuck,

It's just a question of personal preference, I think. You don't continue the idea to its extreme or the intonation would be horrible. But you're starting from a point where the mouthpiece is small enough that deepening the cup for the C is a good idea. Vacchiano played a D trumpet with a very large mouthpiece, larger than his C or Bb mouthpiece. It would have sounded tubby on his Bb but for the D it was perfect relative to his idea of the orchestral sound. So, that's really it. It's about what the best, richest orchestral sound you can summon up is.

ML

trumpetnick

Chuck,

I am not a veteran yet but wondering why os so important that you play the thing on C? Many players that I met in London are not using C trumpets at all, even when they play a piece written for C trumpet. I remember a lesson that I had with Rod Franks (LSO) on where I played the Honegger Intrada for trumpet and piano, originally written for C trumpet. As Rod had forgotten his horn at the orchestra pit, I gave him my horn so he can demonstrate something. The Horn was my C spada. He toke it and try to play but it sounded awfull...it is only then then Rod realised that it that was a C trumpet. Then he asked me to give him my B flat horn. Then he sounded like he usually do-just amazing. Well, he uses in the orchestra other high horns, mainly E flat and piccolo on regular basis, but he never uses ther C trumpet and he is doing amazingly well...You will probably be OK with the C trumpet playing in a couple of weeks, but why not do what you can best? Just a material for thinking...

__________________
Spada Bach B flat 72, leadpipe 2L/DWMM1.5C
Spada Bach C 256, leadpipe 2LQ/DWMM1.5C
1956 Olds Ambassador Cornet
Spada Custom Piccolo

If you don't know where you are going, you 'll end up someplace else

Vulgano Brother

It is strange, but some horns are meant to be played with deeper mouthpieces -- I can fake a good legit sound with a Curry Z cup on a conventional Bb, but it sounds downright wrong on a rotary Bb or C trumpet, and then sounds ok again on Eb and picc. It is not uncommon to find players that use a B cup on C and a D cup on Bb. (Unless they're playing Manny's favourite brand.) Find what works, and file the right horn/mouthpiece combo under "V" for "Voodoo."

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