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Since my Dad is a self-taught amateur musician, he used to play at home for us.
At that time he owned a music shop and one Saturday at the store he pulled out a cornet and asked if I wanted to give it a try.
This was a year before school kids usually start playing and I was excited about trumpets, music and playing like my Dad.
In my opinion a good instrument is worth its higher price. Some of the cheaper trumpets really play terribly and that can make a student feel as if they have no talent or natural ability. Is there anything worse than that? Unfortunately most cheap instruments are that bad. Getting help from a good trumpet player when picking a trumpet is ideal or otherwise stick with the best and most consistent new beginner model trumpet available, the Yamaha.
Purchasing an intermediate or pro model for a beginner is fine because the trumpet may last you a lifetime.
The biggest problem is that young children usually don’t know yet how to take proper care of the instrument.
Trumpets are low maintenance in general but performance quality and resale value are highly affected by condition and a student model is designed to be more resistant.
Another thing is that there aren’t many intermediate models trumpets on the market.
One instrument I can highly recommend is the intermediate Yamaha model YTR-2335. It is a fantastic instrument on which I have performed many times myself.
I found it a good compromise between beginner and professional levels and playing on a great instrument is much easier and more fun!
Assuming the used instrument is in excellent condition, I would go for the higher-grade model. Remember, some blemishes do not affect the performance of the trumpet. Of course there are certain dents, wear and rot that can render a trumpet nearly useless. However shiny does not necessarily mean the trumpet is a good one. Wonderful old horns may not look beautiful, they just sound beautiful. Even some new horns have no plating and look a little rough. If there is no critical damage, it can be worth improving the cosmetics of a used trumpet as well.
Currently, the conventional wisdom on the very inexpensive brands is that they should be avoided. In general they don’t play well, are not constructed well, they have no resale value and many repair people may not be willing to try to fix them because of their shoddy quality.
Picking a trumpet for a student can be like guess work for parents.
The simplest approach is to stay with name brands and/or get help from a professional player.
Necessary features such as first and third slide tuning saddles are put on nearly all decent trumpets.
How does a parent know which features are important? Research.
Finally, the only instrument manufacturer in the world famous for their quality control and resulting consistency is Yamaha.
The Bore size of a trumpet refers to the diameter of the trumpet’s tubing particularly the pipe in to which the mouthpiece goes.
99% of the world’s trumpet players use medium large Bb trumpets and large bore C trumpets so if you go with that, you’re on the safe side.
When a player is already able to feel the different performance characteristics testing variously sized trumpets then he/she can choose for himself/herself.
Looks are not the only difference. Lacquer plating, silver plating and gold over silver plating are of different thickness and vibrate differently.
Furthermore raw brass is another option.
While the sound difference can be substantial for the professional, young players will be fine with any type of plating regarding the sound.
Unfortunately each one has its own special disadvantages:
Lacquer will eventually wear off, silver will tarnish and wear, gold will wear slowly, raw brass will turn one’s hands green and can cause infections.
Moreover the quality and resulting durability of the plating varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, so make sure that there is a limited guarantee on plating.
It is important is that your trumpet has saddles or rings to move the 1st and 3rd slides in and out while playing.
Valve springs should be located on the top part of each valve, (notice: flugel horns will be different).
Valves should move up and down easily without sticking and the tuning slide should be easy to slide in and out.
A good mouthpiece should fit easily and snugly in the lead pipe without any wobbling. I suggest a standard mouthpiece for example from Yamaha, Bach or Schilke.
Yes to a certain degree, but some reasonably priced trumpets also play well.
In the lofty range of artist level horns there are some hyper expensive trumpets that are not easy to play due to their large bore sizes, weight or quirky design.
I personally have my problems with these instruments and therefore don’t buy them. In this case more cost is not a guarantee the horn will work more easily.
C and D trumpets are differently pitched instruments as their name implies.
One is pitched in C the other in D etc. You can recognize then by their different sizes because the C trumpet is shorter than the Bb and the D is shorter than both.
The common school horn is pitched in Bb whereas the C trumpet is the most common in symphony orchestras. The D trumpet is more specialized and used less.
Differently pitched trumpets are used for their individual sound qualities and ease of performance execution having to do with different fingerings and different physical feelings while playing them.
A I said the Bb is more or less the standard for beginners but there are many other trumpets of various lengths and keys used by advanced students and professionals as well.
Most trumpet students begin in school around the age of 9 or 10. There is no problem to begin earlier if the student shows interest and is big enough to hold up a cornet. I myself was 7 when I started and rather small for my age. There will come nothing bad out of starting early on the trumpet or cornet but I think from the physical aspect in general it does not make much sense to begin before the age of 7.
Becoming involved in music at the earliest age possible will be an enormous help for a child or anyone else for that matter. It is scientifically proven that there are immediate benefits in brain development available through playing the simplest instruments, percussion, piano and singing, along with activities involving rhythmic study, creative thought and musical/social interaction. I think the piano is a fantastic way to begin learning to read and appreciate music at an early age, but it is not necessary. Beginning on trumpet is just fine. It may look difficult to you but it’s not as complicated as many other instruments. Getting a handle on tone production is the greatest challenge while learning the trumpet.
If you have a good teacher and follow the techniques I purport a decent tone can be produced immediate or nearly so.
Some people will be more‘natural’at playing trumpet than others. But you don’t know this until you try.
Technique is another matter in terms of practice. The effect of time practiced on technical development is direct and literal.
Only one brand has the high level of quality control possible to insure each trumpet is exactly like another and is impeccably made. That is Yamaha. With other brands the only way to be sure what you’re getting is to take a teacher/professional trumpet player with you to evaluate the trumpets available at the store.
Absolutely not! If you can blow out candles on your birthday cake you can play trumpet. Since the lungs are not a muscle it doesn’t require any great strength to get air into your lungs.
It just automatically flows in. People usually think you need strong lungs but it is actually the diaphragm (muscle between the lungs and the stomach) you use to control your breathing.
This muscle is used no matter if you blow out candles or play the trumpet so it doesn’t require any special strength to learn trumpet.
Other factors in playing trumpet are technique, finesse, embouchure control and mouth corner strength developed through daily practice.
Some strength comes into play concerning professional level volume, very high notes and long endurance. The balance of these elements through consistent practice is one key to success.
Don’t forget, all of this is done to produce beautiful and exciting music, and to train the brain. Generally speaking, if you allow a child to follow his heart in choosing his/her instrument, trumpet or not, you have made a wise decision.
The very beginning time on any instrument is the most crucial time of all.
Unfortunately bad habits can form almost immediately without proper guidance and it is remarkably difficult to break them even after a short period of time.
These problems can be incorrect breathing, bad hand position and wrong embouchure placement to name only a few.
A lesson every few days for a month or longer from a professional teacher would be my ideal scenario.
I know that school band programs do the best they can with their limited time. Your band director will, of course, be most comfortable teaching his/her main instrument.
It is impossible, having so many students and not enough time, to get everyone started correctly on every instrument and police student progress over and over each year.
Many schools have several music teachers with varied backgrounds to help solve this problem.
While that is a huge and wonderful help, students with private lessons from the start are likely to have a much greater success rate.
I was once at a rural middle school where all of the trumpet students tried to play with a “down-stream-over-bite-pucker” with horrendous results.
I asked if their teacher played clarinet. “Yes,” came the reply.
This is not a comment on the clarinet. It is just a comment to illustrate the fact what can happen if students learn their instrument in school.
It is a rare music educator who can successfully start beginners on all of the instruments.
One on one private lessons are best. Periodic group lessons are wonderful means with which to gain ensemble experience, practice intonation with others, interact musically and have fun.
Possible? Yes. There are a number of books for self-learning and rich information can be found on the internet. But is it likely to be successful? No. Only with professional help a student can develop from a beginner to a good player. A teacher is able to see and hear faults of which the player himself/herself might be unaware of and therefore cannot correct by himself/herself.
Arban - Grand Method
St. Jacome - Method
Schlossberg - Method
Herbert L. Clarke - Technical Studies
Rubank - Method
And oh yeah!
Vizzutti - Trumpet Method
Vizzutti - New Concepts for Trumpet
There are many beginner band methods in the US school band programs with which I am not that familiar.
The methods above, except Rubank are not really beginner books. I am in the process of writing a beginner trumpet method to modernize that niche.
Beginners should practice about 15 minutes building quickly to about 30 minutes daily. Any trumpet player is able to play 30 minutes after a week or two.
Motivated students can also play 30 minutes twice a day and split practice often produces wonderful results.
My experience with modern day young students illustrates the following observation.
It is not the young trumpet students’ physical ability that limits their practice time; it is usually a lack of mental focus and minimal work ethic.
More advanced players can also use split practice for more daily practice time. With a minimum of an hour a day good results are possible.
Some students who enjoy practicing will do so many more hours a day than others. Be smart though and know when to stop.
You will never hurt yourself physically if you avoid too much left hand and finger ring pressure, but you can be counter productive if your extra practicing makes your embouchure feel stiff and inflexible and you continue to play.
A balance of a good workout and not over-doing is necessary.
In my case, I have gone through periods where I practiced and played 8 hours a day or more. In high school the longest I practiced over a significant period was 4 hours a day in two sessions.
At the Eastman School of Music I practiced and performed countless hours a day. The least amount of time I practice on a daily basis is 1-2 hours.
But I know that most players don’t practice that long. I have a good understanding of my own playing and can push my limits and still get better without creating unnecessary stiffness in my embouchure.
But this is an individual decision and most advanced players know how long they can practice.
Most trumpet players sit when they practice but it is actually better to stand.
Posture is an important physical factor particularly concerning the relaxed and voluminous breathing required to play trumpet well. Standing promotes better posture.
Unfortunately for me it also promotes back pain.
The angle of your trumpet in reference to the ground is completely dictated by your teeth and jaw. Artificial manipulation of the natural angle will create great unhappiness.
the majority are‘down-stream’ players, that is, the bell points downward, some players with flat teeth or an under-bite will point upward of parallel to the ground.
Go with the NATURAL and COMFORTABLE way. It is best.
A word about holding the trumpet with the valves vertically; some trumpet players hang the horn too much over to the right using a bent left wrist.
Although perfectly vertical is not necessarily the ideal position either, your trumpet should be held vertically enough so that the fingers can move easily and quickly.
Your arms should be positioned with elbows slightly out from the body.
The short answer is yes. It is impossible however to play as well as one can without braces. I never had braces but I have experimented with putting paper between my teeth and lip.
I can’t play at all with even a smooth foreign object in my mouth! Just imagine smashing your lip with a mouthpiece against the uneven metal!
Braces are a real problem for young brass players today as lots of them get fixed ones during puberty. The fact of the matter is some students figure out ways to play decently with braces and stay in band.
Some go to other instruments and return to trumpet later…or not.
Trombone and Euphonium are common substitutes because the large rimmed mouthpieces sit on the mouth outside the braces.
I often ask music students with braces how they manage it.
The common reply is that they tough it out, they can’t play as well as before braces, the pain stops after a while, they use less pressure (a good thing), and they can’t wait to get the darn things off.
However once the braces do come off there is a learning period to get used to another new feeling. That means that playing well immediately after removing one’s braces is not guaranteed.
Finally, none of the students I have spoken with over the years about braces are particularly happy with any of a multitude of devices designed to help to manage this problem. There are Wax, plastic tooth guards, special mouthpieces etc., which can help and are worth a try but basically a brass instrument and a mouth full of metal are a nasty combination.
Mouthpiece placement is completely dictated by one’s teeth.
Trumpet mouthpiece placement, (as opposed to French Horn), is approximately 50% upper and 50% lower lip.
Many players begin with the mouthpiece too far down on the upper lip. It may feel correct when one starts in that position but the resulting trumpet sound is foggy and not good.
My advice is to use your ears and experiment with slight differences in upper and lower placement. It won’t hurt you and it might foment a revelation.
Human faces are not symmetrical and therefore mouthpiece placement will not be perfectly centered.
Front teeth are the biggest factor. Protruded or twisted front teeth will, naturally, affect where one can put the mouthpiece.
Of course centered placement is the logical place to begin but eventually comfort and sound are the key elements to find the best setting. Please remember, no one said a person with perfect 50% upper/50% lower and centered mouthpiece placement will be the best player.
Some of the greatest trumpet artists in the world have a really unique mouthpiece placement like e.g.
An important thing is to remember that great players are not always great teachers and great teachers are not always great players.
The best thing you can do is to ask questions of perspective private teachers. A useful question could be which method they use if any.
They should use a combination of the standard material. Also important is how organized or disorganized they are and if you think they are someone your child can relate to as a person.
Beware of the teacher who insists on your child getting dental work to enhance his playing, which is unfortunately not uncommon. If this happens run away fast!
Finally, I think it is essential for the teacher to play well enough to teach by example. Music is an auditory art.
Trumpet maintenance is really easy and inexpensive. Careless handling and dents cause more damage than lack of cleaning although regular cleaning will prolong the life of a trumpet.
For cleaning the only things required are water, a plastic coated snake with brushes on the ends (available at any music store), some valve oil and some slide lubricant.
Oil the valves as often as you like or when they become sticky or slow. If the valves are always sticky they either need to be cleaned with soap or looked at by a repair technician.
Synthetic lubricants and light petroleum based valve oil can help sluggish valves.
Try different types. Be careful with petroleum-based products though since they are often poisonous if ingested and should be stored away from little children.
Chemical cleaning by a repair technician has also become popular and is fine.
Clean the inside of the trumpet every 1 to 3 weeks. (Most kids clean their instruments once a year if that. Yuck!)Green alien life forms will grow inside your trumpet if you fail to clean it regularly.
The outside of the trumpet can be cleaned by wiping it off with a damp cloth. But NEVER USE BOILING HOT WATER. It can strip the plating off the horn.
To perform a quick cleaning let run water through the horn in the bathtub. BE CAREFUL NOT TO DENT YOUR TRUMPET ON THE WATER FACET! Pull the tuning slide out of the trumpet and clean it with the snake.
Run the snake through the lead pipe. Rinse, replace and your ready to play.
For a thorough cleaning pull all of the slides and valves and similarly clean them with water and the snake. Wipe the valves under running water with your fingers.
You may use mild hand soap or dish washing liquid on the valves if you wish. Rinse well. Don’t get the valves, 1 ‐ 2 ‐ 3, mixed up.
The trumpet won’t work with the valves in the wrong order. Be gentle replacing the valves.
The tolerances built in to quality trumpet valves between the valve itself and the casing wall is only thousandths of an inch.
Banging the bottom on the valves on the guide ring as you slide them in the casing can cause damage that may cause sticking or worse.
NEVER EVER use any abrasive cleaner on any part of your trumpet. I use only water with an occasional soapy cleaning of the valves.
Since mouthpieces are expensive, it’s always nice to get one with a new trumpet.
Often manufacturers include one of their brand mouthpieces in each horn in order to‘complete the package’for the consumer.
The problem is that no two people are the same. Each face, jaw, pair of lips and set of teeth are unique, so there is not general answer to what mouthpiece is the best.
As a result it makes sense for the trumpet manufacturer to include a‘middle of the road’style mouthpiece that has proven to work satisfactorily for most students over the years.
I firmly believe trumpet playing can be made easier by using an efficient mouthpiece well suited to the individual.
The important factors in assessing a mouthpiece’s value to you are‘ease of playing’and ‘quality of sound’.
But the only way to pick a new mouthpiece is try it out, which may be hard if parents have to choose for their child.
Therefore the trumpet player searching for the mouthpiece must be sufficiently developed to experiment with it.
The only sure way to assess a mouthpiece for a beginner is to show the mouthpiece to a professional player or teacher.
Even then the teacher will be guessing as to how well they think the mouthpiece will fit the student.
A bit of consolation for exhausted parents and players: Mouthpiece experimentation is confusing for all levels of players.
Finally a bit of personal advice for choosing: I think many players use mouthpieces that are too large.
I recommend using one that is as small as one can use and will still produce a beautiful sound throughout the range especially the LOW register.
A mouthpiece that is too large will exacerbate the age-old trumpet playing problems concerning range and endurance for example.
Choosing a sub-standard trumpet or bad mouthpiece can make the student feel as if they are without talent and unable to produce satisfactory results which is a very negative situation, the opposite of that which the musical experience should entail.
The‘Silent Brass’ system is a sound reducing device designed to be practical and fun to use. The mute itself is a fantastic practice mute with an even feel throughout the trumpet range and incredible sound reduction.
The mute is electronic and the user can practice using headphones enhanced by any number of effects such as reverberation at his/her discretion.
Volume control to the headphones helps regulate the volume with which one plays.
It is also possible to interface with other electronic devices and play along with CDs for example.
I know players who perform fusion music using an amplified ‘Silent Brass System’ (SBS) with the optional effects- box.
Touring the world as I do, I often find myself many time zones from home, warming up and practicing in foreign hotels at all hours of the day and night.
The Silent Brass System is perfect for hotel, apartment and late night situations. I have not experienced any detrimental effects from practicing with the Silent Brass Mute on a regular basis.
If fact, I love the feel of warming up with the SBS and use it extensively backstage and before recording sessions.
I enjoy using it both with and without the electronics. The Silent Brass System is a tremendously functional and useful product.
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