I am now the proud owner of a 1964 King Super 20 Symphony Silversonic, and I love it. However, I worry about using mutes in the bell due to the gold wash, which I have heard can be somewhat thin and easy to damage. Would mutes cause any damage to the finish? Just the normal straight, cup, and harmons.

Thanks!

Long time on/off trumpet player with early CAD and I do notice my endurance isnt what it use to be, for those that have plaque build up, what have you done to improve? (long tones, long setting, on lips, etc) TY

I’ve been playing for about 5 years now and I’ve never had this problem until lately. I posted a situation I’m in a while ago on this subreddit but I want help on this specific problem.

Whenever I try to play anything above a G# above the staff my sound is very bad. The note sounds very, “airy”, shakey, weak, stuttery, or I’ll just straight up not make a sound and just blow air into the trumpet. If I do manage to make a sound it’s very quiet and I can’t really up the dynamic without feeling discomfort.

I don’t know what could have caused this problem or why I’m having this problem as I never had this issue in the past. Could it be that I lost range and I need to build it back up? Could it be that I need more resistance training?
Any bit of advice helps I appreciate you all very much.

Probably a stupid question, but what are you all actually doing for long tones? Any specific books or exercises? Just taking exercises and slowing them down a lot? Literally just sitting there and playing the same note for as long as you can? I'm very literal and have a hard time without specific instruction, so being told to "play more long tones" has never really been prescriptive enough for me.

A colleague/friend of mine has his late father's trumpet and is giving it to me. I've done a bit of Googling and it's not worth a great deal even in good condition (and this looks quite rough) but I'll have a go at getting it playable again. If it is destined for the lamp factory then at least it'll be a nice thing for him to have back.

3rd valve slide looks interesting. Not sure when he'll be able to get it to me

Hello fellow players!

So I was recently involved in a terrible car accident on the way home from a gig where my car rolled off the freeway after getting hit by a gas tanker … I am truly lucky to have walked away with my life and only minimal injuries. I broke my right elbow to the point where surgery was needed and unfortunately I have a month and a half recovery time.

One of the hardest pills to swallow was that my horn was never recovered from the scene of the accident. Truly heartbreaking. It was a Bach commercial strad, silver large bore. It was my first pro horn and I’ve been playing it since it was first released about 12 years ago.

So 2 things… 1) if you see one being sold used in a banged up torpedo case around LA, holler at me…
2) I haven’t had any reason to peruse the horn market in the last decade, so I’m very out of touch with the state of horns at the moment. Anybody willing to take some time and help me find some horns that would be right for me would be greatly appreciated!

I currently play with a lot of different groups ranging from small ensemble jazz in intimate bars, to rock/ reggae bands playing arenas. I liked the commercial strad since I felt the bore and bell size helped me achieve that big commercial sound. However, I feel like I would like whatever horn I get to be a bit darker with more of a silky sound rather than bright and poppy all the time.

I feel like there isn’t a whole lot of shops I can go play test real pro horns around SoCal anymore, so once I’m healed, I was planning on flying out to Kansas City to try out some horns at ACB and the BAC factory.

My budget right now is $4-5k, and the only horns I currently have my eyes are the schilke HC2 in lacquer, or maybe a used Lotus.

Any help or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!!

Happy playing, everyone!

Hi everyone,

I really need some advice because I’m getting desperate and this issue is honestly killing my desire to play.

I bought a used B&S trumpet from a local shop. Before selling it to me, their tech gave it a full overhaul/service. Right from the start, I noticed an issue with the 1st and 3rd valves: they return very slowly (they stick on the way up), but only while I am actually blowing into the horn and putting it under pressure. If I just press the valves without playing, they seem completely fine.

Here are the details of what I've noticed and tried so far:

• The weird pattern: If I repeat a specific pattern while blowing (for example, drilling C to C# over and over), the valve gradually gets faster and smoother. But as soon as I stop playing for a moment and start blowing again, the sticking comes right back.
• Shop visits: I took it back to the tech. They polished the valves/casings and told me the horn is in perfect mechanical shape. It felt okay for a couple of days, and then the exact same problem returned.
• Oils tested: I have tried several different viscosities and brands, including Yamaha Synthetic Light, La Tromba Medium, and JM (Hetman) No. 1 and No. 3.
• Cleaning: I’ve thoroughly cleaned and washed the entire horn multiple times (always doing a full wash before switching oil types). Right after a deep clean it behaves slightly better for a short session, but then goes right back to being sluggish.

Since the repair shop insists the horn is fine, I honestly don't know what to do next. Could it be an alignment issue with the valve guides, micro-burrs, casing distortion under hand grip, or something else entirely?

Has anyone experienced this specific "only sticks when pressurized/blowing" behavior? Any suggestions on what to check or what to tell another tech would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi guys, I just wanted to start off with how frustrated I am at my playing.
I feel like I haven’t really seen a major improvement in my playing since 1-2 years ago. (Been playing for around 3-4 years)
I recently took a short break for summer (HS btw)
and just seen a massive drop in my playing capability and it’s been more frustrating trying to get back to where I was just last school year.
I will admit this is probably a good reason why I’m seeing minimal growth but I have been a bit more on and off practicing from the frustration. (Pls don’t flame me for this)
I wanted to know how and what I should do to maybe help regain my playing potential and also not get “burnt out” from being frustrated or just not being motivated from thinking I suck at the trumpet.
Thanks for reading all of this tho!

Probably a long shot but my 1st gen YTR8335GS had its main tuning slide got wrecked. Does anyone know where I can find a replacement quickly? Preferably shipped in the US. I’d hate to drop $200usd and it turn out to be a part for the wrong horn.

Thanks!

Just came out of a part/chair audition for a junior symphony I've been in for a couple of years. It wasn't a complete disaster, but for various reasons, there were plenty of parts that went very badly. Squeaked an entire boatload of notes, the style I was aiming for often didn't come out, and there were multiple measures consisting of entirely high notes (some of which were consecutive bars) where I didn't hit a single note and at best eeked out one or two with awful sound. It really was that atrocious at those points. The good news is that my conductor was aware of some of the prior conditions I had coming into the audition, so he partially understood why the endurance was so bad.

However, I don't want to be stuck with the lowest part the entire year just because this audition went terribly. Thus I want to know, from your experiences, do conductors (particularly for a HS orchestra like this) actively pay attention and switch around your part placements when new cycles come based on your performance? There are three cycles each year, and this was the only part audition. I'm confident that I can demonstrate much better than this.

Hi all! I’m in my senior year and starting to audition for music education schools. While I’m newer to trumpet (I’ve been playing for about two years on 3rd for drum corps), I’m not new to music at all. I have a pretty fair range, from below the staff to a high C, and am looking for audition pieces that would help me get into non competitive schools. Any recommendations for audition pieces would help. Thank you!

Hi guys! I’m after a small clip on tuner for my horn and spotted these on a video. Anyone got a clue what brand/model they are?

Cheers!

Hey so I’ve decided to dust off the horn after like 15 years and relearn how to play. Played for my whole childhood all through high school(concert, jazz, marching) competed a little here and there so I had some semblance of chops. I realize there is going to be a pretty steep relearning curve to get back in playing shape. Would you recommend using a 7C to relearn or just start from a 3C? I remember liking and using a 3C the most especially for jazz but I would imagine it would be more difficult to get back to a base level of playing using one.

Thanks!

The main reasons I got a piccolo trumpet are that I’ve wanted one since high school, and I’m in my thirties now, so why not haha.

The other reason is that I’m a trumpet teacher, and I have a few students struggling with things that are starting to discourage them. So I figured, “Screw it, I might as well struggle with you.” I think it’s important for them to see that even after 20+ years of playing, you can still struggle with new things. They get to make fun of me for making kazoo sounds and messing up fingerings from time to time, and it makes them feel better about finally hitting that note that I can't haha. It's killing 2 birds with 1 stone (and yes, I still keep my Bb out and teach with it).

What I didn’t expect is how much the picc would teach me about my own technique on Bb. I’ve only had it for a week, but I’m already learning something new about my playing almost every day that I can apply to my Bb. I’m slowly getting a decent tone in the lower-mid register, and playing on my standard Bb is more relaxed, and I feel more efficient than I ever have.

Honestly, buying a picc might be one of the best decisions I’ve made in my music career and I cant wait to get good at this thing.

Trumpet shown: Semer Parice Maurice Andre

I receently tried a B&S Challenger II (with a 43 bell) at Phil Parker's and I'm considering buying online. The one I tried had some worn silver plating which isn't ideal for a new trumpet. Does anyone know if ordering online gets you a fresh instrument from stock, or the same showroom one that's been used? I suspect its just the showroom one.

I've had this cornet for around 8 years and I believe it was sold to me as a Sovereign 928. But now the time has come for me to sell it unfortunately and I'd like to know for definate whether it's a 928 or 927. I beleive the best way to tell is to measure bore but my calipers aren't precise or accurate enough to measure the 0.15mm difference. The serial number is 824851. I'm wondering if anyone knows another way to tell the difference? Thank you.

I am looking to change my embouchure, I have been playing for around 3 years and have almost never had a proper embouchure, the flesh of my lip has always been on the cup, and I would like to know if other people have had this issue and how long it takes to fix

So in complete sincerity, I'd like to play the trumpet for my reggae band. I'm prinarily playing rhythm guitar, occasionally getting a solo, and occasionally singing backup. I figured that it'd be great to play some salsa as well.

For context, I play the guitar, bass guitar, lap steel (C6 tuning), banjo (both main styles), mandolin, and the drums. Ive attempted the harmonica, fiddle, and the keys, but I never played enough to freely improvise on any of them. I understand theory quite well, but I can't read music.

I'm really wanting to know if I'd be able to play a Bb trumpet well enough to take out to shows by the end of the year. And what resources would be best for an already experienced musician? I've always juggled instruments in past groups to add some diversity.

I am a 52 year old trumpet player who took 25 years off and recently started playing again about 3 months ago.

I’ve been practicing pedal tones for the first time in my life the last couple of weeks. A few days ago suddenly my tone is fuzzy, my lips are curling out into the mouthpiece, corners feel loose, and everything just feels…..weird and weak inside the mouthpiece.

The only thing I can think of is that the pedal tones may be causing some sort of problem? Granted it’s been a LONG time since I was playing regularly but I don’t recall my embochure ever just suddenly feeling “wrong.”

Thanks

Hello there,

I am writing to ask about purchasing my own trumpet, as I am a beginner trumpeter currently playing on a rented Blessing BTR-1287. My rental time is almost up, and since I've been enjoying playing, I'm looking to buy my own used horn. I'm mostly interested in jazz and prefer a softer, warm sound (almost flugelhorn like) though I don't mind that brightness in the upper register. As far as I understand, though, a bucket mute might help with that if the trumpet does not lend itself to that tone.

After looking around at what fits my budget, I've narrowed my choices down to these models:

Holton T602
King Cleveland 600
Getzen 490
Getzen 700 SP
Getzen Eterna II 700 / 700s

As I understand it, the SP is an upgraded version of the 490, and the 700 series leans closer to the older Severinsen models, while the Holton and King sit lower on the price spectrum.

Since I'm still relatively new, I'm wondering: is it worth making the jump to a higher end horn now to avoid spending more money later, or should I stick to a more budget friendly option while I'm learning? Having only played my rental, it's hard to judge how much the change will affect my playing once the trumpets stop being as free blowing.

Any info/guidance you guys might be able to provide would be much appreciated. Thanks!

I have been playing trumpet for a little over 10 years. Started in middle school, played all throughout high school, but I didn't play consistently throughout college. I would do a few summer groups but now that I have graduated university and have a job I am looking to join a few local community bands. I have started practicing much more regularly again.

In high school, I had a lot of friends who played euphonium and trombone, and occasionally we would mess around in study hall and try to teach each other to play each other's instruments. I noticed that after playing around on my friends euphonium for a few minutes, my embouchure would get much more relaxed and my tone in the higher register on trumpet would improve.

Obviously, I have still been doing long tones, pedal notes, and flexibility exercises to help stay relaxed, but as a bored recent grad who enjoys music, would starting to pick up a low brass instrument like trombone or baritone provide any useful developments to trumpet or is this a surefire way to screw up my embouchure?

Hey I have a question, has anyone ever gone through an embouchure change while playing in a band? How did that go?

I want to change my embouchure but I also can't really play bad in my 3-times-a-week rehearsals. How do I approach this, like do I use the new embouchure at home and the old one in rehearsals or there's something better to try?

In case you're wondering I want to switch because I've found a better mouthpiece placement spot for support, seal and control - the tone is just very airy and unfocused initially.

Thanks for any advice

Some background: I'm a freshman, and trying to catch up to my peers because I haven't actually been practicing since I picked the trumpet up (like 3 years ago). I've already been practicing for 2 hours a day the entire summer, and I have gotten way better at it. One day, my band director told me that I should definitely get a private tutor so that I could improve even further, and I've been considering it. What do you think?

I'm looking to make a frankenhorn with a modern valve block and the design necessitates the third valve to be like in these pictures, but I can't find a manufacturer that produces blocks with all three valve slides on the same side.