FAQ

Answering YOUR questions about getting started on the trumpet!

What should I get for my first trumpet?

There are several brands that make reliable student models of trumpet, so for your first instrument I recommend the following brands: Bach, Yamaha, or Jupiter.

Blessing, Carlton, and Besson are also fine for beginners if price is a concern, but they won’t carry you as far and you’ll want to upgrade sooner, so I strongly recommend the previously mentioned brands when possible.

Do NOT buy an Amazon brand trumpet as your first instrument, they cost so little for a reason. They will not last you, and you will struggle to progress naturally due to the poor construction.

Do NOT buy a plastic trumpet or a pocket trumpet as your first instrument, for similar reasons to above. They are made to be toys, effectively, not real instruments to learn on.

There is nothing wrong with skipping a student instrument and going straight to a higher quality trumpet if you have access to one, such as from a family member, a good deal on a used instrument, or if you have the spending money and are willing to splurge.

What should I get for a better trumpet?

Conventional wisdom says that, whenever possible, skip buying and intermediate trumpet and go straight from a student instrument to a professional instrument, because a well-kept used professional trumpet will play better and last longer than a new intermediate instrument.

The two best-selling and best-regarded brands are the Bach Stradivarius and the Yamaha Xeno, and they’re considered the best brands for a reason. I cannot recommend either instrument enough if you’re able. That being said, both Bach and Yamaha have multiple lines of professional horns, some cheaper but still nearly on par like the Bach Custom S37, and some more expensive like the Bach Artisan.

Other reliable brands include Shires, B&S, Schilke, and Getzen, though the latter is hard to find in Canada.

What books should I pick up to learn the trumpet?

If you’re just starting out or have under one year experience, I strongly recommend David Hickman’s 100 Progressive Lessons.

If you’ve been playing for a year or two, but aren’t quite ready for G on top of the staff yet, a great book to work on your skills is Anthony Plog’s Etudes and Duets. It covers a wide variety of rhythms, keys, and skills, and is bound to instill good fundamentals in any player.

Once you’re comfortably playing G on the top of the staff, you should pick up a copy of the “trumpet bible,” the Arban Complete Conservatory Method. Note that the book is organized poorly and can be difficult to use without guidance, so ask a teacher to show you how to navigate it.

A great compliment to the Arban’s method is the Clarke Technical Studies, which you can purchase, and also find for free online at IMSLP.

Every trumpet player should have a book of flexibilities. My favourite is the Charles Colin Advanced Lip Flexibilities, and other tried and true methods are the Schlossberg Daily Drills and the Irons 27 Groups of Exercises. The Schlossberg falls under the same problem as Arban, where it is difficult to use without guidance at first.

For those of you interested in learning music theory, I recommend Mark Sarnecki’s Complete Elementary Rudiments. It’s three books grouped into one, so go through the whole book focused on the exercises at level 1, then go back for levels 2 and 3.

What mouthpiece should I use?

This is a little bit like asking, what shoe size should I wear? You use the mouthpiece that fits best on your face, of course! Though that being said, your first student trumpet will likely come with either a Bach 7C, a Yamaha 11B4, or an off-brand copy of one of those two, most of which are also called 7C due to Bach’s influence on the trumpet manufacturing world.

I recommend exploring mouthpieces after 2-3 years for young learners, or after the first year for adult learners. It’s worth noting that mouthpieces do get both bigger and smaller than what came in the box, and most people will need to go bigger. The most common upgrades are the Bach 5C and Bach 3C, but there are hundreds of mouthpieces out there from dozens of companies. How will you know what’s right for you? By trying them out for yourself. Go down to your local music store, bring your trumpet, ask for a few different mouthpieces off the shelf, and try them all! Use your ear to guide you, get the one that both feels best and sounds best.

With most mouthpieces, there will be a honeymoon period where it feels great for 2-3 days, then a rough patch where it feels worse for 1-2 weeks. Do not doubt your first impression. Once you play through the rough patch, you’ll feel way better than you did before, and you’ll be using gear that works for you.

Most players play one singular mouthpiece 99% of the time, but some players own a whole bunch of mouthpieces that they switch between depending on the circumstances. You may be wondering, should I go buy a bunch of mouthpieces? To which I say, if you are inexperienced enough that you need to ask an FAQ on the internet if you need multiple mouthpieces, you do not (yet?) need multiple mouthpieces. Pick one and stick with it.

What instrument should I get after my B-flat trumpet?

If you’ve been playing for a while and want to expand your playing past your basic B-flat, your next instrument should depend on the type of playing you do most often. If you play a lot of jazz or pop music, a flugelhorn will be the first alternate instrument to pick up. If there are brass bands in your area you’re interested in joining, get a cornet. If you’re interested in orchestral and classical playing, or play church or choral gigs a lot, get a C trumpet, followed in a few years (and with lots of experience) by a piccolo trumpet.

Should I get a C trumpet as my first instrument? Wouldn’t it be easier to learn concert pitch?

As an educator, I have to strongly recommend against getting an instrument other than a B-flat trumpet or a B-flat cornet as your first instrument in the trumpet family. The main reason for this is simple: as you begin to learn music, you’re going to want to play with others, and every ensemble in your area at your level will be expecting you to play an instrument pitched in B-flat. Those who don’t know any better might think it’s easier to find people to play with by using an instrument pitched in C, but in practice, the opposite is true, especially in community bands.

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