New Player has entered the Game

GeorgeB

@IrishTrumpeter said in New Player has entered the Game:

@GeorgeB & @grune - gotta remember i am a complete beginner to any musical instrument and was playing a plastic trumpet - i know it wont be up there with the best given what i paid, but for me the difference is amazing

If the difference is amazing to you, then that is all that matters. I really like your enthusiasm. You really want to learn to play. That is so important. Good luck, my friend.

grune

@GeorgeB agree entirely. enthusiasm is the most important factor.

IrishTrumpeter

Thanks @GeorgeB & @grune

I have two quick questions - i bought a really cheap 7c mouth piece , and when it arrived I started using it and I immediately noticed that I can hit and hold C5 (mid C) and the D above much more consistently

Q1 - Why??

Q2 - Would a 9c be even better?

Thanks

barliman2001

At this stage, please don't start a mouthpiece safari without first consulting a teacher. Otherwise you'll throw good money into the Leprechaun's Pot.

IrishTrumpeter

@barliman2001 10 out of 10 for mouthpiece safari

I only paid 11 eur for it when i was buying some other bits and bobs for the kids

More interested in the theory or thoughts on mouthpiece sizes

neal085

@IrishTrumpeter

Most people start playing trumpet, and then immediately get intrigued by gear, especially mouthpieces, probably because it's easier and more fun than hours of hard practice, and you can do it anywhere. For example, you can look at gear online almost anytime, any place, even in a crowded restaurant, but should probably be discouraged from hours of trumpet practice in a crowded restaurant.

It is likely that you will eventually go on a MP safari, because no matter what anyone says, you will most likely feel the overwhelming need to satisfy your own curiosity. I only say that because I did that verbatim thing. Short version, I started with a Bach 3C, and took about a year to arrive at.... a 3C, albeit from a different manufacturer.

Regardless, this is one of the best things you could read to satisfy your curiosity, and could also save you a lot of money on mouthpieces.
https://trumpetboards.com/topic/173/jens-mouthpieces-sticky-your-mpc-is-too-big

Newell Post

@IrishTrumpeter The significant thing about the 7C is the shape of the rim. The inner lip of the rim is very "sharp" while the outer rim is heavily rounded. Some people think this makes it easier to lip between notes. The cup size is about average or maybe slightly smaller than average. The combination of the rim shape and the cup size might be making it easier for you to hit and hold those notes. The 7C is the standard mouthpiece often given to beginners for the reasons above. Some advanced players continue using it if it works for them. Other advancing players switch to something like the 3C which has a slightly larger cup and a flatter rim. The larger cup helps with tone and the flatter rim helps with endurance. If you want to try a "smaller" mouthpiece, one of the most common ones is the 10.5C. It has a fairly flat rim. Vincent Bach himself said the 10.5C was the perfect mouthpiece for C-trumpet or "anyone with weak lips."

GeorgeB

I also believe that some teachers start their students with the 7C because it encourages playing with as little pressure as possible. I was encouraged to start with the 7C by the professor at the conservatory, but never did like its bite and when I later started taking lessons from a professional trumpet player he recommended the Bach 10.5C and I used it for 12 years. I still have it, but it didn't work for me when a made a comeback after a 51 year hiatus from the horn. The one that works for me now is a Wedge 65MD, which is a tad larger than a 3C ID. Unfortunately a costly safari ensued before I discovered the Wedge.

J. Jericho

Ah, Ye Olde Mouthpiece Safaris. I remember them well. Glad to be done with them. In the overall scheme of things, they were a necessary part of my learning process, though.

GeorgeB

@J-Jericho
Yeah I am done with safaris, too. Things had changed quite a bit for me starting up again at the age of 79 and not playing for 51 years. For one thing I had a set of upper dentures, and I am sure that was the main reason the 10.5C just didn't work.

Dr GO

The smart way to safari is to go to a very user friendly music store with wide selection of mouthpieces, lock yourself away in a sound room, and then have your way with the variety of mouthpieces (brands as well as cup varieties) to increase your odds of walking out with a winner. That is how I found a couple of my current mouthpieces. Saves time, volumes and of course, money.

A Former User

@IrishTrumpeter
There are many choices of mouthpieces out there. Until recently I played mostly 3 C mouthpieces. Now I am enjoying my 5 C trumpet mouthpiece.

A Former User

@J-Jericho. Hopefully have finished up my mouthpieces safari. Is it just me or are professional trumpets more mouthpiece sensitive? Playing Wick Heavytops and Bach megatone mouthpieces on my horns.

barliman2001

Some are, some aren't.

IrishTrumpeter

Having been inspired and tempted to start a mouthpiece safari, I did check around and there really is no shops/schools open for the foreseeable in Ireland

Rather than the full safari, I decided on something more like a day trip to Longleat ... and am now the proud owner of a 1 1/2C, 5C, 7C and 10C mouthpieces - and there is a lot of variation.

Its still a starnge feeling the 10C feels lose, but the sounds are richer. The 1 1/2 is harder to push the air through, but it is kindof quieter - but D5 is tricky at the moment with it.

Still all in all great fun.

And for fun I followed Mr Walton on a cheap and cheerful Wah-Wah - i have nailed the growl once or twice - now have it in my warm up.

GeorgeB

@IrishTrumpeter
The wah-wah and the growl are great fun but can sound horrible when done wrong. Walton's description of how to do it properly is pretty much how I was taught to do it by a pro player back in the early fifties. The growl, when done alone, can be a really nice touch to a particular piece of music, too.
Sounds like you are having fun. Good for you.