Any trumpet players?

MVF

MVF

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I know this is way OT, but since this is where I spend my "online time" thought I'd give it a try. Any trumpet players here?

What do you play (horn/music)? I tried a Schilke B1 yesterday and I'm afraid I might have to sell a few knives :eek: I'm a recent returnee to playing after a VERY long break. I played a mid-60s Connstellation in high school, and the Schilke was the only thing they had that sounded close. I quit because my teeth got so crooked that it hurt to play. Now, thanks to the wonders of old age ;) I have some nice straight crowns up front, so I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do.

It seems like a ridiculous amount to spend in my situation, but nothing else sounded worth buying. I would appreciate any comments or advice. I do plan on making sure I stick with it a while before pulling the trigger on anything that pricey, but then again, the sound of the horn could be what makes the decision! I currently have a 50+ year old Olds Special getting its valves adjusted- it was my "learner".

TIA, Mike
 
Wow, that's some serious coin. I believe it was Mr. Gollnick that taught me, "Buy quality and only cry once." If this decision is financially responsible for you, and your passion runs that high, I say go for it. Life's too short.
 
I'm a firm believer in the "only cry once" school of thought. I'm hoping to hear if there are other trumpets (perhaps even less expensive ones) that I should look at that sound similar to the Schilke. The sound and feel of a trumpet are dependent on so many factors that it is possible there are cheaper trumpets that have a similar feel and sound.

Also, wondering if I'll still be happy with the Schilke after playing it for a while- it's possible that it's just making up for some weakness I currently have, and once I'm stronger I wouldn't be happy with it. I've pretty much been scouring the net for info (and finding plenty) just hoping to get some from a fellow forumite.
 
I play the trumpet, 22yrs I've been playing, makes me feel old when I say it like that! I like Miles, Chet, Don Cherry and a few others...

I've got a large bore French Besson Meha trumpet, made by Kanstul in the USA. I've also got a 1960's Besson Imperial cornet.

Schilke make very fine instruments, you can't go wrong with one.

Someone once told me, it's the man, the mouthpiece and then the horn. I agree...regardless of what trumpet we play we still have our "own" sound and playing limitations.

I would suggest playing as many instruments as possible, from cheap to the highest price. If I had the spare money I'd want a medium bore trumpet, not sure what make...
 
I am a trumpet player and a conservatory graduate. I play mostly orchestral music and play on a Bach Bb 43 bell and a Bach C large bore with a 239 bell and H pipe. The Schilke's I have are F/G and A/Bb piccolo and they are terrific. Personally I don't like the Schilke Bb and most orchestra players won't use them. If you are doing jazz or big band they might be fine. Check out the tunning bell models as they tend to play better. Another really great maker is Blackburn for a custom job. He really knows his stuff.
 
You might want to buy a decent used horn to see if you're going to stick with it. After X months of verifying your dedication, sell the used horn and get whatever you want. In spending your time practicing, you'll learn what's out there, too (reading, going to shops, etc.).
 
Thanks guys, keep it coming!

Yorkshire Boy, I haven't played in over 30 yrs.- feel a bit younger now? Kanstul is on my list to try, and I believe they're under 100 miles from me, so I may just run over to their factory. You are absolutely right about the mouthpiece, and I have already planned on one more testing session when I go to pick up my Olds and I'll be buying a new one. Sounds like some fine horns you have!

EnduringEagle, I am still waiting to play a Bach, but I know they are very popular and well respected. I have heard that Schilkes don't blend well with them and are not favored for orchestra work. This is one of the things that's really slowing me down. On the other hand, as you know they are beautiful horns!

Maybe with your background you can help me with this- the things I liked about the B1 were: It was much easier to play, and I don't think it was just more free-blowing, it put a much bigger sound (though demanding more air to fill it up), but also sounded very clean played softly. The next thing, I'm guessing, is why they're not popular in orchestras- it seemed like a much brighter sound, and I could see where it could tend to get thin if you weren't careful. I'm guessing the Bachs are going to sound "heavier"and darker?

Are you at all familiar with the old mid-60's Connstellations? Can you tell me what would come closest to that these days? So far the Schilke is, but the Conn (as I recall) was a bit mellower, if not quite so quick. The Conn was also physically heavier than the B1. Anyway, thanks for your comments- I really can't see paying that much and limiting my options to play!

Grouch, I still have my starter trumpet, a very old Olds Special. The valves were a bit out of whack and I have it in the shop now. When I was trying out different mouthpieces I was very glad to see that the horn didn't really suck- it actually didn't sound bad at all! I guess I let my mouthpiece go when I sold the Connstellation and I was trying to play with a bad fit for me (10 1/2C- probably came with the Olds). So anyway, starting next week I'll have that back to practice with. I just remember how much better I sounded when I stepped up to the Conn.
 
The sound of a wind instrument comes from the player, not the instrument. An instrument in bad condition (leaky, out of tune) can make you sound worse, but once you have a decent instrument to play the only way to sound better is practice.

If everybody knew that a whole industry would collapse.

If you think you sound better with one trumpet than another, record yourself playing both of them and get a friend to play them back for you and switch between them without telling you which you're listening to.
 
Cougar Allen said:
The sound of a wind instrument comes from the player, not the instrument. An instrument in bad condition (leaky, out of tune) can make you sound worse, but once you have a decent instrument to play the only way to sound better is practice.

If everybody knew that a whole industry would collapse.

If you think you sound better with one trumpet than another, record yourself playing both of them and get a friend to play them back for you and switch between them without telling you which you're listening to.
Click to expand...

Very true. It's always nice (and a good idea) to have an instrument that's better than you are (to grow into), but in the end you're only as good as yourself. Buying the best trumpet money can buy will only make you sound slightly better, but I guarantee you that Wynton Marsalis will sound better on a $500 Yamaha than any of us ever could.

I played the trumpet for about 8 years from K10 through high school. I was OK, but not good enough (or had the desire to) to continue. I gave away my trumpets to a charity, but there are times I wish I still had one to goof around with. It has been 12 years since I've had a trumpet to my lips, but I could still whip out "Tequila" or "The Washington Post March" right now from memory. That was my one skill. I couldn't sight read worthy crap, but once it was in my memory, it was there to stay.

I played trumpet for 8 years in school, but for at least half that time I wish I'd learned to play trombone.
 
The problem with Schilke's and Yamahas (which are bad copies of Schilke's) is that they don't project as well as a Bach. Orchestra players do not have the luxury of a microphone and have to play over 100 other players and possibly a 300 person chorus as well. Bach's get a bigger sound and will project as well. Additionally most other players have Bach's so if you are going to play in a section, orchestra or concert band it is the defacto instrument.
 
I've been learning more about the Connstellations, and evidently they were quite unique in their construction. They started with a small bore (.438") and ended with a 5 1/8" bell. They were also nickel plated. I even found one, a 1961 model evidently NIB still with the factory tags on it for about half the price of a Schilke or Bach. Unfortunately, I'm sure this won't last long and it doesn't give me any time to find out how serious I am about getting back into it.

I also don't know how "accepted" the sound would be. (Thanks EnduringEagle for this)

Cougar Allen and Planterz, I both agree and disagree with what you're saying. Yes, you will always sound like you and you can't play any better than you can play, but you will get different sounds out of different trumpets. The laws of physics pretty much dictate that this will be true. Some of the difference will be due to the physical differences in the horns, but personal preference also plays a part. Some horns provide more back pressure than others and some people prefer that and some don't. Some horns are cleaner in the lower ranges, some in the higher, etc.

While you may or may not actually be playing any better (open to discussion), if you're getting the sound you want out of a particular horn without feeling that you're "fighting it" or having to work harder than you do on another horn, obviously you'll be happier with that horn. Then there's EnduringEagle's comments on what is acceptable in most orchestra's which would also seem to prove the difference between various trumpets.

My experience (way back in high school) was that when I moved from the Olds to the Connstellation it took way more air to fill it up and the sound was bigger, richer, brighter and clearer. I could also play much louder while maintaining a good tone. It was quite an adjustment. I would love to hear more about this, so please rebut at will!
 
Different mouthpieces, and to a lesser extent different horns, can feel easier or harder to play. That has nothing to do with the price of a horn (or mouthpiece) -- more expensive horns might be a little more consistent from one to another of the same model, but that doesn't really make any difference as long as you try before you buy. Different horns can favor different registers, but again that isn't a matter of quality or price, it's just a matter of dimensions (bore size, mainly).

It's worth repeating: If you think you sound better with one horn than another try a blindfold test and you will soon learn better.

While you're playing you hear mostly through bone conduction and it doesn't sound the same -- just as you hear your own voice differently than other people do. Your subjective impression of what you're sounding like is influenced by a lot of things -- ignore it, put down the horn and put on the headphones and play it back. (That is also a great way to improve your playing. It's hard at first; you will think you sound terrible, you'll hear a lot of little mistakes you didn't even know you were making or forgot as soon as you made them. It's discouraging at first but hang in there; you'll get over that.)

You probably got a microphone with your computer and never plugged it into your sound card. Plug it in and use Windows Recorder; it's good enough. There is free software available that's better in some ways, but you can start with Windows Recorder.

If any string players have wandered into this thread, none of this applies to stringed instruments. A guitar or violin top resonates; that's what makes the sound and every piece of wood sounds different. Wind instruments don't resonate; only the column of air inside resonates.
 
I totally agree that it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with price- that was part of the purpose of this thread- to find something that sounded (or played) like or better than the Schilke for less. I also agree that you sound nothing like what you hear when you play (& that you hear a lot of "issues" you didn't know you had). I don't have Windows Recorder on my computer, but will look into it, though I have other ways to record my practice, I only have one trumpet. I will definitely try to figure out a way to record myself on different horns in the same place. I think I will also ask the salesman to play the different horns for me and see what they sound like that way.

But with all that, I have to ask to make sure I'm understanding you. Is what you're saying that in reality, using the same mouthpiece, I will sound the same on any trumpet?
 
I would say there's a difference in the sound of a trumpet. Years ago when I tried out for Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps, I borrowed my friend's Bach instead of my Selmer. The difference was unbelievable. Brighter and perfectly centered pitch. It gave me a lot of extra confidence and I tore up that tryout. My son now plays on a Bach. After getting into band and doing well with it, we decided to upgrade his beginner Conn. We tried out several trumpets and noticed that one particular Bach sounded very much better than others including an anniversay edition Bach and the Yamahas and others. We got that one. In my opinion, it's definitely worth trying different trumpets to see how they sound.
 
Hmm. I agree with Cougar Allen. I play trumpet and the rest of the brass instruments (but not very seriously, percussion is my main) and I would get other people's opinion on the sound, and check every pitch with a responsive tuner. (of course, though, your mouth isn't gonna be great after not playing for many years.)

And go ahead, buy something nice, and only cry once.
 
Thanks guys.

If he was listening to his son play, why would it sound any different recorded?
 
I play trumpet as well. Just started playing again about a year ago. Played in high school and college. My horn is a Bach Strad. and my mouthpiece is a Schilke 14A4A. Its a good lead trumpet mouthpiece that lets you reach those higher notes much easier. Start back playing and you'll see it's addictive.:thumbup:
 
Thanks abey67. What would the equivalent Bach mpc be? What do you see as the difference between the Schilke & Bach mouthpieces?
 
Never played a Bach mouthpiece. I started out with Schilke and have tried others but for me, nothing else compares. Try going to a music store and try out some different mouthpieces. Just don't turn them to secure them in the horn (sales guy will not like tha):D. Good luck with your return to playing .
 
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