Which mouthpiece is right for me

Bring that along and try playing it too. However, choosing the mouthpiece that feels the most comfortable for your style of playing is usually a safe bet — which makes it even more important to try mouthpieces using your own instrument with real music that you actually play.

If you have a private teacher, or are working with a coach, listen to what they suggest. Private instructors are going to have a tremendous amount of knowledge and insight into how YOU play, and they may make recommendations to correct a specific issue or guide you towards a particular sound. For more in-depth technical details about how brass mouthpieces are put together, check out Part 2 , where we discuss the ins and outs of Cups and Rims. A larger number means a smaller rim, while a smaller number means a larger rim.

Confusing, right? These mouthpieces also can have half and quarter sizes, some of which are special order only. But in general, half sizes are quite common.

The letters range from A through F, which refer to the depth of the cup. A models are the deepest cups, and F models have extra shallow cups which are preferred by high register players. The Bach 7C is perhaps the most selected mouthpiece in the world for trumpet playing. The C cup is a medium cup, perfectly versatile in a variety of playing situations. A beginning trumpet player will feel right at home on a 7C whether playing in concert band, marching band, or jazz ensembles.

And calling the Bach 7C a "beginner" mouthpiece is a bit of a misconception. Because it is such a well-rounded mouthpiece, it is included with many beginner trumpets and selected by many elementary band teachers as their mouthpiece of choice. But there is nothing about the quality or composition of the mouthpiece that suggests that it is inferior to other mouthpieces in the Bach lineup. So don't get stuck with the mentality of there being "beginner" vs.

After you've been playing for a year or so, and feel comfortable with solid tone quality and a more developed embouchure, it might be worthwhile to look at other options.

In addition to the Bach 7C, the 3C is another common mouthpiece that beginners often transition to. The 3C, like the 7C, is designed for general use, meaning that it will work great in a number of different ensemble and performance settings. However, many players prefer to transition to this mouthpiece for a deeper tone and improvement in the upper register of their playing.

I stuck with the Laskey 80G for quite a while, before moving up to the 85G Moving to a European instrument shortly after graduating necessitated getting a horn with a slightly different shank, so I moved to a two-piece system, but my rim is still almost the exact same as the rim on the Laskey 85G. To that end, I had been noticing that on certain notes in certain dynamics mainly middle of the staff at loud dynamics I had been getting a fairly obnoxious double buzz.

While I tried a few different things to get rid of it, I talked to a friend of mine who works for a mouthpiece maker, and it seemed like the culprit was really just a mouthpiece that was too big internal diameter-wise for my facial setup. The rim I was using an After about months, the double buzz started to come back, and so I was looking for something a bit smaller. For no reason other than it was available, I switched from the E rim to an 18mm H1 rim still made by Houser which has a very similar profile.

I was assured that they felt similar, and to me they do. I was actually able to switch the rim and play a week-long musical run just a few days later. While I like the H1, and used it quite a bit, the H3 is even better to me, right now. Many, many pages could be written about the differences between the two, but here are a couple of generalities:. Geyer: The Yamaha is a good example of a Geyer-style horn although, like the Kruspe style, there are many manufacturers making this style.

Also play scales going up into your high register. If you just found a rim size that really honks out the low notes but then the your high register is difficult you should go back one step and try one size smaller again.

This is where you might have to sacrifice just a little bit of the robust low notes in order to also be able to go into the upper register. However, you never sacrifice so much than one end of the register becomes un playable. Remember to also play melodies when you are trying out the mouthpieces. When finding YOUR right trumpet mouthpiece you will feel it when playing melodies.

Be prepared to try out different mouthpieces until you find one that gives you the best balance of everything. Compromise, is the right word here! After finding a rim size that you can move around with, down into the low register, and up into your high register, you should now experiment with different cup depths but keep that same rim size.

Listen to the sound: Generally deeper cups will give you a darker sound while a more shallow cup will give you a brighter sound.

Different mouthpiece manufacturers have different numbering system. Try them all out and listen carefully to your sound. Test the articulation by doing tonguing exercises and different attacks. How does the mouthpiece respond?

Some players, myself included, find that the deeper cups are more diffcult to use for clean and clear attacks. You should also be aware of the fact that a very deep cup will often make you endurance suffer and make the high register playing more taxing. This should be obvious but many people forget to think about the importance of this.

When trying to select the right trumpet mouthpiece we should keep all the other variables the same…. This is important. Do not forget this tip. Comfort is another important factor to take into consideration when trying to select the right trumpet mouthpiece. The mouthpiece has to feel comfortable on your lips….

There are hundreds of brands on the market but I recommend you go for a well known brand. The most common ones are…. As mentioned, there are a lot more of them out there but I would recommend that you at least start with these first, as they are well known and reputable brands that have stood the test of time. One more thing to note about the feel and comfort on the lips is that, for some people, a gold plated mouthpiece can feel much softer on the lips than regular mouthpieces.