Trumpet Mouthpieces

Hello! I'm looking to get a new mouthpiece to help me play some of those ridiculously high big band charts. I'm not trying get out of doing any practise :P On the contrary, I love my trumpet practise! But it was recommended to me to get a more suitable mouthpiece for this type of music.

So I had a look on the Dennis Wick website and I'm a bit out of my depth here. Here's a link to the chart I'm looking at:

http://www.deniswick.com/dw_leaflet_06.pdf

I'm not sure how shallow a cup I want? There are loads of different types of shallow cup and I really don't know which is for me :huh:

At the moment I have a 7C and a 5C, neither of which appear on the chart. That's helpful!

Hi,

There's a lot of good trumpet specific information over on Forum: trumpetherald.com

There is a forum dedicated to mouthpieces under the equipment heading.

I have been teaching myself trumpt for 8 months and would not have been able to do it without them. I am thinking about getting a new mouthpiece myself. I am still struggling with upper range. I don't know if it is too soon to tell if it is me or a mouthpiece issue. I am considering the Jerry Callet Superchops 2 MASTER SUPERCHOPS, if I can come up with the money. It may be worth saving up. $125 + s/h I'm not in any hurry though.

How high do you need to play with the big band stuff?

In my opinion I'd stick with your current mouthpiece for a while yet. Is it a 7C? That tends to be the standard.

Traditionally I'd say you need to be able to consistently go up to a top D (2 octaves and a tone above middle C) to be a competent first trumpet player in a big band. Most of the classic Miller stuff peaks at around that height. But big band music can go up to Gs and I've even seen a super Eb (in Tank! which is a great song but stupidly hard to play).

Thanks for the link I'll check that out!

Trumpet Mouthpieces

Hello! I'm looking to get a new mouthpiece to help me play some of those ridiculously high big band charts. I'm not trying get out of doing any practise On the contrary, I love my trumpet practise! But it was recommended to me to get a more suitable mouthpiece for this type of music.

Hiya onearmedbandit,

As a lead player in big band/salsa/pick-up/session/whateverish situations, a Schilke 12a4a served me very well. It's a smaller investment, and even if you have difficulty getting accustomed to the "feel" of a Schilke right away, it's not a bad mouthpiece to have in your arsenal :) This isn't even the tightest cup Schilke makes, btw.

I say it's a bit of an adjustment, as Schilkes have much different dimensions than the Bach line you're used to...Among other things, 12a4a and a number of their other pea shooters have a very generous, rounded rim and can be a bit of a help, endurance-wise.

Word of caution, though - Most anything you choose will bring with it a few intonation issues you'll have to sort when you first start working with something that shallow...There may be a few out there which don't affect your instrument's tuning as much, but that's farrrr from typical ;) With a bit of practice, you'll figure out how much you usually need to compensate, and when.

I'm not sure how shallow a cup I want? There are loads of different types of shallow cup and I really don't know which is for me

My strongest advice would be to make a trip to your local music store if you have one nearby. Take your horn - most of the time, they will let you try out a few...At least the stores near me always have. You'll know right away if a particular mouthpiece is one you can get used to or not. If you have a good range already (and I'm assuming you do, if you've been asked to play lead), what you're mainly after is something which will promote endurance. A "softer" rim has a tendency to help in that department.

I agree with trumpetbri, Wick makes some very nice lead pieces as well...although I seem to remember them being a bit more pricey. Definitely don't desert your 7C, though. Consistent practice with it will only build your chops.

However, on a gig, it comes down to endurance and the type of sound you want. Having a lead-style mouthpiece (which you're familiar with and can play with ease) is not a bad thing, especially on a long show where you're doing little else but high-note work. It happens. Just wanted to add that before "so and so plays all their lead jobs on a 7C and you should, too" debate begins. :D

I hope this was in some way helpful. Good luck with your search, and above all, keep playin'!

Thanks for that post, it was really helpful :) I live in central London so there must be some brass shops around. There are some on Denmark Street but they're mainly guitar shops, not really any specialist trumpet/brass shops as far as I'm aware...

if i were you, i'd try out different mouthpieces and see what works. look up Kelly mouthpieces. they're plastic and cheap, about 20 bucks each and they work great. once you find the size that works best, you can go buy a nice metal one. i currently (believe it or not) play on a 1.5 C bach megatone. it's a really deep cup, but it works for me. use w/e works, not what people say will work

In my opinion I'd stick with your current mouthpiece for a while yet. Is it a 7C?

No, it's actually a 7K. I don't know what that would be equivalent to. My trumpet is a student model King Cleveland Superior, made in 1965. I guess the K on the mouthpiece is for King. I think I will head over to Trumpetherald and ask some questions.

Thank you.

Schilke does make some good ones. I have a shallow 13B. It's the only mouthpiece I have and is not very well suited to orchestral playing (I really need another mouthpiece), but it gives me a slight advantage in the upper register. Speaks a lot better in the upper register than any 7C. I'd recommend trying one at least, they're usually pretty well stocked in most places.

Schilke does make some good ones. I have a shallow 13B. It's the only mouthpiece I have and is not very well suited to orchestral playing (I really need another mouthpiece), but it gives me a slight advantage in the upper register. Speaks a lot better in the upper register than any 7C. I'd recommend trying one at least, they're usually pretty well stocked in most places.

*agreed. Only time I ever found one of my Schilkes useful in orchestral playing was for the picc and sometimes on e-flat trumpet. I seem to remember the cup being a little more rounded/deeper than the 12a4a, was possibly a 13? Conductor wanted the Samuel Goldenberg portion of "pictures" played on an e-flat *shrugs*. It actually felt a little tougher than it did on the Bach C trumpet I had access to...Ah well, never got to play the E-flat often enough to get used to it totally. But the Schilke was the only mouthpiece I had which seemed to work with that horn lol Like juicin said earlier...whatever works, eh? hehe :D

Just go shopping. Spend a day, try them ALL. Try them all again. And then one more time. There's likely no return policy, so take your time....

Well I've found a few London-based places so I'll check them out when I have time. How much should I be looking to spend? I wouldn't say my budget is huge. It's not, I'm a student. But mouthpieces tend to last and it should be a worthwhile investment so I could stretch a bit more for a better quality product.

But yeah, how much on average, would you say?

Well I've found a few London-based places so I'll check them out when I have time. How much should I be looking to spend? I wouldn't say my budget is huge. It's not, I'm a student. But mouthpieces tend to last and it should be a worthwhile investment so I could stretch a bit more for a better quality product.

But yeah, how much on average, would you say?

well bach megatone ran $108, but i'm not sure you have to spend that much. Warburton makes an EXCELLENT mouthpiece, and the shaft can screw off. The mouthpiece with shaft runs like $80, but once you buy the whole thing, you can get just the mouthpiece part for like 50 from then on, if you ever decide to change. surprisingly, the screw on shaft doesn't seem to ruin the mouthpiece. It's not noticable for either the playing or the look.

Well I've found a few London-based places so I'll check them out when I have time. How much should I be looking to spend? I wouldn't say my budget is huge. It's not, I'm a student. But mouthpieces tend to last and it should be a worthwhile investment so I could stretch a bit more for a better quality product.

But yeah, how much on average, would you say?

That has, in my mind, always been one of the strange facts about a rather vital tool....Price is not uniform, nor is it much of an indicator about what you'll be getting. Neither are the better-known makes always the most expensive (V. Bach is a good example of that - their standard models seem to teeter on the lower end of price...but again, that's similar to an off-the-shelf model of anything..versus a "custom shop" or artist model type product).

I've used a very old, beaten-up lookin' chunk of metal a buddy was looking to get rid of for nothing (or next to it, actually, if memory serves)....It was a Conn from way back in the day (I was looking for something to equate the body mass of a mega-tone when that was simply out of my price range lol)...It didn't have the same result, natch, but was a decent 'piece all the same. Then came the Wicks, the Schilkes (again), a brief affair with a bob reeves in there somewhere....The most I ever spent on a mouthpiece, if memory serves, was either a Denis Wick (70-something USD at the time)....Or a Bach megatone 2C, which was in the 60's. Again, though, there are some very nice ones available for much less - a lot of it depends on what you'll be using it for. There seem to be a lot of custom-style lead mouthpieces on the market today, so you could theoretically spend as much as you want ;) but you really needn't. Shop around and keep an open mind, would be my advice. Ask the folks at your local shop if they will show you some shallower/lead-type/cushioned rim/brilliant toned....any of those adjectives will normally give the brass player in the bunch a fair idea of what you're after :) Short answer: $30 - $*as high as you would care to go :thumbsup: lol