How to choose your first trumpet? What you have to check
A trumple in Si bemol with pistons that flow and have no pounding at the tudel is what you need to start with. We explain how to review it, new or used.
To start with, you have to have a trumpet at Si bemol studio with a medium-sized nozzle - typical 7C - and especially with pistons that come up and down without jamming. That weighs more than the finish, color or quantity of accessories that the package brings.
Here we explain how to check pistons, bombs and dampens, what to do with the nozzle and what's worth, whether you buy them new or second.
To sum up
- The trumpet at Si bemol is the standard to learn: methods, high school gangs and popular music use them.
- The 7C nozzle is a middle- sized starting point and changing it's a decision to make with your teacher, and not a shortcut to the sharp.
- The pistons have to come down and up alone with no noise or friction and spent pistons are not tipped with oil.
- A blow at the edge of the bell is usually aesthetic, and one at the tudel, at piston shirts or at bombs does affect how it plays.
- A rigid or highly padded case protects nozzle and pistons at the bus, at school and at essays.
Why a trumpet at Si bemol
Almost everything that you're about to play at first - methods, school gangs, salsa, jazz, popular music - is intended for the trumpet at Si bemol. There are other trumpets and close relatives and they have to be recognized so as to avoid buying the wrong instrument:
| Instrumento | What's that? | To get started? |
|---|---|---|
| Thrompette at Si bemol | The standard trumpet with three pistons | Yeah, that's the best choice. |
| Tromtle at Do | A little shorter, especially as a symphonic orchestra | No, you'll learn later if your path's orchestral. |
| Corneas (cornetin) | Same tuning and digitation, more coil and softer sound | In some cases, it's more compact and some teachers suggest it to young children. |
| Fliscorno | Longer tube and darker sound | Not as a first instrument |
| Moulds and poultry | The same tube wrapped up in a very small size | No. It offers more blow resistance and its tuning is usually less stable. |
With children, the challenge is the weight and length of his arms: his trumpet holds with his left hand and his arms forward. If his or her child stands up to his or her chest or drops his or her bell, ask his or her teacher if his or her horn's best or if his or her body's still bad with them, read [trumpet or trombone]](/blog/trompeta-o-trombon).
The nozzle: what does 7C mean and when to change it?
Many study trumpets bring a 7C nozzle. In the more widely expressed nomenclature, the number indicates the diameter of the ring - with the lower, bigger - and the letter, the depth of the cup: C is a mean drink. It's a balanced nozzle to form the embocture and most teachers accept it as a starting point. Some manufacturers use their own scales, so the figure doesn't always equal from one to another.
- Check that the stem, the part that enters the trumpet, has no blows or been oval: a hit nozzle tids bad and affects the sound.
- If you hit her with the palm to tighten her up, she can get jammed.
- A jammed nozzle is put out at a workshop with a special tool, never with a pliers.
- Don't buy a smaller or less profound nozzle to get faster awnings: sharp ones come from the air and the mouth, and change them earlier usually create tension.
- If the trumpet's used, disinfect the nozzle or buy a new one.
Fingers and bombs: what you have to prove most
The pistons are the heart of the trumpet. At the tent or at the salesman's place, give them most of the review:
- Reg up pistons, or ask them to do so, and press them one by one: they have to come down and come back up with them alone, quickly and without them.
- Press them several times in a row and then the three of them together. A piston that remains down or sounds like metal scattering needs review.
- He tries to move every piston from his side into his shirt. If he danced, he's spent and let air escape: his trumpet feels weak and his notes lose centre.
- Check that they are numbered and instead (1, 2 and 3). If you change your shirt, the air doesn't pass.
- It moves all the bombs: that of general tuning, that of the first piston and that of the third piston, with a ring to correct some serious notes. None should be attached.
Your teacher or a technician can also do a compression test: with his piston up, his piston gets his piston out and then his piston gets pressed. If a clear "pop" sounds, his piston seizes well and if his piston doesn't sound anything, there's wear.
Also look at the drain key: his cork should cover well, because a leaking there makes the trumpet bad and sounds opaque.
Fingerprints: what matters and what doesn't
| Zona | What an effect it has | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Loan or broad part of the bell | Almost always esthetic | Do not rule out purchase |
| The bell's throat, where it's tight | Can affect response and tuning | To be evaluated by a technician |
| Tudel, the tube where the nozzle enters | It intersects the passing of the air just where it matters most | Repair before playing |
| piston shirts | Can drill pistons | That's usually a reason to put her out. |
| Bombas | They prevent them from being moved to tuning or emptying water | Reparable and sewed before |
| Loose welds | Fumbling and strange vibrations | Reparable in workshop |
Also note pink or reddish spots on the tudel or bombs: they can be corrosion of the brass that moves from the inside and doesn't get rid of them by cleaning up. Wear from the lacquer, however, is only aesthetic. And don't care about whether it's golden or silver: for a beginner, finish isn't an important criterion.
and accessories that you do need
The box is part of the instrument. It looks for a rigid, or a very padded cover with a box where the nozzle doesn't walk loose: a nozzle that tires into the box ends up hitting the tudel or pistons. Check closures, hinges and handle, because you will load it onto the bus, at the TransMito and at the band tests.
- Fan oil and pump fat, each with its own function and with its own place.
- Nipple brush and a soft cloth. how to clear a trumpet We'll tell you how to use them.
- A stand to leave her standing at the pauses, rather than put her up in a chair.
- A studio satile if you live in an apartment: a lot of volume goes down, but the resistance changes, so we don't have to practice with it alone.
- A tuner and the [metronomer]](/herramientas/metronomo)That you can use for free on our web.
New, used or loaned: how to decide
A used study trumpet with and without bad pistons and with no pounding in critical areas can play better than a new and low quality. The more basic new ones have pistons that have been pounding from day one, a metal that can be pitted with ease and parts that are difficult to get. A used one, however, requires someone to check with calm.
Also ask at your local school or band: some gangs lend tools to their members while they learn and it's a good way to confirm that the trumpet's your thing before they buy.
Ask your teacher to prove it.
A beginner cannot know if an untuned note is his fault or his purport or his instrument. Your teacher does: with long, linked notes and a scale with his tuner, in a few minutes he knows if his trumpet helps or interferes. If you have no teacher yet, you can start [trumpet classes]](/clases/trompeta) before buying and solving the purchase with his advice.
Frequently asked questions
What's best for a child?
A trumpette at If bemole studio, light and with soft pistons. If the child is small and does not manage to hold his or her arms with his or her arms at the front, the trump is an alternative with the same digitation and later his or her passage to the trumpette is natural.
Can I practice trumpet at an apartment?
Yes, with reasonable schedules and a study satico for some of the practice. Exercises with the nozzle alone and long notes at moderate volume also help. Your teacher will tell you how to combine them without losing an open sound.
Do it matter if the trumpet's golden or silver?
To a beginner, no. The difference of sound between finishes are subtle and matter more with pistons, with the status of the tudel and with a stable tuning.
When do I have to change his 7C nozzle?
When your teacher suggests it for a concrete reason: the shape of your lips, the resistance or the type of music you play. Many trumpists have been following with a nozzle of a similar size for years.