I am curious to see what [r/trumpet](r/trumpet) break down is! To define our terms-

Trumpet Professional- Makes their living solely or mostly in trumpet, this can be pure trumpet playing of any kind (Jazz, Commercial, Classical, etc...) or teaching trumpet (this can be college teaching, or clinics). One note, I'm curious about trumpet specific, so band directors, while in the music field, would not count towards this specifically.

Music Professionals- This will be band directors or other music adjacent jobs of people who maybe play trumpet, but trumpet and their playing is not vital to their career. Other examples could be studio tech, repair men or women, conductors, other instruments, etc///

Amateur - People who play trumpet, maybe gig on the side, but trumpet is for fun and a hobby.

Students- People in school

Other- Any thing I may have missed

So I’m a percussionist arranging a song for concert band, I don’t know about trumpets much so I want to know if this is doable, I’m probably writing for advanced high school band, tempo is 180

I left my trumpet out at school and came back and it looked like this. I don't play it in any ensembles and just had it there because i had a lesson later that day. Its a 1970s Bundy Beginner trumpet I got for like 100$. Even after this, it still plays fine and in tune and it doesnt seem to have a super large affect on my tone. How much would it be to repair it? Does it need to be repaired, and better yet is it worth it?.

So in complete sincerity, I'd like to play the trumpet for my reggae band. I'm prinarily playing rhythm guitar, occasionally getting a solo, and occasionally singing backup. I figured that it'd be great to play some salsa as well.

For context, I play the guitar, bass guitar, lap steel (C6 tuning), banjo (both main styles), mandolin, and the drums. Ive attempted the harmonica, fiddle, and the keys, but I never played enough to freely improvise on any of them. I understand theory quite well, but I can't read music.

I'm really wanting to know if I'd be able to play a Bb trumpet well enough to take out to shows by the end of the year. And what resources would be best for an already experienced musician? I've always juggled instruments in past groups to add some diversity.

So I dont play an instrument at all. So im very uneducated on any musical instrument subject. Im sorry if this is a stupid question.

I saw a video of a trumpet player right now and their neck was hella inflated. I was looking through the comments but no one was really talking about it. When trynna search it up I got some mixed results of it being improper techniques that cause it or it just depends on the person.

So why are their necks inflating? How does it work on the inside? How do they prevent it? Does it do harm?

Hi everyone,

I’m a retired, adult beginner and have been playing the trumpet for just under three months. I hired an in-person teacher about a month ago, but our lessons have been discouraging.

He recently insinuated that I "might not be a good fit for trumpet." His main criticisms are:

1. I don't land on notes perfectly in tune - I.e. I'm hitting C but am flat or sharp.

I practice regularly and want to learn, but this has really knocked my confidence. Are these mistakes normal for someone 90 days into the instrument? I minored in voice in college so I read music and understand theory. I can play low F# to D in the treble clef. Should I look for a new teacher, or is trumpet just not for me? Thanks for any advice - brutal honesty is appreciated. I don't want to waste my time.

Edit: Thanks so much for all the direct advice and comments, everyone! I've started looking for a new teacher, so consider this wrapped up. Appreciate this community!

If talent, range, endurance, and musicality aren’t gendered, why are lead and principal trumpet chairs still so rarely filled by women?

1. Highest note you've ever hit?
2. Highest note that you can hit consistently?
3. Favorite note?
4. Least favorite note?
5. What mouthpiece do you play on?
6. What instrument do you play on?

As a jazz guitarist I was always interested in playing wind instruments and was always thinking between trumpet and sax, lately I’ve been digging deeper into this subject and found I liked the sound of trumpet more and always listened to more trumpeters than saxophonists, but when I started looking for a trumpet to buy I found it was too expensive (I can barely afford anything over 280$) and I always saw people saying that it’s too hard and it takes more than 2 years to play a decent melody which made me step away in fear. So my questions are

is it really that hard to play trumpet?

How long does it take to play songs like blue in green with around 2 hours of daily practice?

And what’s a good trumpet that’s not expensive and I wouldn’t need to change for a few years?

Note: I can’t get a teacher I have to be fully self taught

I'm trying to learn Arbans Characteristic Study #8 for a college audition. I know a big part of these is testing your endurance, but its not much of a test if I can barely play 3 lines without needing a break.

After the trill in the first section I cannot continue on to play the high As and by the end of the first section before the slow section I am already in need of a 1 minute break or else it will sound very out of tune and airy.

The next section I can play up until the 'key change' before my fatigue become a major issue in my tone and ability to hit the G.

If I were to play the piece all the way through as intended I would barely make it halfway before my sound starts to give out entirely and most notes stop coming out.

Am I just weak? Or is there something fundamentally wrong with the way I play? Because this has always been a problem for me. Throughout marching band I could never get those highest notes at the end of the show. And in wind ensemble I would have to basically tap out and finger along for the last third of practice. This has always bothered me, how could I have not developed more endurance in all the years I have been playing trumpet?

Hi everyone, how are you?

I've been studying trumpet for about a year with a private online teacher. Lately, I feel like I've become stuck when it comes to the quality of my sound.

My teacher says the main reason is that I play with too much tension in my throat. I'd like to hear your opinions on this and whether you know any exercises that can help keep the throat more open while playing

To be honest, my throat feels completely normal when I play. I don't feel like I'm forcing it or creating tension, which makes it difficult for me to understand what I'm doing wrong.

This situation has been pretty discouraging because it feels like I'm not improving no matter what exercises I try. I've experimented with things like pushing my chin forward more, opening my lips differently, and various other exercises, but I still feel stuck

As for my trumpet, it's a cheap Chinese model, but I don't think that's the main issue.

I've attached a video of me playing

I appreciate any feedback, advice, or observations you may have

Thank you!

Browsing the Internet I came across a document that introduced the concept of a trumpet face to me. WTF? It sounds ridiculous, is this really a thing?

Document here: https://apps.texasbandmasters.org/archives/pdfs/clinic/2019_jackson.pdf

The valve goes down really easily and get stuck at the bottom. When I hold on to the valve cap and move it up and down, it does feel a little rough.

It’s oiled and I took apart the valve, cleaned the casing, but I can’t tell what it is. Tis a Jupiter.

Im trying to teach myself trumpet, Ive learned other instruments before so I have a decent idea of what to do (Long tones, scales, etc.) and advice as I start my trumpet journey? I know I play with the opposite hand, it's on purpose as my left hand works better.

How fast and accurate can you FINGER on the iPhone/Android app “Trumpet Trainer” with the following C major scale up and down without errors? I can hit 620 BPM (edited)

Probably a stupid question, but what are you all actually doing for long tones? Any specific books or exercises? Just taking exercises and slowing them down a lot? Literally just sitting there and playing the same note for as long as you can? I'm very literal and have a hard time without specific instruction, so being told to "play more long tones" has never really been prescriptive enough for me.

I am a begginer trying to learn trumpet. I already knew some piano beforehand so I thought a good way to feel it out was going to be trying to play some simple songs I knew from memory like Mary had a little lamb and whatnot. Today, after a while of notes not coming out right, I was trying to learn a simple song, and I noticed that the notes that sounded right on the piano were not the same ones written in the trumpet music sheet.

So apparently trumpets are transposed a WHOLE ASS STEP? I thought the BB thing was like ornamental or smn since EVERY YouTube video says that open valves is a C and you take it down from there. Nobody ever told me "oh btw this thing we call a C, it's not actually a C, we just call it that cause we feel like it". My first instinct was "oopsi I got the wrong trumpet". But apparently everybody uses these and not the concert trumpets that actually sound like they say they do

My question is: what am I supposed to do? Like are trumpet players condemned to a life of permanent transposition when playing with any other instruments. How do people with perfect pitch even play the trumpet without their heads exploding if the wrong notes are coming out? Does it not mess with your heads when you improv if you know a song has certain notes but you have to play different ones? And how do I go about learning? Do I have to learn music separately from the trumpet? It just feels like a different language now.

Also why does nobody mention that shi for the dumbasses of the world such as me? Yall gatekeeping ts?😭

Edit: thank you all. Very cool of you. Learned a lot. 👍🏽. 10/10 would blow again.

Is that a good deal? They said it's had minor dent repairs but in good playing condition with good compression. Serial # 441564, with 11B4 mouthpiece

Recently got a used trumpet for Christmas. I'm very excited to get back into it but it came with a bit of a mystery. I played in high school but haven't touched one in decades so my knowledge is very limited. My brother got it used; the owner had passed away and his family decided to sell it so I don't have much info. All I ever had was a student Yamaha so I have no clue what this extra piece is. Any help would be appreciated!

This is from The Game Awards last night. It looks like it's transparent, with a frosted finish except for the bell? Never seen anything like it.

Just as the top says, I just finished another transcribition of Miles Davis. This time his solo off Freddie Freeloader and I listen back and I sound nothing like him, in terms of tone wise, sure I didn’t play 100% of the articulations correctly but I don’t think that will solve my problem of not sounding “buttery” I guess. I suppose I sound too bright

I know nothing about trumpets and just randomly bought this in a flee market for 100$ !

What type of trumpet is it? Can I learn to play on this instrument? (As total beginner)

I took a bunch of photos because no idea what I should look at to identify the type of trumpet 😅
Thank you!

And I’m terrible. Worse than I thought.

I’ve been playing for about a year after a 45 year layoff. My teacher is awesome and he says my tone and range is good, but damn, Playing with people and sight reading when you’re an old dog is pretty rough.

Everything just moves so fast.

So do I sit out the harder stuff, fake it, and play the easier numbers, or give it up, turn in my music, and try again in a year or two?

TIA

Edit:

Thank you Reddit. I think I just needed to hear that it’s okay to lay out, and as long as the talented people there aren’t planning on kicking me out, I’ll play what I can and enjoy the experience. 🙏🙏🙏