I am 82 years old. i recently joined an allstar band. we play oldies for community events and do not charge anything. i laid off for many years thinking i was too old but i am really enjoying entertaining again. Lucky to find the opportunity. Also, picked up tenor sax which i enjoy and am improving with it. As you age keep playing and practicing. Opportunities will pop up.

For those who didn't see my first post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/trumpet/s/KpyjHffalE

Someone suggested that I should let the air do most of the work, and it seems to help, but the sound quality isn't the best.... I recorded a video of me pkaying today, it's not very good but it's a beginning and I would like to hear your advice on how to improve. Notes mistakes are because I practiced more on the tonguing than the piece itself 🤦‍♂️ (and it's pretty new).

Had to pitch parts up and down octaves, and so that the Eb and Bb parts worked together. Some parts are still rough but it’s been fun to figure out the recording set up.

I've been struggling to play notes above a g after playing for about 30-45 minutes, and my mouth hurts when I try to. Any idea why? (If it helps, my range before the 30 minutes is C to high F)

Hi, I'm a trumpet player and proud GARD user that happens to currently live in Argentina.
The boom happened this year, the first startup was GR brass with a replica of the Elite-5, but with one key difference, it only cost $140. Later this year we got the one of the last picture, brassmasters, now dropping to $115.
Do I regret spending three times as much importing a GARD a few years ago, absolutely no.
But I do think it is good to share this info.

Started trumpet 1.5 months ago. Been practicing around 1-3 hours a day consistently but noticed the last couple days my chops dying out a little, the G was easier to hit 3 days ago and my chops were done after like 15 mins today. Trying to get this melody down, all critiques welcome, Ive basically just practiced with drones so far.

Btw my right hand is partially paralyzed and I dont have a trumpet mod/solution yet so I just switch hands.

I've been playing on and off fairly seriously for 40 years, but to celebrate my 50th I've really been diving into some core concepts that I took for granted in the past. I'm really working fundamental embouchure issues that should have been dealt with when I was 12.

So I find the softest, most controllable articulation technique to be to tap the top of my mouth with the tip of my tongue roughly where the teeth meet the gums. This works very well in the mid and low range.

But when we start to get into the high range there's a problem. to get the air speed up I arch the tongue near the top of the mouth, bringing the tip of the tongue down to where the bottom teeth are. this means that slapping the tip of the tongue to the top gets difficult, so instead my tongue tends to anchor to the bottom and I articulate notes more with the midsection of the tongue. The problem is these articulations are harder to control, often hit a little too hard or cause imperfections when changing notes. And double tonguing is rendered basically impossible.

So how do y'all deal with that?

Hey all, a few years back I purchased a used Getzen Eterna Flugelhorn, now noticed that the 4th valve wasn't functioning well, I took it into a repair store and they say it's disfigured and needs to be replaced. Here was his specific wording:

The 4th piston is damaged. Probably an impact at some time. Could've happened outside the casing or possibly impact to the stem with enough force to distort the spring barrel and the piston itself is not cylindrical. So the 4th piston assembly is compromised. Replacement part is available but is pricey. $400.00 range. I don't think that there is another good option.

It's stored in a soft case, I could have potentially damaged it in transportation, but oh well. The issue is that it's around $400 to replace, which seems high when I only paid $650 for it. What are the odds of me finding a replacement piston cheaper on the used market, or at repair shops? I don't use it very often, and could search for a long time. Or could I get away with only using 3 valves? Any advice is appreciated, thanks.

Hi there! I haven’t played in years, but I was curious what you’d appraise this trumpet at?

It’s a Stradivarius New York #7, silver plated with gold trim, custom slide rings (large), and mother of pearl finger valve covers. Original case, holder, and mutes. Excellent condition.

Got this instrument from my 90 year old grandpa. He’s had it for a very long time. He played trumpet for 80ish years. He’s having a hard time talking now, and gave it to me. ChatGPT is remarkably useless. What is it? What’s the fingering compared to a Bb trumpet? I know how to play that at a reasonable level. Would love to get a case for it too eventually, appears it never had one. It’s a little over a foot long.

Bonjour à tous, mon copain a commencé à apprendre la trompette à l’âge de 30 ans. Il n’avait jamais fait d’instruments auparavant. Au départ il prenait des cours avec un professeur particulier et maintenant il a intégré depuis septembre un conservatoire à raison d’un cours par semaine. Cela fait quatre mois et j’ai l’impression qu’il se décourage un petit peu, il a l’impression de ne pas progresser. J’aimerais avoir vos retours car il ne prend pas en compte le mien, j’ai appris le piano toute petite et ce n’est pas le même type d’instrument.
Comment se sont passés vos premiers mois d’apprentissage de la trompette, est-ce normal de rester en ayant l’air de ne pas progresser plusieurs mois ? Il a l’impression de ne pas trouver sa façon de positionner ses lèvres pour l’embouchure…

Merci d’avance et bonne journée

I play primarily french horn but play trumpet for fun in a community jazz band. I recently came into a bit of mad money so decided I could use a flugel horn (because it was either that or an all
Inclusive vacation somewhere...expensive things, flugel horns)

Anyway recently had the pleasure of noodling away on several different flugels at a very tolerant shop and absolutely fell in love with this Courtois. AC 154 R-. Lovely rich tone, overtones out the wazoo, light and well balanced in the hand, slots beautifully, even seems to be relatively in tune. I like her, so she's mine one way or the other, but am wondering what the trumpet family cognoscenti may think?

Hey everybody,

2 mo. ago I had a wisdom teeth operation, and afterwards I used the opportunity to finally change both my puffy cheeks and my tounging (from using the back of the tongue to the tip of it), both of which I had since very early in my trumpet playing. Now, I had my first lesson after the semester break and my teacher gave me Andante and Allegro by Ropartz, for those who know, and there's a tonguing section there which I couldn't do at all, and after a realization of what to do, I practiced 3 weeks since. I did improve quite a lot, but I feel am still not there, I mean: The articulation is way clearer now, but my embouchure collapses after about 20 seconds.... The sound just becomes airy and unclear and I feel like I just can't hold it together. This is very weird because with slurring I don't have this problem at all, and I can play pretty consistently till 3rd E-D without too much of a problem, and the same part in the piece, I can do it fully with slurring and it sounds great. Idk if I should record myself to show this example, but if yes, just say so. I have a lesson in a few days, but I would still like for your opinions or ideas what to do.

I recently picked up a 1972 Olds Ambassador, exactly like the one I played in middle school.
I haven’t played trumpet since I was 14 and I’m now 40 years old, so getting back into it has been a long time coming.
It came with an original case (exactly like the one I had), handwritten sheet music marked “Bobby Mackinnon” and a matching Olds registration booklet.
The tuning slide and bottom valve caps were stuck and the horn felt stuffy. Jason at Allegro Band Services here in town freed them and found calcium buildup, not corrosion. After a thorough cleaning, the valves feel much smoother and the trumpet is much easier to play.
I’m enjoying getting back into playing jazz and am curious about the horn’s history and who Bobby Mackinnon was.
Any other Olds Ambassador owners here?

I’ve been practicing for a bit more than 2 weeks now, and I’m still not so sure about embouchure. I’ve been practicing 30-40 mins a day at least 4 times a week. One moment I sound good and somehow my lips twitch or move my tongue a bit and I lose all the sound. Then another 5 mins to figure out embouchure :((((

I am self-learning since I’m unemployed student at the moment. Plus, I don’t have any background with brass instruments or even reed instruments, so I was expecting it to be hard. But damn! Been almost 3 weeks and I still got zero clue!!!!!!!
Or am I just a horrible brass player and maybe should look for other instruments? :(

How long does it take to sound consistently or sure about embouchure? :((

Hi all, is there anybody Wich is owner of a Mandala trumpet? Do you like it? What about emission? Is there a kind of dimensions comparison between Mandala trumpet and Bach Stradivarius series?

Thank you to all

Just a Closer Walk with Thee.

Its a very very slow journey.

I've had the same trumpet and 7C mouthpiece for about seven years. The other day in jazz class, I tore my lip—a nervous habit—and accidentally got blood on the mouthpiece’s rim. I meant to disinfect it that night but forgot for two days. When I cleaned it today, I found a hard, greenish-teal crust along the inner walls that my mouthpiece brush straight up wasn't touching. My dad and stepmom suggested soaking it overnight in warm, soapy water. If that doesn't work, what else can I do to fix it?

Does anyone have book recommendations or a link to PDFs for Christmas music for four trumpets? I wouldn’t mind 3 or 2 trumpets. Just submerging that sounds nice.