www.indyjazz.org > Education Resources > Articles > Learning To Be A Lead Trumpet Player (Part 1)

This article does not purport to be a “method” or “system” for developing or building the upper trumpet register. There are already way too many good (and not so good) books and articles on this subject. It only represents some general, common sense guidelines for the developing lead player. Although I have included references to excellent published method books, this article does not contain any exercises or etudes. All of this information is based on my personal experience of 25 years as a professional trumpet player as well as my observation of hundreds of other talented musicians. These guidelines are intended solely for the advanced student or the professional. That is, the talented collegiate or the extremely talented (and extremely rare) high school trumpet player. A very secure and mature sound must be developed before any specialized lead trumpet work is attempted. Permanent physical harm to the embouchure can occur if these concepts are applied to a young, developing player. EQUIPMENT We’re all searching for the perfect mouthpiece or the perfect horn that will magically transform us and solve all of our problems. Smart players know that no such mouthpiece or horn exists. What will help is finding a mouthpiece and horn that comes close to matching the type of playing that you want to do. Since so much mythology and downright “mumbo jumbo” surrounds equipment concerns, I thought it best to address this first. 1. Mouthpiece Trumpet mouthpiece design has not changed radically in the last 400 years. Baroque-era mouthpiece makers pretty much figured out all of the basic design concepts that are still in use today. Trumpet playing in those days was very specialized (sort of like today). All trumpets then were “natural” (no valves, no keys, etc.) trumpets. To play anything resembling a melody required exploiting the upper reaches of the harmonic series where the notes lie closer together. The necessity of having to fluently play in the upper register led quickly to the development of the first “lead” trumpet mouthpieces. The later development of a fully chromatic trumpet (first with keys, then with valves) ended the first great era of high-note trumpet playing. Most of mouthpieces made for these new chromatic trumpets were a compromise design that favored the middle register of the instrument. This is the mouthpiece design that is still in general use today. It took the big band era of the 1930’s and 40’s to again create a need for the upper-register favoring mouthpiece to reemerge. A good lead trumpet mouthpiece suitable for big band and commercial playing should have the following characteristics: a. A shallow bowl-shaped cup (an “A” cup for those using the Shilke system or an “E” cup using the Bach system). Many mouthpieces designed for lead trumpet use have what is generally called a “double cup.” Many players find this slight variation of the shallow cup design very effective. Convex cups, V-shaped cups, and other unorthodox cup designs should be avoided. b. A fairly wide, flat rim that is rounded on the inner “bite” (the part that transitions into the cup). c. The inner shank (the inner part that goes into the mouthpiece receiver) should have a fairly narrow taper — also called the “backbore.” Inner cup diameter can vary based on personal preference. In fact, the best way to choose your first lead mouthpiece is to find one (with the above characteristics) that matches the inner cup diameter of your current mouthpiece. This will also allow you to switch between your shallow cup and your regular mouthpiece with minimal difficulty. An exact match is considered anything that falls within .005 (bigger or smaller) of your current mouthpiece. After sufficient time, when you’re totally accustomed to a shallow cup, you can experiment with smaller diameters. A slightly smaller inner diameter may help to increase overall endurance. The “Comparative Mouthpiece Guide” by Gerald Endsley (published by Tromba) is a good general reference for trumpet mouthpiece sizes. Many players are able to adjust to a shallow cup rather easily. Others seem to struggle - particularly at first. Most of the initial problems that arise are purely psychological. Some players have a tendency to be freaked out by the way a shallow cup feels on their embouchure. This is because they can often feel their lips touching the inside of the cup. With daily practice on the new mouthpiece this feeling will soon pass. One must fight the tendency to give up. It’s extremely rare for a trumpet player to not be able to eventually adapt to playing on a shallow cup mouthpiece. I’ve never heard a single strong, consistent lead player that has not played on some version of the mouthpiece described above. I have however heard many stories over the years about wonderful players doing Herculean trumpet feats all while playing on huge symphonic mouthpieces. The people telling these stories always say something like, “He played loud double-G’s all night long on a Bach one and a half C!” These amazing players always seem to be either long dead or some guy who knows some guy who knows some guy...you get the picture. While it’s certainly possible that players like this have existed at one time another, I’ve never personally known any of them. It’s my theory that these apocryphal stories are started by classically oriented trumpet professors who don’t want their students playing on a “peashooter” mouthpiece. These stories have now achieved “urban myth” status. 2. Instrument in General As far as equipment is concerned, the mouthpiece has a much greater effect on trumpet playing than does the trumpet itself. Most experts agree that it’s probably something on the order of 75 - 90% mouthpiece, 10 - 25% trumpet. My own observations and experience tell me that it’s something much closer to 90% mouthpiece - 10% trumpet. Almost any high quality, professional-level instrument will work well for lead playing. The only exception to this would be the new “heavy wall” or “double wall” trumpets that are gaining popularity with many classical players and a few jazz soloists. These instruments are specifically designed to have an extremely dark tonality and are therefore completely unsuitable for lead playing. 3. Instrument Weight Relatively speaking, the actual weight or thickness of the bell and brass tubing has the greatest effect on overall trumpet sound. A “lightweight” trumpet, that is one constructed using relatively thin brass throughout, will generally yield the best results. This type of instrument will aid the player in achieving the “bright” sound that is historically characteristic of lead playing. Playing with a bright sound also helps the lead player to be heard over the band without having to over-blow (which leads to premature fatigue). These lightweight trumpets are also generally perceived to be easier to play and more “free blowing” in the upper register. Almost all major manufacturers offer professional-level lightweight trumpets.  4. Bore size Although a far second in overall importance to instrument weight, bore size might qualify as a consideration when choosing a trumpet. The majority of all trumpets manufactured have a .460 bore size. This size seems to be the best compromise for a wide variety of playing and will certainly work generally for lead playing. Even though the positive advantage might be a small one, you may want to consider trying a slightly larger bore size. A shallow cup, tight backbore mouthpiece combined with a large bore, lightweight trumpet can often aid range, power, and endurance. This particular mouthpiece/horn combination is well known and is frequently used by many professional lead players. A large bore is usually considered anything in the .462 to .468 range. Occasionally, you might even see a .470 bore size. In this case, the biggest is not necessarily the best. There’s definitely an upper limit where a positive feature starts becoming a negative one. Sometimes these largest of large bores (the .470 bore and sometimes even the .468 bore) can actually diminish endurance rather than enhancing it. A good compromise is probably the .463 or .464 size, which seems to provide most of the added benefits of a large bore with little of the downside. 5. Bells & Leadpipes The size, flair, and construction material of the bell certainly have an effect on the playing characteristics of a trumpet. The same is equally true for the inner size and taper of the leadpipe. Unfortunately, altering these parts on a stock, professional-model instrument can be a very expensive and frustrating endeavor. In most cases, the benefit of altering the bell or the leadpipe of an existing instrument will not justify the cost of doing it. Trumpet manufacturers are usually quite skilled at designing a complete instrument (bell and leadpipe included) that will meet the needs and the expectations of most players. 6. Other Considerations I’ve heard trumpet players swear that a silver plated trumpet sounds “brighter” than a lacquered one. When you consider that the silver plating or lacquering on any brass instrument is infinitesimally thin, it’s effect on overall sound be considered equally infinitesimal. Plating versus lacquering is more of a wear-and-tear issue than a sound issue. Generally speaking, plated finishes tend to last and look better a little longer than lacquered finishes. Today there’s a plethora of trumpet add-on and replacement hardware and devices. Bottom caps, finger buttons, extra braces, mouthpiece additions, and other gadgets are all readily available and all touted as solving a myriad of problems. Most if not all of these devices should only be considered for their aesthetic effect on trumpet playing. Their only physical effect on trumpet playing might be placed in the “placebo” category. This is the end of Part 1. Please look for Part 2 of this article that will discuss the physical and developmental aspects of lead trumpet playing.