What is a Schilbach?

In everyone’s life, there are things which we hold dear. It might be a sunset shared by a loved one. It might have been a soft touch from a very special persons hand upon yours. But to a trumpet player, it’s always that perfect trumpet. This is where my story begins. Early in the 1970’s I purchased what I thought would be my first and last C trumpet. Unfortunately, we did not get along very well. I expected more out of my new Bach CL 229L than it could offer me. And being the true hearted Schilke advocate that I…

The Transitional A/Bb Cornets- Did They Play In Tune? Part 2

How the test was carried out I decided to prepare a test sheet which would include all of the notes from low B up to and including high C. In order to best represent each note tested, I used three preparatory notes which would give me a well centered pitch to be checked on my tuner. I have included a download of the sheet at the bottom of this post in case you would like to do the same test on your instrument. Originally I intended to test only the A/Bb cornet and my Bach cornet, but due to the…

The Transitional A/Bb Cornets- Did They Play In Tune?

Shortly after posting my article Why Did The Cornet Become a Second Rate Citizen?, I became more interested in the Cornet and one of the questions which kept me up at night was this- “did the transitional cornets (cornets manufactured as a fundamentally A pitched instrument but converted to play also in Bb), play in tune”? I tried testing a Bb with its slides extended to an A instrument but the intonation was so bad, I gave up the effort. Then a good friend of mine said that he had an A/Bb cornet and would loan it to me for…

Practicing In Front of a Computer Screen

More trumpet players are beginning to read their music off computer screens and this new trend has advantages as well as disadvantages as we will address. More players are beginning to take advantage of on line lessons through Skype as well as other programs and many times their material is sent to them as PDF files. Some may choose to download and print this material so that they are able to practice in the conventional manner, using their music stand to display their material. Some, on the other hand have begun to read their material off the computer screen, thereby…

What is the Best Trumpet Case? Part 4

Listed prices changing constantly! Single Soft Side Cases Now we have come to what I feel is the best compromise among all of the cases mentioned. The soft sided trumpet cases have advanced to the point that the protection is acceptable and the issue of excessive weight has also been addressed. If I were to purchase a new case for my horns, I would definitely go for one of these. Of the cases listed below, my choice would definitely be this one- Protec Standard PRO PAC Trumpet Case Price- $75.99/Material- Nylon/foam/Rating- 4-5 ***** http://www.wwbw.com/Protec-Standard-PRO-PAC-Trumpet-Case-540692-i1151238.wwbw Front section for music. Large accessory…

What is the Best Trumpet Case? Part 3

Gig Bags The basic design of trumpet gig bag has not changed much in the past twenty years. The basic design was originated to serve the convenience of the player. There is not too much protection for the trumpet when transported but the ease of carrying more than makes up for the lack of security. That is if you don’t care what happens to your horn. I never trusted a gig bag to any of my horns so I have to admit that my opinions of the trumpet gig bag might be slightly bias. Most of my friends do use…

What is the Best Trumpet Case? Part 2

Traditional Hard Cases Almost every professional trumpet came packaged in a traditional hard case and most often these were made with wood panels covered with a leather or leather like material. These are considered very strong and protect the instrument from most abusive encounters.  Some are designed with extra room for accessories such as mutes, music, and valve oil and some are designed to only carry one trumpet. Some manufacturers place the trumpet on it’s side as in the case of the Bach and some secure the trumpet in an upright position as in the case of Yamaha and Schilke.…

How To Pick the Best Case for Your Trumpet

Part 1 What are the different kinds of trumpet cases? Most trumpets are purchased with accompanying cases and to the average person, this is adequate. Your instrument is expensive and deserves the best protection possible. But is the case that came with your instrument up to the task? If you search on line or at local music stores, the vast number and features of new cases can be confusing. One manufacturer advertises that theirs is the strongest and another manufacturer states that theirs is the lightest and still others say theirs is the strongest and the lightest. So what can…

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Trumpet – Brass or Silver Finish?

Should I get a silver or brass finish on my trumpet? This decision is not the same as deciding on a color for your new car. Color and finish are two different issues when deciding on the surface of your new trumpet. Many people decide on the silver because it “looks” cool. Many believe that the brass finish is too similar to the student horn’s finish they are trading up from. The decision between the brass and the silver can be made easier by reviewing the following questions and my responses to those questions. What difference is there between silver…

Modifications To Your Mouthpiece

First warning! Modifying a mouthpiece could ruin it. With that note of assurance, let’s see what can be done to a mouthpiece to change its playing characteristics. Parts of a trumpet/cornet/flugelhorn mouthpiece- Rim- contoured section which comes in contact with the players lips Bite- Inner edge of rim Cup- Largest section of mouthpiece Second cup- First area of increased air resistance Throat- Most narrow path of the air stream Back bore- Gradual tapering outward from the mouthpiece into the instrument Shank- Area inserted into mouthpiece receiver Rim alterations- none can be done without permanent damage to the mouthpiece Shoulder- none…