Tone on Eb/D trumpet

[keithbranham]

I am new to high trumpets, and a comeback player. To get me started I bought a Getzen 300 Eb/D trumpet. It seems to be a well cared for used instrument. However, no mater what I do the tone seems tinty. I’ve been using a Bach 7C trumpet mouthpiece, but have tried a Getzen 5C, but still get a tinty sound. It does not change when set up as D or Eb. Any suggestions?

And for what it’s worth, I’m also playing an Eterna Bb and an Eterna flugelhorn, but don’t have tone problems on them.

[nieuwguyski]

Perhaps auto-correct is changing what you (think you) are typing. I have no idea what a "tinty" sound is. Tiny? Tinny?
_________________
J. Notso Nieuwguyski

[keithbranham]

Apologies for auto correct. Tinny, piercing, rather harsh, is the best description I can give.

[Tpt_Guy]

Eb is a smaller horn than Bb, so it will sound smaller no matter what.

If you're just getting started on high horns, I wouldn't worry so much about the sound. Instead, learn the response and intonation tendencies of the horn and after you're used to navigating it focus on the sound.

But be prepared: an Eb trumpet won't sound like a Bb. The closest I've heard anyone come is with the longer models (like a Schilke E3L) fitted with a C trumpet bell.
_________________
-Tom Hall-

"A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence."
-Bruce Lee

[Dale Proctor]

It takes practice, familiarity with the trumpet, and playing relaxed to get a full sound out of D, Eb, and piccolo trumpets.
_________________
"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away ." - Sir Thomas Beecham

[amzi]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I've always found the tone of the Getzen 300 Eb/D to be as you described. My advice to you is to learn to tame the little beastie as best you can then look for a "better" horn. After that, you can begin a mouthpiece search, but for now you 7C will work. For lack of a better word I'm going to say that you need to approach the horn "delicately". You can't power your way into the upper range, so you need to use your air more efficiently to achieve your desired response. Don't get discouraged, you can do this, just takes a little work.
_________________
Recording Olds Trumpet
Bach Stradivarius ML 37
Bach Stradivarius CML 236
Bach Stradivarius Bass Trumpet
Holton T171 Alto Trumpet
Yamaha 610 Eb/D Trumpet
Kanstul 920 Picc.

[qcm]

[Tpt_Guy]

[Nonsense Eliminator]

There are E flat trumpets that are designed to sound similar to a big horn.

The Getzen 300 is not one of them. So don't try. Whether it's a small E flat or a piccolo or whatever, don't try to fight the natural sound of the instrument. The optimum sound on an instrument like that is going to be light, compact, and fluid -- like a falsetto or a boy soprano.
_________________
Richard Sandals
NBO

[Richard III]

I've been wondering about Eb playing a Bb piccolo part. For those of you who are experienced with these, can you just use Bb side of the double french horn fingerings on the Eb to play Bb parts?
_________________
Richard

King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece

[LSOfanboy]

[cheiden]

I was fortunate enough to see Malcolm McNab in a masterclass of sorts where demonstrated his ability to sound virtually identical on his Eb as he does on his Bb. I think he used to favor the Schilke E3L but moved to a B&S.
_________________
"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
Charles J Heiden/So Cal
Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb/Yamaha 731 Flugel/Benge 1X C/Kanstul 920 Picc/Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim on 1.5C underpart

[James Becker]

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but the Getzen 300 Eb/D is not a great playing instrument. The bell is simply out of proportion with the rest resulting in pitch problems below the staff.

One possible solution for the low register is to use alternate half step higher fingerings along with 1st and 3rd slides to compensate for the extremely flat notes below the second partial.

Two radical solutions to make these trumpets more useful requires reconfuguation. The first is to convert to a long bell Eb/D with a larger C trumpet bell. Second is to reduce the overall length to a higher key, either F or G. Of these, converting to a single key of G with fixed lead pipe and tuning bell like a Schilke has proven our most popular conversion for these trumpets. So to play trumpet in D parts the fingerings would be G major with one sharp, low concert D fingered 1-3, so no need for a fourth valve as you would for a piccolo in A.

I hope this is helpful.
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

[Richard III]

[RandyTX]

The Bach long-bell, particularly the XL bore variant, plays a lot more like a C or Bb than any other Eb/D I've ever heard about. Not a 'light' solo instrument for some of the older trumpet literature, but if you want a horn that can blend in better with a section of larger horns, that's a good choice.

Mine was a L bore and a bit stuffy when I first got it, but Charlie Melk tweaked it out, changing some of the tubing to match the XL and doing other black magic to the horn. It's a very, very nice Eb/D now.

They're probably hard to find, especially in the XL bore size, but mine plays better than either model of the newer Artisan Eb's from Bach, at least the examples I got to play a few years ago.
_________________
"Music is like candy, you throw the (w)rappers away."

[Lionel]

[RandyTX]

[LSOfanboy]

[Steve A]

[LSOfanboy]