when to upgrade from student horn to pro horn?

[LyonLover]

It's been a long time since i've been on this site. I'm in college now, still play on my beginner Yamaha. I have tried a strad and xeno out but seems like i'd have to play them for longer to notice a difference. Kind of feel like my horn is holding me back because it seems like it won't take as much air as i'd like to put in it.

When is it usually appropriate to upgrade to a pro model? As a college student, should I have upgraded already?

[Tuningbell]

I assume you are not a music major. But I’d start here. Get an opinion from an OSU trumpet faculty member.. take a walk on campus to Hughes Hall. You attend a university with one of the best music departments in the nation. You will get not only good advice, but the right advice. I’m sure a phone call or email explaining your situation in a message to one of these educators listed below will get a response and an appointment to answer your questions. Regarding a horn taking more air. This could be a limitation of the throat of your mouthpiece, your embrouchure, and a few other things. But the horn would be the last thing I’d look at regarding how much air the horn can take. The leadpipe on student horns is definitely designed to have a higher resistance then most professional horns. This is because students need the resistance to push against to produce a quality of tone. This becomes a balancing act between mouthpiece, lead pipe, metal gauge, curvature of the slides and all the other factors that go into building and designing a trumpet. These elements combine to put the resistance where it’s wanted. Some players like it upfront others further down the horn. But again this is best assessed in person with qualified people. Fortunately you have access to several local pros who can help you. The right pro horn for you will sound better and make playing easier when matched with the proper mouthpiece assuming you have proper technique. I’m thinking a mouthpiece change to a larger throat could feel really good to you. A pro horn with a mouthpiece that doesn’t work for you will lead you back to this dead end. I’m not sure you want to put more air in the horn.. I think you want the horn to feel more open and have less resistance.

The Ohio State University Trumpet Studio contacts:
Timothy Leasure
Professor of Trumpet , The Ohio State University
Associate Director of Graduate Studies
leasure.13@osu.edu
614 292-2054
215 Hughes Hall
1899 N College Rd
Columbus, OH 43210

Ted Clark
Associated Faculty, Trumpet
clark.2913@osu.edu
614 292-2054
215 Hughes Hall
1899 College Rd
Columbus, OH 43210

Byron Stripling
Associated Faculty, Jazz Trumpet
stripling.4@osu.edu

[deleted_user_687c31b]

Don’t have much to add to that. In person advice will likely be better than anyone on these forums can give you without hearing you play.

Trent Austin made video about when to upgrade your gear that you may find useful.

[trickg]

[JayKosta]

[Dayton]

[Shaft]

Would you be shocked if someone told you that you may be using too much air?

Ever wondered if the real pros play differently than most all of us learn?

Specifically mentioning that the horn can’t handle all of the air you’re putting just begs the question if a person is over blowing the instrument and the standing wave inside.

College is a normal stage when a person upgrades from an amateur to higher level instrument though.

[Subtropical and Subpar]

"When is it usually appropriate to upgrade to a pro model?"

To paraphrase my parents' grousing, as soon as they paid off the student trumpet.
_________________
1932 King Silvertone cornet
1936 King Liberty No. 2 trumpet
1958 Reynolds Contempora 44-M "Renascence" C
1962 Reynolds Argenta LB trumpet
1965 Conn 38A
1995 Bach LR18072
2003 Kanstul 991
2011 Schilke P5-4 B/G
2021 Manchester Brass flugel

[LyonLover]

forgot to mention I feel like its very hard to play in tune on some notes on my horn, but I don't know if thats a me problem or an equipment problem. A in the staff is always out of tune and so are D and E in the staff.

[kehaulani]

Timothy's suggestion, if you can, to use OSU studio advice is good, especially in having personal advice. Two additional questions that might be helpful:
*What are you presently playing and what is wrong with your present horn?
*What kind(s) of ensemble do you plan on playing in?
*What is your budget?
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[LyonLover]

[kalijah]

Get a used Yamaha YTR734. You will love it.

[Manuel de los Campos]

[Dave_3]

My 2 cents, as a non-professional guitar player, and old comeback trumpet player.....

If you plan to keep on playing after college, even just for fun, then the only reason not to upgrade, is money. You will enjoy having a nice horn.

And if you ever do stop playing, you can sell that professional horn, and recoup some of your money.

[OldSchoolEuph]

[trickg]

I have my own story about moving to a better horn - it's also a story about how unbelievably spoiled my older sister was.

When I was in 8th grade, I was still on a beater King cornet, and battling with another student for 1st chair. I did the same approach my older sister had taken 4 years before - I basically said that I needed a better instrument or I'd quit. When my sister did that, we traded my sax for a Yamaha 739T, and I switched instruments and took on the King Cornet she'd started on.

She did that and got a new trumpet. I did that....and SHE got a new trumpet! A Bach Strad 37. Grrrr... The 739T was handed down to me, and they bought me a brand new Bach 7C mouthpiece to go with it. (I did get the last laugh though - that Strad became mine when she stopped playing after HS, and that's the horn that went with me into the first 8 years of my Army band career.)

My spoiled sister aside, that Yamaha trumpet played so much better than the King cornet, and by the end of my 8th grade school year, I was easily outpacing my bandmate for 1st chair. Without a doubt that King cornet had been holding me back. By the end of my 9th grade year, I was nipping on the heels of my older sister, who was senior that year.

A good trumpet, if you can afford it, will never hold you back.
_________________
Patrick Gleason
- Jupiter 1600i, ACB 3C, Warburton 4SVW/Titmus RT2
- Brasspire Unicorn C
- ACB Doubler

"95% of the average 'weekend warrior's' problems will be solved by an additional 30 minutes of insightful practice." - PLP

[SMrtn]

[Andy Cooper]

First - humor an old trumpet player - what mouthpiece are you now playing on?

Easy answers to your question:
1. The best time to move to a better horn would have been a year or two ago.
2. If your present trumpet (and stock Strads and Xenos) feel restrictive you can
a. Switch to a mouthpiece with a slightly larger throat and or backbore.
b. Consider the large bore Xenos, or Strads with a different leadpipe or bell.
c. Look for a used Getzen 900 series trumpet, get a professional valve alignment and match it with a moderately deep mouthpiece for concert band. You then have a good quality, somewhat open blowing trumpet that can do concert band or, with a different mouthpiece, jazz band AND you have $2,000 or $3,000 toward your student loan debt or start-up costs after you graduate.

What ever your choice, unless you are a music major, your trumpet will spend most of its time in the case. Your Gen ED classes may not be too time consuming but your major classes will take considerable time. You will also want to join various student groups associated with your major and minor. You will need to consider a study abroad program and later an internship in your major.

A quick glance at the OSU website suggests that their marching band will take a serious and significant time commitment. You should probably have a talk with your college advisor about the time demands of your major.

[trumpetchops]

I think of myself telling a story to the audience. I have to get the story from my head to their ears. If my brain tells me to put more air in the trumpet and I can't, my ability to tell the story is diminished.

There are trumpets out there that when played will make you winded and you will tire fast. There are trumpets out there that are so tight that your head will explode if you push. All trumpets are a little off on the notes you talk about and you have to constantly adjust anyway so, while you don't want to fight the trumpet, just keep in mind that there is no tuned at the factory trumpet.

Go to a music store and try a bunch. Bring someone with you that you trust to play and listen. Go home with a trumpet that fits you better or maybe not.
_________________
Joe Spitzer
Monroe Ct.

[deleted_user_687c31b]