Trumpet design flaw?

bent tubing · Veteran Member Joined: 31 Jan 2005 Posts: 119

I know this sounds like a stupid question but I'm gonna ask it anyway. I have a student trumpet that has no 3rd slide finger ring. So you can't move the 3rd slide in or out to adjust the tuning to compensate for sharp notes like C# does this put the horn at a disadvantage?

LittleRusty · Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2021 8:21 pm Post subject:

My opinion, if being played at any level above the beginners, yes.

But there are some, like the last poster, vetpsychwars, in this thread, who feel no need for aids on horns designed with wide slots and slide lengths that allow lipping up and down.

kehaulani · Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2021 8:29 pm Post subject:

I don't know, can you? What do your ears tell you?

Play the low C and first line E and put them in tune. Then blow your low D right in the center of its pitch without looking at the tuner. Find the core sound. Now play the same tone and then glance at your tuner and see if the D is too high.

Can you lip the D down to pitch and keep the core tone pure? If you can, lip the D down every time you play it. If you can't then no, you can't play without using and freeing up the slide.

But FWIW, I never used the third valve slide on my Committees, so depends on the horn. But if you have a cheap, so-called beginner's horn, I doubt that is the case.
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Andy Cooper · Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2021 11:49 pm Post subject:

Some older student trumpets and cornets (and some old pro quality cornets) were made with longer 3rd slides. This made low D and C# more in tune but other notes using the 3rd slide a little more flat - but with in the player's ability to lip in tune. If you can manage to play in tune with out distorting the quality of sound - you are fine.