Thoughts on the leadpipe.

[Trumpet Monkey]

My normal routine for playing the leadpipe consists of playing an Eb on the piano and then singing the Eb a few times to get it firmly in my head. Then I'll play the leadpipe and hit it dead center everytime. I've done this for a few years now and I've gotten to the point where I can hear the Eb even before I play it on the piano. Talk about building consistency! So after about a minute or so of getting a nice resonant tone on the leadpipe I'll move onto the expanding long tones, Schlossberg #6, Clarke first studies, etc.

However, I have a minor issue with the leadpipe and would appreciate some of you folks weighing in on the matter. When I really concentrate on getting a good resonant sound out of the pipe the pitch drifts south of the Eb. It ends up being about halfway between D and Eb. It seems like this is the place where the pipe wants to resonate. The Eb actually feels a little forced and not as resonant as does my playing afterward as opposed to letting it settle where it wants to.

I've checked the piano and its in tune. I have not modified my leadpipe (1970's Bach Strad model 37). I think I know the answer already but I thought I'd throw this out there just incase someone else has run across this problem. Thanks!
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Ben Belton

[popotrpt]

I wouldn't worry about it. If it resonates best a little lower than let it do that. Mine also resonates a little south of Eb and so does a buddy of mine. In both of our cases if we play it at exactly Eb it messes a lot of things up in our playing. If you're playing the trumpet in tune and with a resonant sound I wouldn't worry about not playing the pipe at the exact pitch. But if problems do arise in your playing maybe the answer is there.
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DT

Bb-Bach 37
Piccolo-Scherzer 8111
Mouthpieces-Bach 1.5B, Purviance 8

[Trumpet Monkey]

Thanks popotrpt, thats what I thinking. When I let it settle where it wants to I get a much more resonate sound in my playing. If I try to play like I do when I hit the Eb it sounds forced and edgy.
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Ben Belton

[ADziuk]

I am FAR south of Eb on my pipe. Mr. Adam never asked me to change it in a lesson, and neither did my regular college prof. Wherever it is the most resonant is where I go, and I have never given it a second thought.

[MPWall1]

I don't even know about mine...I stopped checking a long time ago. I can hear the leadpipe sound in my head, so I know what it sounds like, but I can't tell if I'm on Eb or below. As long as it's free as a baby's scream and resonant, I don't think it matters.

When I was in college, I used to check the pitch of the leadpipe every morning. This caused me great anxiety. I feel your pain.

Michael
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Michael Patrick Wall, Ed.D.
Independent Researcher in Music Education

[Trumpet Monkey]

Thanks everyone, I guess it goes with #6 on Pat's list of guiding principals.
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Ben Belton

[Babb9520]

Aha!!

Charlie Babb