Trumpet MouthPeice help?

I am 13 in grade 9, and I have bene playing trumpet since grade 5. I have a professional Yamaha silver model B flat trumpet. I started off on a 7c, then moved to a 3c. after that my teacher gave me a 1c to develop a better sounding tone, and just recently because my tone is sounding great now I purchased a 14A4a. I jsut want a good trumpet players opinion on how I`m doing.

Trumpet MouthPeice help?
There is no set mouthpiece that any one student should be playing on, except for the one that works best for you. It depends on a multitude of factors but basically comes down to the mouthpiece that gives you the tone you like and doesn't limit any aspect of your playing.





The only standard that you'll want to try and adhere to revolves around tone quality. Your 14a4a will brighten your sound and allow it to cut through other instrument without having to blow your head off. This sound is good for marching band, pep band, and jazz band. It's a terrible sound for indoor concert band. Concert bands, more legit bands, need a darker sound to allow you blend in more. The 14a4a would be to bright making it much more difficult to balance and blend with the other instruments.





Therefore, you'll need to have the flexibility to switch between two different mouthpieces. Keep the rim size the same and have a shallower cup for a brighter tone and a deeper cup for darker. You want to keep the rim size the same so your facial muscles don't have to make drastic adjustments.





I do not recommend having all trumpet player switch to the same mouthpiece. It will work for a percentage but not all. Each player has different abilities and needs from their mouthpiece. To me it's like saying when every boy gets into high school they need to wear a size 10 shoe! Almost everyone will need to increase the size of their mouthpiece from the stock 7C, not everyone will play a 3C or larger. Many professional trumpet players, as well as myself, play on a 5C. Mouthpiece of choice for Doc Severenson by the way.





In order to tell if your on the right mouthpiece I'd have to hear you play a couple times. My first concern would be that the backbore would be to big. But if you have a good focused tone, good range and flexibility it might be fine. You need to have some back pressure from your mouthpiece to get compresion when you play. If the backbore is to big for your air capacity you'll have problems. My best advice is to get a private teacher.





I was a band director for 20 years and currently teach private lessons and play as much as possible.
Reply:wow, you're really smart!
Reply:i personally use a schilkie (spelled wrong...sorry) i use it for marching band, jazz, and concert band. my band director says that the bigger the cup on your mouthpiece the louder you can get. i used to use a 7c. have a 3c but never used it. i just didnt like the way it felt. just experiment around a bit with your mouthpieces. maybe you will need different ones for different activities you are in. you should ask your band director what you should use. he will know best. hope i helped.
Reply:I play on a 3C and I am better than all of you. Because I am awesome. The only person better than me WAS Maynard Ferguson (RIP) but now I'm the best in the Universe!!!!! BOW DOWN TO MY TRUMPET PROWESS!