Beginners Guide to Trumpets & How to Choose a Trumpet

So how do you choose a trumpet for beginners? If you have no knowledge of trumpets it can be very difficult and intimidating to go into a shop and know where to start, especially with a sales person looking over your shoulder, and your son or daughters expectations pulling at your heart strings.

Well this my article will give you a good head start and help prepare you for a visit to shop. I should point out that my advice is really aimed at parents thinking of buying a trumpet for their child rather than an adult buying for themselves.

Types of Trumpet

There are three basic types of trumpet - cornets, flugelhorns and the trumpet. The cornet and flugelhorn are rather specialized so I won't go into detail about them; all you need to know is that the trumpet is the most common one to choose as a beginner. Another thing to mention here is that trumpets are built to play at different pitches but by far and away the most common is the Bb (B Flat). You will find Bb trumpets being played in all genres of music so this is a great choice to start off with. As you progress, you can become more selective, or have the whole range as some advanced players do.

Brands of Trumpets for Beginners

If you have carried out some research you'll see there are plenty of manufacturers. Yamaha, Jupiter, Bach, Schilke and many more. In my experience of the UK, Yamaha and Jupiter and very popular choices amongst students and they are comparable in both quality and price. Each manufacturer have their own nuances in the way they are designed and ultimately how they sound. But ask any trumpet teacher in the UK and in the main they would agree that Yamaha and Jupiter are a good choice.

NOTE: There are a lot of cheaper Chinese imported trumpets available in the market these days. Not everything that is manufactured in China is of poor quality, but with trumpets you really have to be careful. They are very difficult instruments to manufacturer on the cheap.  In case you have virtually any issues regarding wherever in addition to how you can utilize trumpet lesson, you'll be able to e mail us with our own web-site.
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Parts of the Trumpet

The main parts that make up a trumpet are the bell, leadpipe, valves, valve castings, valve slides, tuning slides and the mouthpiece - all of which combine to create the sound typical to that trumpet make. Each manufacturer has their own spin on these elements of a trumpet which is why each make of trumpet will sound different.

Guide to Buying a Trumpet

So now you know a little about the parts and makes, here's some friendly advice on buying a trumpet:

Always try out the trumpet before buying. If you can encourage your teacher to help you that would be a great help.
If you are buying a new trumpet have a look for dents and knocks both on the bell, the leadpipe and the valve castings as any dents would affect the sound.
Never buy a second hand trumpet unless you know something about trumpets already.

I mentioned earlier about Yamaha and Jupiter trumpets. Both have different models in their ranges. For absolute beginners and your more younger players the Yamaha YTR 1335 is a great choice and would see your child up to Grade 2 or 3. For older beginners you might want to have a look at the Yamaha YTR 2335. There isn't a huge difference to be honest and at the end of the day your budget will dictate your choice more than the differences in sound or quality between them.