I wished I watched your vídeos 10 years ago. I learned it over the years, but your video condensate so much valuable information! Simply the best trumpet physics videos I have seen on TH-cam.
Thank you so much for the kind words! I appreciate your comment very much. It is my hope that these videos will be consulted by the next generation of trumpet players and that they will find the series useful.
Welcome to the newest SPB venture! I’m very thankful that GU’s Honors program allows its fourth-years to explore multi-disciplinary and public-facing projects as it turned out to be a great opportunity. Stay tuned & enjoy!! One correction: ignore the Schilke rim comment. A-D does not refer to rim contour. This is my mistake and oversight.
wow, another great video Samuel. I took up trumpet in my late 40s during COVID. This is the best explanation of mouthpieces I've read or watched. Thank you!
Great video! Very complete, professional and deep overview on the often "obscure" topic on trumpet playing: mouthpieces! Congratulations! Thanks a lot!
Schilke labeling system is as follows The first number 13 is the width of the rim. The higher the number the larger the rim inner diameter The first letter A is the cup depth A being shallow B semi shallow C standard D Deep The next 4 is the rim contour 4 being flat progressing to 1 being round The Last small letter is the backbore a is the tightest d is open, Please recheck your description of Schilke mouthpieces you can verify by going to the Schilke websight. Thank you for all of your insightful and enjoyable videos, please keep up the great work . I’m sure you knew this information but it just mislabeled
Thanks for bringing that up, Tom. Ashamed to say I completely missed that part in the editing room. The rim of the 14A4A looked rounded than that of the 17D4D. Unfortunate. I guess we all make mistakes.
@@SamuelPlaysBrass The standard Schilke mouthpiece line makes no sense because they were made for individual players, the A rim on a 14A4ais flatter then the A rim on a 13A4a . The 13A4a was made for Mike Vax who played lead for Stan Kenton and The 14A4a was made for Forrest Buchtel who played lead with Woody Herman. The 6A4a was made for the great Bill Chase who played lead for Maynard, Woody and the Jazz Rock group Chase.
So quick story short: I and my career was basically destroyed by using the wrong mouthpiece and trumpet. I played for many years on the standard Bach 1-1/4C and 37. I haven’t had the option to buy a different trumpet as I had no money nor choice really, since it was a school instrument. Mouthpiece was chosen by my teacher when I was still 14. Both of those combined ripped my lips apart. It was way too resistive, I couldn’t push all the air I had and couldn’t really get where I could. After switching to a similar size Monette but a very different cup and rim design, it helped drastically. Let alone going with a Yamaha 8310Z Gen2 trumpet. It was insanely huge difference. And now going with a Lotus trumpet it’s yet another leap. Mouthpieces matter and should be chosen carefully and smartly. Amazing video! Bravo
Glad you found a much better setup for you!! My teacher plays on a Bach 1-1/4C and Bach Mt. Vernon 37, but no way could I ever do that. I am WAY too partial to my Yamaha 8310Z myself, and I do better on deeper-cup mouthpieces. In general, I don’t sound very good on Strads regardless of mouthpiece. Now your comment makes me want to try a Lotus trumpet…
Believe me it’s worth it. Best part is that they’re all super similar, but have just enough differences to differentiate them enough from each other and fit the needs you have. I loved the Solo Max, but the Silver Flair was so special, I didn’t have a choice there basically. Hope you get to try it. Even just to experience MAW valve block alone. That trumpet cannot be choked with air, it’ll take as much of it as you can possibly give it.
Such a great video. I'm super excited for the series, Sam! I love all the figures you used and I'm so excited that you're exploring new visuals. The set is especially snazzy. SPB 4 lyfe!!!!!!
Thank you! The remaining episodes are not going to be as mouthpiece-focused, but rather more focused on other parts of the trumpet. I’ve never tried a Wedge, and don’t generally tend to do well on mouthpieces with any form of parabolic contour or asymmetry, but perhaps one day I’ll bite the bullet. My main annoyance is that, from what I can tell, you have to play on one exclusively for several weeks to start seeing any benefit, and then it’s extremely hard to play any non-Wedge mouthpiece after you do finally get acclimated.
@SamuelPlaysBrass I've been playing on one for two years now. And you are absolutely 💯 it's tough for me to play any other mouthpieces 😅🎺. I play on a _Wedge 65mv_ I hope someday that you can give us a scientific approach as to why asymetrics mouthpieces exist and their benefits, downside as well.
I'm 64 and started playing the violin. There is nothing more exciting than learning a new instrument. The harder, the better. Nothing easy is worthwhile. I bought my first and only violin less than a month ago. But now, nothing personal, I'm considering buying amd learning to play trombo😊ne. A trombone is like a fretless instrument, or am i mistaken. I do like the flute more than any other breath weapon, i mean, instrument. I love saxophone but i have a bad back. Actually, trumpet is my least favorite breath instrument. But, i wish i could play all instruments, yes, even the trumpet or bagpipes. It just sucks because my health is failing me and im terrified that my time is coming to an end, so i try to play several hour a day and devide my time between keyboards, guitar, latin percussion, harmonica, penny whistle, and now violin. I haven't enjoyed learning music theory more than at this time in life. Who knows, maybe i will buy a breath instrument, and maybe a trumpet. Lets finish this series of videos and decide then.
As someone who is just starting to aspire to be proficient in all brass, do you think you could do video series similar to this for say euphonium and horn?
@SamuelPlaysBrass fair enough. Anyways, thank you for the trumpet series. When I start doing more brass playing outside of euphonium and bone, it'll be very helpful.
I’m a beginner cornet player and I have been using a 7c mouthpiece since I got it. I have found that it isn’t robust enough and bright enough for what I like to play. I want the sound to be beautifully robust but I’m not sure what mouthpiece could best fit that role. Got any suggestions of tips for finding one?
@@LiamFigureido I rarely hear of someone wanting a brighter sound on cornet… If you are an adult beginner, however, it’s a strong possibility that the 7 inner diameter is too narrow for your fully-fledged lips. The Bach 3C is a little wider, allowing for a little more chop room (i.e. the “robustness” you’re searching for), but even though they are both marked C, the 3C’s cup is a little shallower than the 7C’s, meaning you would also get some additional brightness out of it. I would suggest trying out a 3C from Bach or perhaps Olds (as long as you do get the more modern Olds 3C and not the Olds 3, which is a VERY different mouthpiece with way too little chop space). If that turns out to be too harsh of a sound, the 2C has a nice full-bodied tone-it has a nice roomy width like the 3C and a cup at least as deep as the 7C.
@@SamuelPlaysBrass thanks A lot! I am 14 and I play for the regimental band where I live and we mainly play military marches which needs “robustness” and a bright sound so that the sound can be really heard and felt. I also really like the sound of a bright cornet. We do play hymns and stuff like that but only for Remembrance day and funerals. I wanna be in the RM one day and their cornets are super robust and bright which is the sound I’m looking for. Once again thanks a lot and have a good!
I’ve heard that a large backbore is good for trumpets with a short leadpipe, such as piccolo or rotary trumpets and there seems to be some truth in it.
That is a good point, but it comes down to personal preference. I like large backbores on C trumpet, but on Eb and piccolo trumpet it seems to make slots very fussy for me. Trust me, I tried for a very long time to make my Bach Symphonic 1-1/2C with 24 throat and 24 backbore work on my Bach 239 Eb trumpet, but in the end it just did not seem to work very well.
I once bought a 7C but never used it very much; I've predominantly only been using a Bach 5C, but I do not know very much about trumpet mouthpieces so I do not know where to start. Do different mouthpieces provide a broader range of notes? I haven't been able to get above that first C above the staff.
My opinion is that (short answer) no mouthpiece increases your range. (Long answer…) Some specialized mouthpieces with shallower cups, tighter backbores, etc. can make high notes a little easier but at the cost of your tone and ease of playing in the low register. However, there are cases of players finding an increase in range after switching mouthpieces because the original was a poor fit for their face. If you stuck me on a very narrow Bach 12C for a few months, I could make it work, but as someone with thicker lips, I’d have a miserable time because the narrow diameter wouldn’t give my lips adequate room to vibrate. Then if I switched back to my much wider 1-1/2C, I’d probably have an easier time both up high and down low, simply because the mouthpiece allows my lips to produce the right vibration. EDIT: I realize I didn’t give you any suggestions-the Bach 5 diameter does not have any shallower cups (only A, B, C from deepest to shallowest), but you can find a 3D or 3E if you think something shallower will help you with your high range. A Schilke 13A4A might also be worth a try.
Tone/range not so much, but beware of anyone who says you 'have' to play on a big mouthpiece like a 1C or 1-1/2C to get a good tone! Thinner lips do better on smaller mouthpieces (which have higher numbers on the Bach measuring scale).
Just admit your future is HVAC. jkjk Also, how did you get this sweet project? To get my degree with honors, I had to analyze data from some post-grad research. “Determining Specific Groundwater Discharge in a Porous Media Aquifer Using a Passive Flux Meter (PFM).” Took me quite awhile to figure out what that even meant. 😂
Edited my post. I never even considered brass instruments as partly mechanical engineering. Derp. Metal machining, valves, it makes sense. I was waiting for you to break into a physics discussion at some point, but I guess you’ve got your target audience already. 👍🏻
@@domepiece11 Geeze, sounds like a tough time. GU’s undergrad honors program is just a few special courses and a free-choice senior thesis or project. Anyhow, there will be more physics in episodes 4-6. Not a huge amount, but definitely some is necessary to fully discuss the trumpet.
I wish I was a fraction this knowledgable and articulate at this age. Your 'nerdiness' is much appreciated!
@@bostonfilipino Thank you! I’m very thankful for those who appreciate it.
I wished I watched your vídeos 10 years ago. I learned it over the years, but your video condensate so much valuable information! Simply the best trumpet physics videos I have seen on TH-cam.
Thank you so much for the kind words! I appreciate your comment very much. It is my hope that these videos will be consulted by the next generation of trumpet players and that they will find the series useful.
Welcome to the newest SPB venture! I’m very thankful that GU’s Honors program allows its fourth-years to explore multi-disciplinary and public-facing projects as it turned out to be a great opportunity. Stay tuned & enjoy!!
One correction: ignore the Schilke rim comment. A-D does not refer to rim contour. This is my mistake and oversight.
This is the best beginner explanation I’ve ever seen - thank you. I just need to figure out what I need now! 😂
So glad to have helped clear things up! Now just stay tuned for ep. 5 to answer that second part of your quandary… ;)
wow, another great video Samuel. I took up trumpet in my late 40s during COVID. This is the best explanation of mouthpieces I've read or watched. Thank you!
So glad this was useful! Thank you for the kind words and good luck on your trumpet journey!
Great video! Very complete, professional and deep overview on the often "obscure" topic on trumpet playing: mouthpieces! Congratulations! Thanks a lot!
@@GabrielMartinezValois Thank you for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed.
Schilke labeling system is as follows
The first number 13 is the width of the rim. The higher the number the larger the rim inner diameter
The first letter A is the cup depth A being shallow B semi shallow C standard D Deep
The next 4 is the rim contour 4 being flat progressing to 1 being round
The Last small letter is the backbore a is the tightest d is open,
Please recheck your description of Schilke mouthpieces you can verify by going to the Schilke websight.
Thank you for all of your insightful and enjoyable videos, please keep up the great work . I’m sure you knew this information but it just mislabeled
Thanks for bringing that up, Tom. Ashamed to say I completely missed that part in the editing room. The rim of the 14A4A looked rounded than that of the 17D4D. Unfortunate. I guess we all make mistakes.
@@SamuelPlaysBrass
The standard Schilke mouthpiece line makes no sense because they were made for individual players, the A rim on a 14A4ais flatter then the A rim on a 13A4a . The 13A4a was made for Mike Vax who played lead for Stan Kenton and The 14A4a was made for Forrest Buchtel who played lead with Woody Herman. The 6A4a was made for the great Bill Chase who played lead for Maynard, Woody and the Jazz Rock group Chase.
Yeah the Schilke rims are different, but are both specified as "4", meaning "flatter". Flatter than what? Who knows!
So quick story short: I and my career was basically destroyed by using the wrong mouthpiece and trumpet. I played for many years on the standard Bach 1-1/4C and 37. I haven’t had the option to buy a different trumpet as I had no money nor choice really, since it was a school instrument. Mouthpiece was chosen by my teacher when I was still 14. Both of those combined ripped my lips apart. It was way too resistive, I couldn’t push all the air I had and couldn’t really get where I could. After switching to a similar size Monette but a very different cup and rim design, it helped drastically. Let alone going with a Yamaha 8310Z Gen2 trumpet. It was insanely huge difference. And now going with a Lotus trumpet it’s yet another leap. Mouthpieces matter and should be chosen carefully and smartly. Amazing video! Bravo
Glad you found a much better setup for you!! My teacher plays on a Bach 1-1/4C and Bach Mt. Vernon 37, but no way could I ever do that. I am WAY too partial to my Yamaha 8310Z myself, and I do better on deeper-cup mouthpieces. In general, I don’t sound very good on Strads regardless of mouthpiece. Now your comment makes me want to try a Lotus trumpet…
Believe me it’s worth it. Best part is that they’re all super similar, but have just enough differences to differentiate them enough from each other and fit the needs you have. I loved the Solo Max, but the Silver Flair was so special, I didn’t have a choice there basically. Hope you get to try it. Even just to experience MAW valve block alone. That trumpet cannot be choked with air, it’ll take as much of it as you can possibly give it.
Excited to hear more in the series- great video! I could honestly listen to you talking about mouthpieces for days 😂
Thanks so much, James! I’ll keep that in mind for the future because I definitely could talk for days 🤣
Just watched your video from 5 yrs ago were you compared 7 🎺 mps. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the kind words. Hope this video is a step up. A lot of that older content is downright embarrassing looking back on it.
Such a great video. I'm super excited for the series, Sam! I love all the figures you used and I'm so excited that you're exploring new visuals. The set is especially snazzy. SPB 4 lyfe!!!!!!
Thank you so much for all the support over the years, Jonjon
Thank you very much for the good explanations and the visual demo, it helped a lot to understand the difference between the various mouthpieces.
So glad this video helped!
great video! I'm going to have to watch it 3 or 4 or 17 more times for the info to sink in. Thank you for putting this together.
😀
Thanks for watching! If there’s anything that isn’t sinking in afterward, I’m happy to answer follow-up questions :)
Very good info, thanks.
Glad you enjoyed!
FANTASTIC lesson, and VERY useful. More videos like this! :)
Thank you so much Nick! More coming down the pipeline soon :)
Great lecture. Glad you’re an engineer/trumpet player!!
Thank you! I think it’s helpful both for engineers to have a creative out let and for musicians to have an interest for technical knowledge!
okay, bro, I'm starting to watch your channel and these videos are pretty damn good. Keep it up mane
Much appreciated dude! I'm glad you enjoyed.
Thanks so much!
Awesome! This will help me play the trumpet very much
Hope the other episodes prove helpful too!
I love your videos, friend. Thank you so much for the detail!
Great video Samuel!👍👍
Thank you!
You're so welcome!👍
Outstanding video! Very well narrated!
Thank you very much, Gary! Glad you enjoyed.
Great informative video! Looking forward to Part#2. Will _Wedge_ mouthpieces be part of the menu?
Thank you! The remaining episodes are not going to be as mouthpiece-focused, but rather more focused on other parts of the trumpet. I’ve never tried a Wedge, and don’t generally tend to do well on mouthpieces with any form of parabolic contour or asymmetry, but perhaps one day I’ll bite the bullet. My main annoyance is that, from what I can tell, you have to play on one exclusively for several weeks to start seeing any benefit, and then it’s extremely hard to play any non-Wedge mouthpiece after you do finally get acclimated.
@SamuelPlaysBrass I've been playing on one for two years now. And you are absolutely 💯 it's tough for me to play any other mouthpieces 😅🎺. I play on a _Wedge 65mv_ I hope someday that you can give us a scientific approach as to why asymetrics mouthpieces exist and their benefits, downside as well.
Nice work, Sam. Great video!
Thank you!
Amazing video
Thank you!
I'm 64 and started playing the violin. There is nothing more exciting than learning a new instrument. The harder, the better. Nothing easy is worthwhile. I bought my first and only violin less than a month ago. But now, nothing personal, I'm considering buying amd learning to play trombo😊ne. A trombone is like a fretless instrument, or am i mistaken. I do like the flute more than any other breath weapon, i mean, instrument. I love saxophone but i have a bad back. Actually, trumpet is my least favorite breath instrument. But, i wish i could play all instruments, yes, even the trumpet or bagpipes. It just sucks because my health is failing me and im terrified that my time is coming to an end, so i try to play several hour a day and devide my time between keyboards, guitar, latin percussion, harmonica, penny whistle, and now violin. I haven't enjoyed learning music theory more than at this time in life. Who knows, maybe i will buy a breath instrument, and maybe a trumpet. Lets finish this series of videos and decide then.
amazing...I had NO idea.
It’s truly a whole world of its own!
bro is educational 🗣️🔥
Gotta put all that useless knowledge in my brain to use 🫡🤓
As someone who is just starting to aspire to be proficient in all brass, do you think you could do video series similar to this for say euphonium and horn?
I do plan to ideally, when I’m not super constrained for time (if that day ever comes…)
@SamuelPlaysBrass fair enough. Anyways, thank you for the trumpet series. When I start doing more brass playing outside of euphonium and bone, it'll be very helpful.
I’m a beginner cornet player and I have been using a 7c mouthpiece since I got it. I have found that it isn’t robust enough and bright enough for what I like to play. I want the sound to be beautifully robust but I’m not sure what mouthpiece could best fit that role. Got any suggestions of tips for finding one?
@@LiamFigureido I rarely hear of someone wanting a brighter sound on cornet… If you are an adult beginner, however, it’s a strong possibility that the 7 inner diameter is too narrow for your fully-fledged lips. The Bach 3C is a little wider, allowing for a little more chop room (i.e. the “robustness” you’re searching for), but even though they are both marked C, the 3C’s cup is a little shallower than the 7C’s, meaning you would also get some additional brightness out of it. I would suggest trying out a 3C from Bach or perhaps Olds (as long as you do get the more modern Olds 3C and not the Olds 3, which is a VERY different mouthpiece with way too little chop space). If that turns out to be too harsh of a sound, the 2C has a nice full-bodied tone-it has a nice roomy width like the 3C and a cup at least as deep as the 7C.
@@SamuelPlaysBrass thanks A lot! I am 14 and I play for the regimental band where I live and we mainly play military marches which needs “robustness” and a bright sound so that the sound can be really heard and felt. I also really like the sound of a bright cornet. We do play hymns and stuff like that but only for Remembrance day and funerals. I wanna be in the RM one day and their cornets are super robust and bright which is the sound I’m looking for. Once again thanks a lot and have a good!
I’ve heard that a large backbore is good for trumpets with a short leadpipe, such as piccolo or rotary trumpets and there seems to be some truth in it.
That is a good point, but it comes down to personal preference. I like large backbores on C trumpet, but on Eb and piccolo trumpet it seems to make slots very fussy for me. Trust me, I tried for a very long time to make my Bach Symphonic 1-1/2C with 24 throat and 24 backbore work on my Bach 239 Eb trumpet, but in the end it just did not seem to work very well.
I once bought a 7C but never used it very much; I've predominantly only been using a Bach 5C, but I do not know very much about trumpet mouthpieces so I do not know where to start. Do different mouthpieces provide a broader range of notes? I haven't been able to get above that first C above the staff.
My opinion is that (short answer) no mouthpiece increases your range. (Long answer…) Some specialized mouthpieces with shallower cups, tighter backbores, etc. can make high notes a little easier but at the cost of your tone and ease of playing in the low register. However, there are cases of players finding an increase in range after switching mouthpieces because the original was a poor fit for their face. If you stuck me on a very narrow Bach 12C for a few months, I could make it work, but as someone with thicker lips, I’d have a miserable time because the narrow diameter wouldn’t give my lips adequate room to vibrate. Then if I switched back to my much wider 1-1/2C, I’d probably have an easier time both up high and down low, simply because the mouthpiece allows my lips to produce the right vibration.
EDIT: I realize I didn’t give you any suggestions-the Bach 5 diameter does not have any shallower cups (only A, B, C from deepest to shallowest), but you can find a 3D or 3E if you think something shallower will help you with your high range. A Schilke 13A4A might also be worth a try.
@@SamuelPlaysBrassThank you for the input. My lips are small, so would that affect my range and tone?
Tone/range not so much, but beware of anyone who says you 'have' to play on a big mouthpiece like a 1C or 1-1/2C to get a good tone! Thinner lips do better on smaller mouthpieces (which have higher numbers on the Bach measuring scale).
* Hey guys! Don't forget to hit that like button, comment, share this video and subscribe. It really helps the channel a lot. Thanks! *
Wow Rob, you’re even doing the dirty work of asking people to interact with my videos now? I owe you one ;)
@@SamuelPlaysBrass Again, I'm giggling on the inside.
Just admit your future is HVAC. jkjk Also, how did you get this sweet project? To get my degree with honors, I had to analyze data from some post-grad research. “Determining Specific Groundwater Discharge in a Porous Media Aquifer Using a Passive Flux Meter (PFM).” Took me quite awhile to figure out what that even meant. 😂
With all this brass plumbing, who knows??
Edited my post. I never even considered brass instruments as partly mechanical engineering. Derp. Metal machining, valves, it makes sense. I was waiting for you to break into a physics discussion at some point, but I guess you’ve got your target audience already. 👍🏻
@@domepiece11 Geeze, sounds like a tough time. GU’s undergrad honors program is just a few special courses and a free-choice senior thesis or project. Anyhow, there will be more physics in episodes 4-6. Not a huge amount, but definitely some is necessary to fully discuss the trumpet.