[flameruckus]

What should I look for in buying a trumpet? Is there a certain brand I should look for? I have a Yamaha Alto Saxophone that's pretty friggin awesome, so maybe a trumpet will be of the same... feeling? I don't know. Like, they say mouth pieces are like, 7a-b-c-d-e-f-g-h? How do I know which one to get? I looked for websites that iclude info on that, but couldn't find any... If you know, could you tell me any tips on buying a trumpet? Thanks.

[Clough]

Oh, I do wish that we had been on here at the same time, flameruckus! :) I just got on the site and saw your question. Every once in a while, there will be someone who asks a question about something in music that is right down my alley! I have been a band director and I also play a number of band and orchestra instruments. One of them is the trumpet.

If we were on at the same time, it would give me an opportunity to ask you some questions directly and give you the appropriate answers based upon your responses. But, there is some information that I can give to you without having to communicate with you while you are online.

There are a number of good brands of Trumpets. Yamaha does make some really fine trumpets. Their brass instruments tend to be really "tight" overall. Hopefully, sometime when we are online at the same time, I can give you more of an idea of what I mean by "tight." It can be kind of confusing unless I have some information as to what you know.

Now, I don't know how old you are. Depending on your age and the size of your body, you might want to consider starting on a cornet first rather than a trumpet, because it's easier to produce satisfactory tones on them when you are a beginner.

Concerning a mouthpiece, a dealer who can meet you in person would be the one to recommend one to you, because it depends on the shape of your lips, the angles and arrangements of your front teeth, and whether you wear braces. Basically, you need to be "fitted" with the proper mouthpiece. Plus, you may need more than one kind of mouthpiece depending on the kind of music that you will be playing. The Yamaha 11A4 trumpet mouthpiece is the one most recommended for beginners. But, it does all depend on the conditions that I mentioned in the first part of this paragraph.