what is the best mouthpeice tou can buy for the trumpet and wat is the average price. because im thinking of getting a decent mouthpeice but have no idea where to start. Thanks

lead= mf1 jet, or bach 3f

norm= 14a4a


or if u have the money monetteb2 gives awesome deep rich tone

Dave Monette and Gary Radke are the premier mouthpiece manufacturers in the trumpet field. Find a mouthpiece that you feel comfortable playing and that gives the sound you want. And a 14A4a is not a legit mouthpiece. It is a lead mouthpiece, and you shouldn`t try playing it for anything else.

I disagree that the 14a4a isn`t a legit mouthpeice. It`s fine for some people. I bet you will find one of those in every major Symphony Orchestra in America. I`ve heard of people whose tone was choppy and no amount of long tones would help, then a switch to a4a4a and the buzzing and choppiness is gone. I do think that most people probably shouldn`t play one because the reason for them wanting to is the ease of playing high. I have a 14a4a and my wife says it sounds "airy". For what it`s worth, I like the parduba J *5* though. Best bet is to experiment.

Do you have something that you can use to record yourself? I`d recomend compiling a list of 4 mouthpeices to test and contact music123.com and asking about the mouthpeice trial program. Get a 14a4a, parduba *5*, Bach 10.5, and maybe an Al Cass.

Experiment play around. Something interesting to note, is that the greats are always switching when they find something better. Just keep trying new peices until you find the one. You will know when you find it.

What do you mean that you will find one in every major orchestra? That those players own one, have played one, or actually do play one? I bet that there is not a single respectable symphony player who plays on a 14A4a except for very odd or unusual works requiring an extended high range.

The 14a4a was developed for Forrest Buchtel. He played in the Woody Herman Band and Blood Sweat and Tears. He was an enginner and a teacher at Chicago`s Vandercook music college. The guy knows what he`s talking about. Everybody has different chops, and different tone, as well as different tastes in what they want to hear coming out of the end of their horn. The 14a4a is very popular, especially among lead players. Have you ever even played one? It`s very nice. I can see why it popular. It fits my lips very nicely and is very comfortable. Just sitting up against my lips without blowing it feels good. The accelerated feeling of the air is very nice and it`s benefits as far as high notes are exaggerated. I can only hit a couple of extra notes higher and not well. I notice that with the 14a4a I do have greater endurance, but at the expense of tone. I personally prefer the edgy sound of the parduba. If someone else is able to produce a full sound who am I to judge? Some people push the 14a4a as some sort of magic mouthpiece that will triple your range. It`s like Jordan shoes, they won`t help you dunk, but they might make someone who can already dunk more comfortable and consistant. That doesn`t mean Jordan shoes aren`t really shoes though.

Amen.

I never said the 14A4a isn`t a good mouthpiece. I merely disagreed with your statement about finding them in every, or any symphony orchestra. As a lead mouthpiece, they work very well. I personally like something with a smaller rim for that shallow of a mouthpiece, but the 14A4a works well for many lead players. It is, however, not a classical mouthpiece. That was the point I was trying to make.

I can comfortably and certainly say there IS NOT a single symphonic player in the nation in a major (or small) orchestra playing a 14A4A that is just a dumba** thing to say bryan.

Hey Neil,
Unfortunately, there is no "best" mouthpiece, since it depends on your mouth shape, and preferences.
In general, though, you want enough space for your lips to vibrate freely. Too little space may make it slightly easier to hit higher notes, but your tone will suffer. Too big a mouthpiece will become overly tiring.
I like and use a Bach 3C which I use everyday(jazz & classical), a 1C for when I`m feeling ambitious (classical), and a 7C which was fine to use a beginner, but is really too small for me to make a plesant sound with anymore. It`s generally not a fantastic idea to switch around
Woodwind/Brasswind has Bach mouthpieces at about $30.

Good luck.