Recommended Professional Trumpets
As the student reaches high school age and is serious about becoming a professional musician, a professional level horn can be of real value. Professional level trumpets cost significantly more and there are many more worthwhile choices out there than for student level horns. The professional trumpets I recommend include:
– Schilke X Series Custom Bb Trumpet
– Getzen Eterna 900 Series Bb Trumpet
Incidentally, if you’ve decided you’re ready to make this jump, I suggest you skip the intermediate level and go right to a professional horn. With proper care, this level horn will serve you well for many years and you’ll avoid the situation of spending the money on an intermediate horn, only to decide later that you’d rather have a professional one and spend on that as well. A definite savings in the long term.
As you begin to investigate professional level trumpets, you’ll likely see mention of a few components of the instrument. Here, for your information, are the most-discussed trumpet components:
The Valves (or valve pistons) can be made from various materials. The most common (and considered most durable) material in the better horns is Monel (look for the phrase “Monel Valves” or “Monel Pistons”).
The Bore is the inside diameter of the horn’s tubing measured at the second valve slide.
The Lead Pipe (or Mouth Pipe) is the pipe that goes from the mouthpiece to the main tuning slide. It’s diameter varies as well among trumpets.
The Bell, where the sounds comes out, can also vary in size and material.
Rather than focusing too much on these elements, I’ll emphasize the importance of TRYING as many trumpets as you can get your hands on. And when you try them, have a list of passages with you that will cover how the horn sounds in all registers, intonation, and ease of moving from one range to the next. The horn to choose is the one that will feel comfortable to you in all musical settings you’ll need it for.
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