How to Test and Choose an Intermediate Trumpet
Moving from a student trumpet to an intermediate instrument is an exciting step. At this stage, you are looking for an instrument that will take you to the next level of your playing and give you room to continue developing as a musician.
But you don’t need to know how to test an instrument before you come in.
At Tempest Music, we will guide you through the selection process. We will help select instruments appropriate for your playing level, musical goals and budget, then give you specific exercises to play that make it easier to compare them.
The aim is not simply to find a better trumpet. You are looking for the instrument that allows you to make your own sound most naturally.
Bring Your Own Mouthpiece
Bring the mouthpiece you normally use.
Your mouthpiece is a familiar and important part of the way you play. Using the same mouthpiece on each trumpet allows you to compare the instruments consistently without changing another important part of your setup.
If a different mouthpiece may be worth exploring, that can be considered separately.
We Will Help Select the Trumpets to Try
You don’t need to work your way through every trumpet in the shop.
We’ll talk to you about your current playing, the music you play, what you would like from your next instrument and your budget.
We can then guide you towards instruments that are appropriate for you, including options you may not have considered.
Try not to be too influenced by the name on the bell. The purpose of play testing is to find the instrument that allows you to make “your” sound.
Start With Something Simple
You don’t need to impress anyone when you’re testing a trumpet.
In fact, simple exercises can often tell you more about an instrument than complicated repertoire.
Exercise 1: Comfortable Long Notes
Play several comfortable notes in the middle register, holding each for a few seconds.
Don’t try to make an impressive sound. Play naturally.
Repeat exactly the same notes on each trumpet.
Listen to the quality of your sound and notice how naturally each instrument responds to you.
Compare the Registers
Next, explore the range you currently use.
Exercise 2: A Familiar Scale
Choose a scale you know extremely well and play it slowly through your comfortable range.
Listen and feel for consistency as you move from the lower register through the middle and upwards.
Repeat exactly the same scale on each trumpet.
Test Slurring
Slurs are particularly useful because they allow you to concentrate on how the trumpet behaves as you move between notes.
Exercise 3: Simple Lip Slurs
Play a familiar series of comfortable lip slurs.
Start slowly and repeat exactly the same exercise on each trumpet.
Notice how securely the notes slot and how naturally you can move between them.
Test Articulation
Exercise 4: Repeated Notes
Choose a comfortable middle-register note and play a series of repeated notes, first slowly and then a little faster.
Follow this with a short articulated scale.
Compare the clarity of the articulation and how each trumpet feels under the tongue.
Compare Soft Playing
Players often test trumpets by playing loudly, but soft playing can reveal just as much.
Exercise 5: Soft Note Starts
Choose several comfortable notes and start each one as softly and cleanly as possible.
Then play a short familiar phrase quietly.
Compare the level of control you have on each trumpet.
Explore the Dynamic Range
Exercise 6: Crescendo and Diminuendo
Take one comfortable long note.
Begin softly, gradually increase to a strong sound and then return to soft playing.
Repeat exactly the same exercise on each trumpet.
Listen to what happens to your sound as the dynamic changes and notice how much control each instrument gives you.
Play Something You Know Extremely Well
Technical exercises help reveal differences, but ultimately you’re choosing a musical instrument.
Exercise 7: A Familiar Musical Passage
Choose a short passage you know extremely well.
Play exactly the same passage on each trumpet.
Listen to your sound and notice how each trumpet feels when you’re playing normally rather than concentrating on an exercise.
Keep an Open Mind
Don’t assume that because you currently play one brand, your next trumpet should be from the same manufacturer.
Likewise, don’t assume the most expensive instrument will automatically be the best one for you.
Concentrate on the instruments themselves.
The trumpet you prefer may not be the one you expected.
What Are We Trying to Find?
We’re not simply looking for better specifications or a more expensive trumpet.
We’re looking for the instrument that allows you to make “your” sound most easily.
Every player has their own sound, and different instruments can bring out different qualities in your playing.
The right trumpet should feel natural, support the sound you want to create and give you room to continue developing as your playing progresses.
Sometimes the difference is immediately obvious. At other times, you need to go back and play the instruments again.
There is no rush.
Payment, Rental and Rent-to-Buy Options
Once you have found the right trumpet, we can also talk you through the rental, rent-to-buy and payment options available.
Our priority is to help you find the instrument that is right for your playing first, then look at the most suitable way to make it yours.
Let Us Guide You Through the Process
At Tempest Music, you don’t have to choose trumpets from the shelf and try to work out the differences yourself.
We’ll guide you through the process, select suitable instruments and give you exercises that help make the differences easier to recognise.
Bring your mouthpiece, allow plenty of time and come prepared to play.
The final decision is yours, but we’ll give you the expertise, choice and structured comparison you need to make it confidently.
Sometimes, after comparing instruments carefully, one simply feels right.
Explore our Intermediate Trumpets or visit our Perth showroom and let us help you find the trumpet that allows you to make your sound.
Tempest Music – Perth’s trusted music store since 1979.