The trumpet mouthpiece may be small, but it can play a massive role in helping you achieve the sound that you want to achieve when playing jazz.
In this article we’re going to take a trip through the history of trumpet mouthpieces and recommend some leading brands to try.
The trumpet mouthpiece is often the first thing you’re given when you start to learn to play. Sometimes the only thing!
As such, choosing the best trumpet mouthpiece for you is an important decision, and one which needs to balance comfort with quality of sound.
We’ll take a look at some of the basics of mouthpiece design and then recommend some of the top brands, as well as the great jazz trumpeters who used them.
In case you’re in a rush, here’s our round up of 5 of the best jazz trumpet mouthpieces for each situation…
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About the Trumpet Mouthpiece
The trumpet mouthpiece is a bit like the interface between the trumpet and the body, and it can have a huge effect on your sound, efficiency and consistency.
The main variables in a trumpet mouthpiece are:
The rim
This is where the mouthpiece touches your face! As such, it’s important that it feels comfortable to you, personally.
When talking about mouthpiece rims, we’d generally describe them as either ‘flat’ or ’rounded’ – with every shade in between.
In general, the flatter rims offer more comfort (at the expense of some flexibility) so they are the more common choice for new students.
The cup
This is the resonating chamber of the mouthpiece and determines how much of the lip will be able to vibrate.
As such, its diameter is an important factor in sound production; a shallow cup generally allows for more control and a brighter tone, whilst a deep cup will produce a darker tone.
Traditionally trumpeters have used big cup for classical and orchestral playing and small cups for jazz or commercial playing – but there are of course exceptions to the rule.
In general, a shallower cup also requires less effort from the player and, as such, is the more common choice for beginner trumpeters.
The throat
This is the width of the opening at the bottom of the cup and, as such, controls how air will pass through.
Because of this, it can have a massive effect on sound production, with a larger throat helping with a big, open sound, whilst a smaller throat creates more pressure and helps support those high notes!
The backbore
The backbore is the part of the trumpet mouthpiece where the throat begins to widen.
It effects how the air moves from the mouthpiece into the instrument and it’s shape can have a big effect on tone production.
Different trumpet mouthpiece brands have different terminology, but essentially an open backbore helps in the lower range whilst a smaller, tight backbore provides more resistance to support the upper harmonics.
How to choose a trumpet mouthpiece for jazz
Most beginner trumpeters play the mouthpiece they are given, or that comes with their instrument, until they or their teacher decides they’ve ‘outgrown’ it.
If you’re a beginner, choosing a classic mouthpiece with an ‘all round’ sound is a safe place to start.
After that, it’s a case of figuring out which mouthpiece is right for you, personally.
This can involve a mixture of research – looking at the set ups of your favourite players – and trying out different mouthpieces to see how they feel.
Think of it like a pair of running shoes: copying the brand and size of running shoe Usain Bolt uses will probably ensure you are buying a quality sprinting shoe, but it doesn’t mean they will be a great fit and make you as fast as him!
When looking for mouthpieces you need to find one that fits your face/teeth structure to make sure that no out-of-line teeth are digging into your lip.
When testing out a new mouthpiece for playing jazz, it’s important to play a variety of tunes and fundamental exercises.
Start playing softly and in the middle register, then increase the volume bit by bit, try different articulations and styles, and see if you are drawn towards a certain way of playing on that mouthpiece.
Of course, do you research about cup depths and backbores, but don’t let that influence your decision: think about the sound you want to make and whether this mouthpiece helps achieve that.
“For me, as soon as I find one that just makes me want to play and gets me excited about expressing myself, that’s usually a good sign that it’s making the right sound and I’m not aware of any discomfort. Then I take it on a gig and try it, because it can all change once you get on the band stand!” – Freddie Gavita, British jazz trumpeter
The best jazz trumpet mouthpieces (and who played them!)
Trumpet players love to talk about mouthpieces and other trumpeters!
It therefore comes as no shock that when we hear somebody playing amazing jazz trumpet, we want to find out what gear they’re using, buy it, and hope that we now sound like that person.
Whilst it’s of course not as simple as that, finding out which of your favourite players uses which mouthpiece and horn is a good start in achieving the sound you want.
If you look through the 100 year history of jazz trumpet, you can spot some interesting trends and a slow shift from smaller equipment with more resistance to large gear with less.
One theory is that the development of live sound engineering, microphones and recording equipment has changed things; that brighter sound that carries over the rest of the band is less important now than in years gone by.
Nowadays we see jazz players burying the bell into a microphone to get a warm, smokey sound; a bigger mouthpiece generally gets you a darker sound.
Trumpet players are notorious for chopping and changing, but interestingly it seems that the jazz players of the swing and bop eras seemed to stick with their mouthpiece and change the horn instead.
Whilst most trumpet mouthpieces come in a range of sizes, the overall brands tend to have their own specific characteristics. That’s what makes these next trumpet mouthpiece makers the recognisable and sought-after pieces of equipment they are!
Vincent Bach mouthpieces
Different eras in jazz may have called for changes in playing styles, but one brand has stayed throughout!
Vincent Bach is one of the great brass innovators, producing industry standard trumpets and mouthpieces since the early 20th Century.
Vincent Bach mouthpiece have been used by pretty much every famous jazz trumpeter at some point in their career including, to name just a few:
- Clifford Brown (Bach 10-3/4C)
- Woody Shaw (Bach 7C)
- Freddie Hubbard/Chet Baker (Bach 6)
- Kenny Wheeler & Arturo Sandoval (Bach 3C)
- Wynton Marsalis (Bach 1-1/4C)
As you can see, there are a lot of different players with very different sounds, all playing on Bach mouthpieces. As such, they are more of a high quality blank canvas compared to others which have a strongly recognisable effect on your sound.
Best all-round jazz trumpet mouthpiece – the Bach 3C
You’d be hard pressed to find a better all round mouthpiece than the Bach 3C – it’s probably the most common size and is used by players in a wide variety of styles, so if you want one mouthpiece that you can play New Orleans, big band, be-bop, contemporary music and more, this is the one.
It’s also available as a ‘Megatone’ model, with more mass added, which can make the trumpet slots feel a little more secure.
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Best for beginners – the 5C
Bach mouthpieces are great value and often work well – in sizes like a 5c, 6c or 7c – as a beginner trumpet mouthpiece. They’ll allow you to create the sound you want, rather than the sound the mouthpiece wants you to have!
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Anecdotally, Vincent Bach mouthpieces have some limitations with tuning and consistency compared to some of today’s high-tech CNC produced mouthpieces but they are a great, comfortable, proven option.
Heim mouthpieces
In the mid 50s, Miles Davis (probably one of the only jazz trumpeters we haven’t seen use a Bach!) moved onto his Heim mouthpiece.
It had a narrow rim with a deep V cup that helped him create the super dark trumpet sound he’s known for.
Many Miles Davis devotees, including Wallace Roney and Enrico Rava, played these too, and they really do help to get that sound.
On the negative side, these mouthpieces are hard to find, and are often in poor condition these days.
If your goal is to get that dark Miles Davis sound on your trumpet, your best bet is to look for alternative mouthpieces with that deep V-shaped cup.