Ben Wright: Trying C Trumpets with the BSO

[@michaelfoxbrass]

Great tutorial on normalizing one’s approach to selecting horns - remove the variables - listen, feel, measure, repeat and down-select. Thanks for putting this out, Ben and Virtuosity. I’ve never understood why finding a great C Trumpet is WAY harder than finding great horns in nearly every other pitch center, but it has always been that way!

[@VirtuosityMusicalInstruments]

We appreciate you watching and enjoying the video! Sometimes, the things that seem the easiest are the most difficult to figure out! Slow and steady wins the race - 🙂

[@TrombaSolo]

Maybe it's because a C trumpet is just a cut-down Bb trumpet. Not designed as a C trumpet.

[@williamstadelmeyer3563]

I really enjoyed the sound of the Bach more than the Yamahas. All the horns played great. It does help when you have someone from the BSO playing them. You sound awesome.

[@meh1366]

Bach will always sound better. hate that most pros play yamahas these days.

[@RustyKloud]

@@meh1366 if you can get a good bach, that is. nothing will come close to good bach, they're too inconsistent

[@TrombaSolo]

@@RustyKloud The only time my trumpet makes a sound is when I drop it.

[@TrombaSolo]

@@RustyKloud Define "good".

[@benberghorn4422]

This is an excellent tutorial! Thanks, Ben!

[@RyanReskyTrumpeter]

That sound. Incredible!

[@foltzmusik1]

The most exciting thing about this video is the jazz music playing in the background.

[@VirtuosityMusicalInstruments]

We appreciate your constructive feedback. Have the day you deserve! 🙂

[@Hammondbrass]

I’ve learned that the amount of mouthpiece gap (space between the end of the mouthpiece and lead pipe) can be a large part of liking a horn or not. Other things in the horn have to be present, but gap with your mouthpiece can be a big deal. I generally like a gap of .100” Too large of gap slots too hard, doesn’t allow me to adjust pitch as much, and the high range feels like smaller targets. Too small is too open, not as focused, and wears on my endurance, using my chops too much to center the notes. Years ago in a lesson, my teacher Charlie Geyer thought he was really “losing his chops” as he was getting older. He found out that he just wore down his mouthpiece receiver almost to no gap using the same Bach mouthpiece and same Bach C trumpet he purchased in the 70’s.

[@VirtuosityMusicalInstruments]

Thanks for sharing! We just released a video discussing this very topic with Christan Griego of Griego Mouthpieces & Getzen/Edwards discussing mouthpiece engagement (gap theory).

[@chris430811]

Which is better to have for a C trumpet a .462 bore or a larger bore. And in your opinion what allows a C trumpet to slot better, the receiver, the leadpipe, the tuning slide or the tuning slide shape? Thanks Great informative vid.

[@VirtuosityMusicalInstruments]

Hi Chris! The most common is a .462 bore- more or less an industry standard. When it comes to slotting, although the slots can be adjusted in one way or another by targeting any of the items you listed, the most impactful area for slotting is in the transition area from the mouthpiece backbore to the leadpipe (gap, venturi, receiver). Lots of different variables in there that can change the way any horn slots- just depends on what you want to get out of it. If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to us through our website virtuosityboston.com

[@evanmisejka4062]

I use a Bach 229 25H lead pipe large bore. It plays so incredibly well, actually I like it better than my Bach Bb.

[@mikekaupa9190]

My school has a Getzen that plays well on Easter Sunday… Hallelujah!

[@ericclaptonsrobotpilot7276]

Sick burn on the Taurus.

[@jonathanclarke5545]

Great video! I'd love to know what pipe is on the Yamaha? I'm on a Bach these does with a Malone pipe, but fancy trying a bigger pipe on the Yam Chicago C.

[@TrombaSolo]

Malone makes 2 leadpipes for C trumpet - MC1 and MC2. MC1 has a venturi like an Adelstein pipe, MC2 has a bigger venturi, more like a so-called 25H pipe. Lengths are different, of course. Correct me if I'm wrong. (can't wait!)

[@abnercotto2368]

Applying this testing to a trumpet in any key works?

[@VirtuosityMusicalInstruments]

You can apply the process to any trumpet, or really any instrument.

[@Alejandronieto1]

Is good this trumpet for play Jazz?

[@DemarcusCousins277]

Not really a Bb trumpet is better for jazz because it can produce a much bigger and fatter sound. The C trumpet is mostly used in orchestra.

[@ChaplainAcosta]

Are you aligning the mouthpiece to some point of reference?

[@calebginsberg5224]

Clocking, or finding the best place for his mouthpiece. Especially relevant for vintage mouthpieces, as they aren’t as consistently built. I don’t know whether there’s any science to it, or if it’s mental, but I do it on mine and so does my teacher.

[@高山佳朗]

2:30,14:10

[@badddnote]

I would totally drive a Ford Taurus!

[@user-rn1lb8sx2c]

looks like yamaha wins again :)............. would love to see him test the CHS

[@GhostRyder2008]

I don't know why people, especially professionals, always go to trumpets like Bach, Yamaha, or these other mass produced trumpets. There are lots of better built trumpets that will not only be easier to play, but also have much better intonation, response, sound, etc. I love my Performance trumpet built by Logan Thane Brown in combination with a Lotus mouthpiece. Honestly, compared to Bachs, Yamahas, Shires, and others I've tried, the Thane trumpets just blow them away and the price point is very similar!

[@doitallman]

Definitely on Bb. Not so much on C.

[@GhostRyder2008]

@@doitallman Sorry, I'm not following. What do you mean?

[@TrombaSolo]

Why? Tradition, and also because most trumpet players are dumb. Present company excepted, of course! LOL.

[@sceu25]

​@@GhostRyder2008 Your comment is true for Bb trumpets in the sense that there's more variety for Bb trumpets in terms of who makes them. It's not the case for C trumpets though. Not many companies focus on C trumpets as much as Bach and Yamaha do, which is why people will usually go to them for one.

[@MultiTrumpetman]

Stomvi Titán❤

[@TrombaSolo]

What's amazing to me is that in 2023 we still have to use 2+3 on a top space Eb on a C trpt. Come on, trumpet designers! There's only one C trumpet made today that doesn't require "fake fingerings" on E and Eb. (Not gonna name the brand here.)

[@ericclaptonsrobotpilot7276]

Why not, you sponsored by their competitors?

[@Hammondbrass]

Those notes are naturally flat on the 5th partial. They intentionally make the first valve slide shorter so that the 5th partial D and C# aren’t too flat. An open E and 2nd valve D# (Eb) are great if you’re playing the major 3rd of C major and B major chord, respectively. There is a certain amount of brilliance and power to those fingers, depending on the context, that I like. If it was possible they definitely would have figured it out by now.

[@TrombaSolo]

​@@ericclaptonsrobotpilot7276 Haha. BS. Everybody knows who I am. Not sponsored by anyone. Who the eff are you, anyway?

[@TrombaSolo]

@@HammondbrassSome makers HAVE figured it out. It IS possible and some C trumpets don't have flat Ebs and Es. Ebs and Es are not flat on Bb trumpets. Did you ever wonder why? C trumpets are nothing but cut down Bb trumpets - the leadpipes are too short and the bells are too long, to put it into simple terms that even a trumpet player can understand.That's why Bach and Yamaha clones are not in tune with themselves. An Eb played with 2nd valve and an Eb played with 2 & 3 have different tone qualities and feel different. Everybody knows that. Very few makers have designed a C trumpet from the ground up. They just chop up a C trumpet. In this day and age? C'man, man!

[@justinsmith2530]

I think I prefer him on the YS Bell.

[@improvisedlines5498]

Really simple way of trying out some horns. I was always a guy that liked the sound of a bach better than a yamaha, but that NY model sounds like another level of craftsmanship in comparison to every other yamaha c I have ever heard or have played on. finding something more friendly in the tuning department is always to be considered as well. unfortunately, because of where I am geographically, I don’t have the leisure to test horns like this. I like picking out the horns I would immediately be interested in (bach yamaha models) and play them blindly to rid any biases. Price is also a factor for a lot of people. Unless the trumpet is an investment, the price will limit what you can get. I don’t have the means to spend 5 grand on a C trumpet, so that limits my options. The Artist model NY yamaha C is very appealing to me, but if it’s out of my budget then it ends up not being an option. OR it ends up being a poor financial decision. I took a lesson with Ben many years ago. You sound good. I hope you looked into a few other NY yamahas and found one to purchase because you sound better on that than the current C you play on. 👏

[@TrombaSolo]

Define "better".

[@eldersamuelwilliams9779]

Lose that buzzing sound

[@Azrael-rafael]

te falta estudio...eres bueno...pero en tus demostraciones se siente el descontrol y desequilibrio tecnico.....................

[@michaelfoxbrass]

Ben plays 2nd trumpet in the Boston Symphony, one of the world’s top orchestras. I am curious as to what specific issues you notice that prompted you to make such statements? Also, do you understand that he is demonstrating variances between different instruments, and is doing so with as much consistency as possible to point out the benefits and shortcomings of each?

[@fingerhorn4]

Commentators: PLEASE don't call trumpets "horns". I know you think you are being cool calling them so, but they are not horns. Nor are saxophone "horns". Trumpets are trumpets and saxophones are saxophones. A "horn" is a specific instrument. Thank you.

[@VirtuosityMusicalInstruments]

From the Merriam Webster Dictionary: "Horn, 3c: a wind instrument used in a jazz band; especially: trumpet" 🤷‍♂

[@Korrupt27]

No

[@jojijoji88]

@@Korrupt27 What about axe?

[@jojijoji88]

@@VirtuosityMusicalInstruments😂🎉