The Cheapest Trumpet on Amazon | Band Director Reviews
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- Опубліковано 21 тра 2024
- Wondering if a cheap Amazon trumpet is actually playable? I did, so I decided to buy and review the Mendini by Cecilio trumpet, which is currently the cheapest trumpet you can buy on Amazon.com.
The trumpet I review in this video...
Mendini by Cecilio Trumpet- amzn.to/3voNpzb
My Valve Oil Recommendation - amzn.to/3PzEpy3
Trumpet Stand I Use- amzn.to/3PycVc2
Tuner/Metronome- amzn.to/3TNRLcv (or use a phone if your child has one, I use the app "Tunable" and love it)
I've started a Patreon! Go check it out if you want to see behind the scenes footage and want to support my garbage tier instrument buying habits!
/ chasejamison
A quick note- the Mendini horn seems to jump between $70 to $130ish depending on when you look at it and what color you are looking at. If you are set on getting one I would wait until it is "on sale". When I made the video is was $63, and then next week it jumped up to $140 (or something like that) and as of writing this description it's $75. Don't think you missed an opportunity if it jumps up in price, it will inevitably come back down.
For comparison, here is a fantastic student trumpet that I would easily recommend anyone, but it's not cheap by any means...
Yamaha Student Trumpet- amzn.to/497oazd
Want to know other equipment to get your student to set them up for success? Head to madmusic.band/gear to check out our recommendations.
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Chase Jamison
*I may be compensated if purchase using the above links, (even if you don't buy exactly what it links to) which helps me to continue making these videos and other music materials. This won't cost you anything extra. Thanks for the support! :)
0:00 - Intro
1:10 - Unboxing
1:38 - Case Overview
3:25 - What's in the Case
5:25 - Trumpet Reveal/Overview
8:30 - Oiling/Valves
13:57 - Playing The Horn
14:44 - Thoughts/Information
17:04 - Alternatives
19:40 - End Thoughts/Playing Again
I appreciate your outlook. Finances shouldn't be a barrier for a child pursuing an activity where they can be social, have fun, and learn a skill. If it's a choice between cheap, or nothing; cheap is perfectly acceptable.
This is also my main take on instruments like this. As long as it works to an acceptable level for learning to occur, it shouldn't be stigmatized. Something I didn't note in the video, I think these are also fine instruments for adults who just want to dip their toes in and try out an instrument.
My wife played a Montgomery Ward flute for years, but when she got to college she found she needed to unlearn a very heavy touch before she could progress to playing the difficult stuff. When she picks up the Ward flute now it sounds like a flute . When I pick it up it sounds like a piece of crap.
Buy the trumpet. You'll be better off giving yourself or your child a cheap instrument that works (in the very early stages of learning music, 'cause, when learning... you know). I've paid $50 to rent a clarinet at a music store in the past... This Trumpet you will only have to pay once, and it's yours. It's only like $20 more than my 1 month rental payment. When you or your child actually start having a connection with music and you are making progress, then buy a better trumpet. :)
Funny story, I bought a mouthpiece off amazon a long time ago and this trumpet came in instead..? No idea, but it actually came in clutch. I’m a college student and I had an easter gig. Well, my horn was locked in the music school, so the only horn I could use was this one. Absolutely terrible experience, but I was able to pull through with it. Shoutout to Amazon for making an amazing mistake!
Haha, that's fantastic.
I've played trumpet now for over 30 years. One of the neighborhood kids, friend of my son, decided to play trumpet. My son went woodwind path, so was excited have local kid I can help out. I let him borrow an Olds trumpet I had laying around, good one for beginner to intermediate level (nice jazz tones on it overall). And loaned him a Ruben book and gave him some pointers, etc. He did return the trumpet and book once school started and since his grandparent got him a trumpet, a Mendini. I would been happy to let him keep using my Olds trumpet or even give him an old King trumpet I've been restoring for fun. But yep, a Mendini. I did an once over for him, and notice just like you ran into, the valves get stuck either direction, with the darn clip grabbing both ways. And his numbering was 1, blank, 4. Yep... 4. So I showed him that issue to be aware of it. Half year later, he asked me how to clean his trumpet. I was more than happy to teach him a proper deep cleaning. The valves already shown large amount of wear and pealing apart. I know he uses valve oil, he ran out and I gave him some of my spare. I will be shocked if it gets through another year. Always with beginners, I recommend picking up an used trumpet, if possible a music store or online if needed, such as Olds, Bach, Yamaha, Getzen, etc. It will outlast the cheaper trumpet and won't need replaced all the time. And if not sure if want to continue, a rental, then you can swap around instruments and try different things. I agree it's a challenge to get kids in band and important to get them trying, with about anything. With my son's HS band, it kills me how many of the trumpets are cheap Amazon ones, and how often parts just fall off them. Half the group is missing valve keys, caps, and other such parts. They just vibrate off during marching band season to never be found again.
Yup, I also have had good luck with used horns, but there's definitely a large difference in upfront cost, even with used. I think the cheap horns can be good horns to start a first year on to see if it's even something they want to do at all, and then when they make that commitment they can upgrade, and use the cheapo horn for a stay at home practice instrument or donate it etc. Even rentals are a large investment when looked at as a whole. I think there's a place for a $60 horn as long as it actually works.
@@MadMusicBand My mom plays french horn, and her main horn, was a high end professional Finke French Horn (more European market than US). But it was a non-functional that she traded in one and paid some. Ended up the valves were in incorrect. It has mechanical mechanics (vs string) with monghid valves. And since monghid, it can't have numbering on the valves. She played with it and got is working! Many years later she did take it to one of the top repair technicians for such instruments, which he was able to repair the reset of the issues. Sometimes you can score huge with used instruments!
I've thought about buying one of these to make a lamp out of it. For a kid I'd go the used student horn route. There are dozens of high quality Getzen, Yamaha, or Bach trumpets on eBay in the $300-400 price range that will play great and take a beating. I recommend the Getzen 300 series. Sturdy horns and great valves.
It would make a fantastic lamp. You're not wrong about the used horn route, though you could almost get 5 of these trumpets for that $300 used horn. It's kind of unreal just how cheap these are.
@@MadMusicBand Then again these Celio/Mendini horns are made in sweatshops by slave labor and I don't think I can support that.
Of course, $300-400 is a lot more than $63 by a long shot. And as far as the criticism of cheap instrument that one is never sure what one is going to get, the same goes for buying used instruments. For example, I bought a used cornet a few years ago. It was a brand from days gone by, but a respected brand in its day. I had to take it to a repair man because the tubing was bent in some places and some of the braces were broken. That instrument also had more dents than I was comfortable with. I fixed (or maybe I should have said "improved" rather than "fixed") some of the dents myself to an acceptable level, though not a a level I would have gotten from a professional repair man. In other words, buying used was not as good of a deal as one might have hoped.
@@massmanute the other thing important about buying used is you almost always need to factor in the cost of cleaning and repairs. It's rare you find a $200 used student trumpet online like most people suggest where you don't also need to put in extra money to repair something. Not impossible, but it's hard to know when you first buy it especially as someone who isn't knowledgeable about instruments.
You obviously dont teach or live in a low income community.. parents arent buying 300 or more horns.. they will hope the school will supply instruments
Pro tip: *DO NOT* lay a trumpet on the right-hand side. You'll put unnecessary pressure on the 2nd valve slide that will push into the valve block. When you insert a mouthpiece, you twist slightly so that the friction locks it in place. You take it off by twisting in the opposite direction you screwed it in. If you are going to pull a slide out, you need to press the corresponding valve down. The seal between the valve and valve slide should be air tight; that's why you're hearing the pop.
Yup, all good info. I actually point out two of those things in my trombone video :)
"Instrument shaped object" is derived from the shorthand "PSO" which Julliard piano students were using about 40-50 years ago. "How was the concert on Saturday with the West Rubber Boot Symphony?"
Possible answers.
"Good orchestra, meh piano." or "Good piano, orchestra was trying hard" or "PSO." If the answer was PSO, nothing else mattered.
One tip: The inexpensive Chinese-made instruments typically contain a lot more manufacturing swarf in the bore than a higher end instrument. It's a good idea to clean the instrument out before using it. I'm sure one can find instructions on the internet for doing this.
By the way, I own a very inexpensive Chinese-made four valve compensating euphonium. It's a copy of a Yamaha euphonium. I rate it 90% as good as a Yamaha (or more) at 10% of the price (or less). My euphonium professor agreed that it is a good instrument. In fact, his euphonium is essentially the same as mine, though marketed by a different company, meaning that it is the same design made in the same factory but marketed by a different retailer. (He has an inexpensive euphonium because his main instrument is trombone.)
This works with a lot of things. Most bike frames are made in the same factory for example. A lot of price differentiation nowadays can be purely marketing, although I didn't think it's quite that simple with instruments. What baritone do you have? We could use another baritone 😂.
Great video. And all great points, especially about new students thinking that sound/performance issues are due to their playing ability and not the instrument. Buying a good brand used trumpet is often a great way to go.
As a 71 year old who gave up band in 7th grade and am now trying to work my way back to being community band worthy over the next 10 months, I appreciated your review. I am playing a used Getzen 200 series and this will probably be the only cornet I will own.
It is possible that some family wouldn't be able to squeeze in another $20 a month payment for a horn so a one time $70 payment
for ownership might work out. In 5th grade when I started, I wouldn't have known the difference between a $70 and $700 instrument
Honestly, the thought of putting a $700 instrument in the hands of a 5th grader is kind of risky. It's rare that any of them will take good enough care of them to warrant that high of a level of investment their first year. There are exceptions of course, but there's definitely a lot that aren't mature enough to be trusted with that responsibility.
seriously great video, earned a sub
Thanks! :)
I have this trumpet but as a pocket trumpet and i have had it for years and its worked great but also i dont use it for band use just for fun
I've heard a lot of good things about the pocket trumpet, such a cool instrument.
“ Opening Implement “ is such a creative way of bypassing UA-cam monetization restrictions 😂
Ha! Didn't even think of that. I blame my wife for all the weird ways that I say things 🤣
I totally agree with and advocate for the rent-to-own option. That’s the route my parents took when they bought me my clarinet. It brought me through middle school, high school, college, and even into my adult life, nearly 14 years after the first payment at the time of this comment! Band kids for life!
Honestly, that's what we may end up doing with our kids.
@@MadMusicBand They really need to pay band directors more. Music education helped shape me into the person I am today.
Meh, my parents spend $800 back in the day on a rent to own trombone that I ended up not playing much.
That is popular in sweden where we all have music class.
@@williamsanborn9195 I'll always get behind this comment ;)
Trumpet teacher to over 40 students:
Mendini… the only trumpet I’ve seen with a flat low D and a sharp 5th partial.
I’ve seen a person buy two of these in one year due to issues, and lack of parts On the 3rd repair, they bought a used trumpet.
A used Olds Ambassador can be found for less than $200. That’s the route to save money.
I can believe it. Personally I was pretty surprised at how good the one I got was. Maybe it's just a huge gamble, or maybe it'll poop out in a month, we'll see.
Very interesting and well presented.
Thanks! :)
Just for basic advise, I have found that it takes about a week of oiling the valves everyday before you can get a good idea of what the valves are going to do for you on a brand new horn.
Great review!!!
Great point! I'll have to put out an update video at the end of the year to see how it has held up. Maybe it'll be better. Maybe it'll have disintegrated.
@@MadMusicBand
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I'll be looking forward to it.
A friend of mine has this trumpet and he is our main trumpet soloist and he is amazing with this thing.. if you are just getting started GET IT
The player and skill is far more important than the instrument. The best trumpet players are gonna make any instrument sound fantastic. I'm glad your friend enjoys this horn, so far so good for me as well :)
Thank you for this video!
Your welcome! It was fun to make :)
I'm teaching a trumpet student with one of these. The second valve (I think) got so jammed up that it wasn't playable. He's borrowing another Cecilio from somebody else that's fine, I can make it sound decent. I however have a Mendini Cecilio pocket trumpet that works fine for outdoor busking gigs and jamming occasionally.
I've never used one myself, but I've read the pocket trumpet is pretty alright for the money. Obviously like the regular trumpet you can't expect the world of it, but if a pocket trumpet is something you just want to play around with it seems worth a shot.
I bought the Cecilio Mendini about five years ago, and I use it for daily practice and for travel practice to save wear and tear on my Yamaha. Amazingly, I paid $89 back then. So much for inflation. I've treated it carefully and it has worked well, and the only complaint is that the lacquer is 'melting' off the valve casings where it has constant contact with my hand. As you found, the 1st and 3rd slides are very stiff, but they've loosened up with time.
Though I've been lucky, I wouldn't recommend it for a student. As some of the commenters note, the quality out of the box is highly variable, and you don't want a student to deal with returns, refunds, repairs, etc. the first days of band class. But your approach allows vetting the horn before a student gets it, and that's a great approach.
Yup, good points. On the lacquer note, I just bought a protec valve protector to stop that from happening, and to maybe protect the valves from student carelessness. It also makes it easy to spot which horn is mine, which is an added bonus.
My bach Stradivarius 50th anniversary makes the same noice when you push down the valves so i dont think that noise is necessarily a bad thing. This was a great video though. I subbed❤
Thanks! 😊
Probably just need some thicker felt or rubber on top of the valve body to keep it from clicking.
Outstanding content!
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@MadMusicBand We have a small community band (three trumpet/flugelhorn/altohorn mix/match, french horn, trombone/euphonium mix/match, clarinet and me on the tuba/euphonium mix/match) and my wife is learning to play drums (at 59-years-old) since we need percussion. This method absolutely resonated with her. She's working on your vids and having fun with them. Thanks!
@@wcgdenmasterken3431 That's awesome to hear! Tell your wife good luck for me, and I'm glad that my videos are helping you! I made the "cheat beat" videos because I knew that 13 year old me would have loved to be able to play with something like that; I nerd out a bit hearing that other people are enjoying them as well :) Thanks for letting me know!
Nice video man as a trumpet player instruments like this are just for trolls but it was actually good and your playing was very nice.
Thanks for the compliment! Trumpet is my "play at the podium" instrument because it's hard to get a marimba up there, so I tend to get at least a bit of daily playing in :)
@@MadMusicBand so true trumpet as an amazing projection. Your trumpet range and skills in very good 👍
The quality of this video was actually very good! I looked at your sub count and was surprised!
Thanks for the kind words! Gotta start somewhere :)
Same here!
I've bought several bargain instruments from Amazon and eBay, and my experience has been that the Indian-made instruments (e.g. from Sai Musicals) are mostly just instrument-shaped objects, whereas the Chinese-made ones like the one you show here are surprisingly good for the money. About a year ago I bought a Mendini-by-Cecilio euphonium and it's been absolutely pleasant to play on. A number of years back I bought a $400 double horn that's also really nice and is my daily driver when I'm playing (it's probably closer to $700 now, inflation dontcha know). If you're going to go this route I suggest buying from a place that has a generous return policy and see what you get. You might get lucky like I did
I'm with you on the return policy, it's at least basically impossible to get scammed on Amazon since it's so easy to send things back for returns. A budget euphonium seems right up my alley, I'll have to add that to my list 😂
I picked up two Amazon horns. A pocket trumpet for the fun of a smaller trumpet. It works okay the valves are a bit sluggish. The other one was my alto horn. That is the main one I got. It still works great for the once every 3 years my community band has alto horn parts. Not bad and I don’t have any major complaints.
Not really the first horn I would recommend for students, but it works fine for a tuba and trombone guy that sometimes covers other brass parts in community bands.
Ooooo, an Alto Horn, I've never played one myself. That's awesome that they work ok. I agree that for the person who just needs to whip out an instrument occasionally to cover some parts cheap instruments make a lot of sense, I'm glad they're working out for you.
I've been eyeing those pocket trumpets myself as I love the idea of a smaller horn (and I think they just look cool...). I may have to pick one up eventually, I'll definitely make a video if I do :)
Could just leave the piston in the valve casing and oil them by sliding the piston almost all the way out but so the drips go into the casing instead of onto the floor.
Pushing down the corresponding valve makes it easier to pull out or push in the valve slide. If it's easy to move those slides without depressing the valves, that could indicate a possible air leak.
You lead me down a rabbit hole of research, and yup that is correct and makes sense. One of those things that wasn't specifically taught to me that people probably just assume you already know. I'm looking forward to testing this out with my horn soon. Obviously not much reason to move it when not pressing the third valve, but I probably did in the video since I wasn't playing the horn. Thanks!
hold a magnet up to its various parts - wondering if some funky steel "alloy"
I'll try and remember to do this when I get to school tomorrow :)
Not magnetic, finally tried it 🧲
I HAVE THIS TRUMPET 🎺
Nice! How's it working for you?
Awesome
It's my first one too!
same level as my ytr 6335g good for student that wants a horn thats play and sound well saving money for a bach
You can't go wrong with any Yamaha horn- they are always consistently good. Your Yamaha is likely much better than this (though obviously more expensive). I also started on a Yamaha, not that I would say no to a Bach Stradivarius either ;)
Actually, a 6335 is a darn decent instrument, even for an intermediate player later in life. The 6335 that I borrowed for a couple of months served me well while I was locating something that I really liked in a price range I could afford. The owner of the instrument needed it back, so she got it back. This was at about the same time as I picked up my King 1117, which is also a good instrument.
All Bach trumpets are not necessarily good instruments. I know, the Strad is a well known line, but I would put Bach's student instruments in the category of over priced, and even the Stradivarius name does not guarantee a great horn as they struggled for a while in the early 2000s.
You are kidding aren't you?
Somebody has probably already mentioned this, but when you are removing the valve slides press the corresponding valve down.
Yup! I even mentioned how I was wrong in my trombone video 😂
What about Carol Brass Instruments.. good bad, or indifferent?
Never played one, but I'd love to try one eventually
Could you tell me what song you're playing at 20:26? It's on the tip of my tongue
It hurts to admit it, but I can't come up with the name either! I've been fake playing it for years but never actually looked it up...and I can't seem to figure it out! Frustrating!!!
@@MadMusicBand I found it!!! It's called "Hungarian Rapsody n2". I remember it from the game "Looney tunes racing" and also from this clip of Tom and Jerry... You should have a look: ua-cam.com/video/E1JKd1C7izQ/v-deo.htmlsi=EQTtr-fI1v-lNphC
Anyway... Thanks for the reply and keep making video man :)
@@MadMusicBand Found it!! It's called "Hungarian Rapsody n2", I remember it from "Looney tunes racing" (game for ps1) and from this clip of Tom & Jerry: ua-cam.com/video/E1JKd1C7izQ/v-deo.htmlsi=Nb1Eirg5hRrl8Gp8 . Btw thanks man :)
I enjoyed the video a lot. However, I wanted to say, I didn't like the music volume ducking while you spoke. It is kind of distracting, and breaks the flow of your talking. If, instead, you just lowered the volume of the music playing during the segments while you are talking, and don't have the volume duck at all. Then raise the volume to full on the timelapses. But, that's just my opinion. Apart from that, very good video. I subscribed :)
I'll play around with that in my next video, thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Perfect for throwing at woodwinds
😂
Nice.
What do you think of the pBone pTrumpet?
I've sadly never played one. Spoiler for you though, I've got a plastic trombone on the way I plan on reviewing :)
I'll subscribe so I don't miss it!@@MadMusicBand
I really would like to see someone take a cheap trumpet and put on a good mouthpiece and replace the whole valve system. I am curious as to how much better you can make a cheap horn sound with upgrades.
You're giving me ideas ;)
I tbink the reason why the middle valve was making that sound was because it wasnt screwed in all the way. This happens a lot with my Euphonium
I did screw it in all the way, it was just being scratchy. It doesn't do it anymore, I think oiling it and "wearing it in" a bit fixed the issue. The valves aren't the fastest but they seem to work ok for my needs now.
Ok so when trying to get your valves in right all you have to do is while they are in is twist the keycap not so it will unscrew but to the point where it locks in you will know when it does
This didn't work for this trumpet- It had more than one locking point and not each was correct.
7:19 Wait a minute, I don’t think you are supposed to put oil on the slides. I think you should use grease, isn’t that right?
If they are really stuck you can use oil to ease them in. Some people cut oil and grease together to get the level they want. At some point it's a bit of trial and error, but for how stuck the Mendini was out of the box oil would have helped a lot (though so would grease)
@@MadMusicBand ok! Thanks for helping out a new player!
Enjoying your video!!🤣🤣(love the sarcasm!) As a former trumpet player and band director, I've had a LOT of experience with ISOs. The intonation is usually horrific, and the valves can be way different, and they break. When they break, there are NO replacements parts at your local instrument repair shop. So you have to buy another one. And as I listen to you play, the tone is different on each valve. HOWEVER, it's better than nothing for kids who can't afford anything else, or to borrow one when they leave them at home or are getting a repair on their "real" horn. So, yes your wrap-up is excellent!! Rentals for decent beginner horns are cheap and service is cheap. As you mentioned, there are tons of used instruments out there...EVERYWHERE! [Caveat: I've seen some used horns online that are WAY overpriced.] Just please do not use the mouthpiece that comes with the horn. Rentals usually come with whatever you tell the dealer you want them to have. In Texas, music stores will bend over backwards for your business. Sure, beginners are gonna sound like beginners on whatever mouthpiece, but some of the off-brands I've tested over the years (even from some of the major mouthpiece companies) are wildly inconsistent, Also, every kids face and teeth are different, There isn't a "universal" mouthpiece for everyone past the first year, If they make it to second year, they will need a better instrument and a mouthpiece that fits them better. For my last years of high school private students, they used GR Tech, Laskey, and one exceptionally great Yamaha Bobby Shew Jazz model.(I had it, and it fit the student. I still have about $1200 worth of mouthpieces that I used when I could play.) VERY few students need to shell $200 for expensive brands UNLESS they are considering a music career. My apologies for this LLOONNGG trumpet post, but I still love it and wish I could still play. Finally, and you may know this already, look up the Brook-Mays Music Company lawsuit regarding ISOs. They were sued, lost $20 MILLION and went bankrupt. Thanks again for your video! I enjoyed it tremendously! And I bet your kids dig your band class!!
Thanks for the awesome comment! You make a lot of great points. I would love...LOVE to be able to sit down sometime with a bunch of different mouthpieces and just try them out, maybe I'll make that a reality some day. I'm sure I could benefit from finding one that actually fit me. I'll have to check out that lawsuit, I'm out of the loop there.
@@MadMusicBand Please do check out the lawsuit. I think the company that "allegedly" sued them was "First Act.," "allegedly." And I "allegedly" or "hypothetically" had students who bought those at a local "MegaMart," (allegedly) and some of them were unplayable (esp. WWs) and some broke within the first couple of weeks. The one you're using is better. And as to the mouthpiece issue, it would be a tremendously valuable experience to go to the local music store and first buzz the mouthpieces, take a few notes on how each one, and then play on the instrument. I can help you eliminate a bunch. In the Bach camp, the 1 1/2 C (large), 3C (great all around mp that a student could use all the way through HS and maybe college, the 5A and 5B (not as close to the same as the numbering suggests), and, if you have a very small student with very small lips, the 10 1/2 C. For Yamaha the numbers work normally, the larger the number the bigger the mp, whereas Bach is the opposite. (Sorry, I am probably telling you things you already know, but it's trumpet and I get excited about trumpet things.) Yamaha - test the 14 and 16 (no extras like "14A4A") for beginners, same for Schilke. This is, of course, just for beginners, although some of those could work in perpetuity for students who are not going to major in music. There are more "tricks' in the mouthpiece world and a great private teacher should help them change, or not, as the case may be. The custom mouthpieces are, as I mentioned, i.e. www.grmouthpieces.com/ or www.laskey.com/ (there are obviously MANY more!), are nearing $200. as I am typing this, there is a video in the sidebar comparing trumpets and cornets. Cornets are FAR easier for small beginners to hold and the more conical shape (if it's a "real" cornet - 2/3 conical). Anyway, I will share one more topic in the next comment box...
@@MadMusicBand New topic: range. It's like a drug for some of us. I'm sure you've seen lots of great instructional videos and they all (mostly!) have important points. But to make this easier on everyone (the teacher included), use the "set point" strategy.I have a TON of range information and it was on my website until I retired. The set point is only ONE aspect developing range, it may be the most crucial and the easiest to teach and learn. On day one, the most important thing to learn is how to take it out of the case, assemble the two parts, how to hold it (cheeseburger in the right hand, soft drink in the left.) WITHOUT dropping anything (watch out for the 1st and 3rd valve slides!). When that's "successful," - and this is the tricky part in SO many ways - have them remove the tuning slide carefully and lay it on the case. Teach them embouchure and airflow (both should be reinforced daily at school and at home). When you are happy with how they breath and blow through the embouchure WITHOUT the horn or mouthpiece, have them play their first notes using just the mouthpiece and the lead pipe. This puts the embouchure in its natural position for each student. It will sound horrible and the kids will laugh...at first. The pitch for trumpets is usually a little below first line E. What you are listening for is a very reedy, free and open sound, regardless of the pitch, because they are not going to match pitch...yet. Eventually, playing the mouthpiece alone, pitch matching and tone will be critical points. You can typically get most students playing 2nd line G pretty easily. And by using the lead pipe process they can usually move up to the next partial in the harmonic series. And then do it with just the mouthpiece. This brings us back to set point theory. (And I'm leaving out a bunch of teaching things, but I am sure you know them, so...) Whatever their highest COMFORTABLE note becomes the note they start on everyday with warm-ups, Some will be on 3rd space C soon if not immediately. When their highest comfy note is perfectly secure (on the mouthpiece alone and on the horn), they can move up a half step. This is a very simple but very powerful strategy that they can use forever to play as high as they want to work for. And, of course, we're using flexibility studies (always start high, go low, and back to high), scales, start on the top, play down and up, then play the top note and drop to the lower tonic and play the scale "normally" while keeping the embouchure and air set for the top note. This is a pattern that applies to all exercises and band book tunes - set for the highest note and the others will be easier. The long term goal is for G5 to be the center of their playable range. I've had some students who could nail C6 by March, some who could play G5, most beginners settle in around D5/E5. By continuing the set point process over the next couple of years, most students are comfortable with G5 to C6. (Remember they are still working on all the other trumpet/music things, just with a stable embouchure/air setting.) When C6 is totally comfy, they will be able to play D6, and maybe E6 with a little extra air pressure. OK - I've said too much, my apologies. I am sure you know most of what I said, but the set point thing I learned from Don Jacoby. It works! Best of luck. I can tell you are having FUN teaching band, something that is often lost in a competitive environment. You CAN be a great teacher AND have FUN! I would encourage you to make MORE videos! Thanks for listening!
@@johnjulian8914 I'm going to save this comment for mouthpieces :)
On the lawsuit, I actually looked it up yesterday (you got me curious!). Seems like Brooks Mays sent out a newsletter calling out First-Act instruments as "instrument shaped objects" and questioned their inability to be repaired. Pretty insane that a comment like that can be sued for such a large amount, but when you consider that they are essentially competitors you have to be more careful than that. I always have a good chuckle when I walk through the walmart tech section and see the random instruments haha. It's just so random.
@@johnjulian8914 I can't answer on everything you mentioned but I'm definitely going to come back to your comments in the future. I'd never heard of the "set point" approach before so I'll start there. Seeing other band directors commenting on this video is fun and also makes me a bit nervous for the future haha. It's always humbling to listen to others talk about their area of expertise are realize just how much we can still learn. I even consider myself to be a fairly good trumpet player and teacher, but there's so much more I could be doing! Thanks for your comments :)
I have seen a trupmet *case* that costs as much as this thing, (and honestly, that case doesn't look half bad...not, that I would ever buy a $70 trumpet case)
Edit: I'm actually, kinda shocked this thing is made of brass, because, in the same vein as the plastic trombone, I swear I have seen plastic trumpets on amazon too (or maybe it was a plastic Euphonium) I'm amazed that they could make it for so cheap and still make it out of brass.
Edit2: In hindsight, I think that isn't too different from the "beginner" instruments you can find at a regular music shop (as you mentioned, this thing goes through fluctuations, from 140-63. That seems like the kinda price range that my very first trumpet was.) The difference being, like you said, there's no support structure for this Amazon thing.
Yup, all around. I was also surprised at just how much cheaper this way compared to even the cheapest plastic trumpets.
I’m a percussionist and a senior in high school going into music education for college next year, i rented a trombone from my school as my first alternate, i could not make a good sound and though i sucked
I grabbed a rusted trigger that the director was ok with me trying and it sounded awesome
It’s often not u that sounds bad or airy, for me it was a bad horn, now i’m trying to memorize imperial march to play jokes with the “tromboners”
Yup, that's a huge issue with beginners not knowing the instruments and trying on their own. Always good to have someone who plays the instrument well look it over and even try it themselves to see if there's an issue.
I have taught beginning band for 27 yrs. Every year we do our best to convince parents to invest in a rental or a used name-brand instrument, but we still always get a load of these come in. The brass instruments I can deal with….its usually silly things like valve stems that completely break off for no apparent reason or stripped valve button threads. Like you said, these are just disposable instruments at that point. No shop will touch them and it’s not worth paying for. Repair anyway.
The real issue is the woodwinds. Flutes tend to be just ok. Clarinets have gotten marginally better over the last few years…the keys are just made of such soft meal that they get bent if you look at the wrong. But the SAXOPHONES…..omg. They ALWAYS end up being problematic and eventually unplayable due to leaks, bent octave key linkages, broken keys BENT NECKS!, etc. The saxophones are the worst.
I agree on theory alone though I've never played an Amazon cheapo woodwind, it just makes sense that cheaping out on an instrument that is already touchy and needs to be so specifically aligned is asking for problems.
As a trumpet player - I would always advise ANY student (or parent of one) to ask the teacher about an instrument to purchase. A beginner trumpet of any sort will be mostly fine - and better than what you'll likely find in a pawn shop. The used market is great - IF you know what you're looking for and a 'mentor' helps you get it. My experience with the foreign cheap horns is that China has come a long way in catching up on quality and some of these bargain horns sound quite nice. India has a long way to go - don't buy stuff from there. Rent to own from the band shop can be a good choice (make sure to have the protection plan) for kids that you have NO IDEA that they will keep up with it - otherwise you'll end up with a horn in the closet or trying to rid yourself of it on marketplace/e-bay when they quit. Also, most of the mistakes and damage you're likely to do will come with your first horn - better to learn those lessons on a cheap one than a top of the line pro model. This review for a $60 horn was OK from the aesthetic point of view, but I would have liked to seen more about the 'playability' and intonation of a standard scale. How easy is it to blow and get a note out? Are the notes on a Bb scale relatively in tune (against a tuner)? Could you get the slides working a little better with some slide grease (I like to use the stuff that trombone players use on their slides to get that 1st and 3rd slide moving easily). You didn't move the tuning slide - for that one, I'd use a thicker slide grease, or vaseline in a pinch. Incredibly important to get that tuning slide moving and teaching young players to get their ears working at staying in tune. Playing a little tune or two would have been nice to see if it sounds good or really bad. You could have invited a trumpet player to ask him what he thought of it. Still, for a 'loaner' you can't beat a $60 investment.
A lot of good points here. I definitely could have been more thorough (especially on the tuning slide, it does move fine fyi), but the video was already 20 minutes and I wanted to include the info about what I would recommend alternatively to it. I did play a concert Bb scale and a few chromatic lines, and it blows as freely as my old Yamaha student trumpet did. I personally don't think we need to be that picky about intonations etc. on a $60 horn, as that's just not that important for a beginner. From what I heard, it sounds in tune with itself to the point it's not going to hold a student back. When they get good enough that they want to start worrying about intonations between notes it would be a great time to start looking at a larger investment anyways imo. There's other videos out there that compare cheap instruments to multi thousand dollar instruments but I don't think there's much value in the comparison (other than it can be fun haha). When looking at a $60 horn the biggest thing worth noting is if it's "good enough", and honestly this one exceeded my expectations. Now we just need to see if it holds up to use over time.
@@MadMusicBand Beginners are beginners, and no, they don't hear or play things like they should, but any horn should play pretty well in tune and not have weird 'open fingering' intonation issues. Valves should move freely, slides not so important at this stage (other than the tuning one). I often wonder if kids drop an instrument because they are just frustrated with how 'bad' they sound and how hard they are to play. I know I didn't start taking things seriously until I got rid of my Bundy and got my first Benge horn.
The thing with factory made, ultra cheap trumpets, is that you need to know at least something about trumpets to clean and oil it and fix potentially weird valves. Either way it will always be a gamble
I agree, but for 60 bucks it could be worth the gamble for a lot of people. It's just...so ridiculously cheap. "Hey honey, would you like dinner and a movie tonight or a trumpet?"
It would have been nice to have a real trumpet player demo it for the video. Just FYI: two big things define a trumpet. The first is the first 18" of plumbing, the second is whether the valves work. Listening to you, it sounded like the first 18" were just fine. The tuning was consistent over the range of the horn with no obvious dead spots. I have a suspicion that China has measured and now mass produces lead pipes swiped from a couple of very good American manufacturers. The issue of the valves. First: whether they actually physically line up in the horn itself and secondly whether they go up and down predictably. Again, just listening, it sounded like they did line up reasonably. The up and down part will only be known over time. A student that cares for and cleans often will most likely make something of this horn. A student that doesn't cares for and never cleans will most likely make trash of this horn in a couple of weeks.
I do sort of consider myself a "fake" trumpet player, but is there anything specific you'd have wanted to actually hear from the horn that I didn't demonstrate or is it just that you'd want a second opinion from a "pro"? I'm definitely not a trumpet pro, that's for sure. Throw a marimba at me and we'll talk ;)
I had an Academy trumpet like this. I think they sold at Costco. Thin brass, played OK, slides were gummed shut. Still, even a 30-year-old Yamaha student trumpet played better. $20 to buy used, $20 to sell used. Most of these don't have parts, but what's not mentioned is that for woodwinds, like clarinets, saxophones, or flutes, the cheaper keys bend too easily for a shop to guarantee the work will stay the way the shop set it. For brasswinds, like trumpets, trombones, or horns, the brass is usually thin, and splits in odd ways when damaged. The valve oil that comes with them is always a step below-grade, and anything else will make the valves move smoother. The white gloves are sometimes used by technicians to assemble these instruments without leaving fingerprints, but these gloves are always way too small to be useful. The cases will last 1-3 months before a zipper breaks, the valves will go up to 2 years before something bad happens to them, and the slides will usually be stuck unless they're greased within a month of purchase. Enjoy.
Just thinking of buying an instrument at Costco is wild to me. Cheap woodwinds are a lot more risky imo than cheap brass, there's just so much more that can go wrong with them.
@@MadMusicBand Indeed. At least in North America, Gemeinhardt flutes, Armstrong or Vito clarinets, and Jupiter saxes are good enough quality that saving $100 by buying a new "whatever" instrument makes very little sense over buying the brands I trust used.
"I'm not seeing, like, a big dent." *proceeds to put to 2nd valve flat down on the table, which causes dents*
Someone on Reddit pointed this out to me too, and I had never been taught or had that pointed out before, but it makes total sense. If anything comes from this video at least I learned not to do that!
I play the trumpet and as a trumpet player idk how to feel about this
I know thw feeling. I bought cheap Keyboard melodicas from China for piano class students who had no keyboard at home during the pandemic zoom class period.
We've got some melodicas in our music room as well, they are surprisingly affordable for how fun they are :). Good on you for having that idea during Covid...I tried to teach a full band rehearsal on Zoom the first week of Covid.....it went about as well as you'd expect.
Ah… pinkie on the ring, shades of Sydney Mear
Had to look him up, I wish haha
I got a Bundy for 150 bucks off of eBay, looks terrible because the plating is tarnished but.... it makes noise, and I'm a pianist not a trumpet player xD
eBay is a great place to find instruments if you know what to look for and get lucky :)
@@MadMusicBand No kidding! It's a treasure trove :D
Ok Marsalis we're here
I wish!
Do the plastic pCornet!
I'm doing the pBone next :)
If your band ever plays outdoors in winter (think Santa Claus Parade!) tell the kid to keep the gloves.
Ha! I don't think they'd be very warm...at least not for the winters we have here. Better than nothing I guess 😜
@@MadMusicBand if they get your hands off the metal, it makes life a lot better.
Please do be careful when doing rent to own, my first horn was a rent to own and I ended up paying over $1700 for it when I could have gotten it new for 450
A lot of the time they sell it month by month with no interest, but it's definitely worth looking at the terms that's a good point.
I know trumpet’s not your main instrument, and you’re working with a 63-dollar horn, but at one point, you laid the horn down on the second valve slide. You also moved the tuning slides without pushing the corresponding valves down..I guess you were testing the compression.
Yup, noted, even I learned things from this video 😅
@@MadMusicBand I hope I didn’t come across as harsh..I was an instrumental music ed major, and trumpet was my instrument..I was always told never to lay the horn down on the second valve slide to avoid the possibility of jamming it..when you move a tuning slide corresponding to a valve (any slide BUT the main tuning slide), always push that valve down so you preserve compression..if you forget, you’ll know-you’ll hear a loud “pop” when the slide comes off the horn. Also, when you’re oiling the valves, it’s no big deal if you get a little bit of oil in the ports (holes). Hope that helps!!
@@frankgerace5997 no worries at all, my brass pedagogy classes could have been a bit more encompassing it seems, though it was one of my few "B"s so maybe I just missed it 😂
@@MadMusicBand at least you didn’t see me in percussion class!!🤣🤣
i bought this trumpet on amazon for 200 dollars and actually use it should i get a new one?
What do you mean by get a new one? If the one you have is working well I think you're good to go.
@@MadMusicBand It serves me pretty well so I will keep it
CASE???
you know as long as customers are aware about exactly what it is they are buying that’s all that matters
I'm with you on that, that's one of the reasons I wanted to make the video. Give more of a heads up on what you get in a $70ish trumpet.
Me realizing that this is the excact trumpet ive been playing for 5 years...
Edit: If you face the numbers on the valves towards you, the air wont get trapped and you can play freely
Glad to hear it has lasted 5 years for you!
When I decided to try playing trumpet again 47 years after graduating from high school, I bought a $90.00 Chinese pocket trumpet, to see if I could still play. I could. Then I bought a $90.00 Tromba plastic trumpet and joined a band and orchestra. Later I found a gorgeous Yamaha 232 in a pawn shop for $140, tax and a plate of Christmas cookies included.. Later, on Facebook, I saw a trumpet for $30, with a mouthpiece. When I saw the actual trumpet, it was really ugly and the mouthpiece is probably for a baritone. But the valves and slides all worked, so I bought it. It is a Conservarte, whatever that is. After a thorough cleaning, inside and out, and oil and c=grease, I gave it a try. I have barely touched the other two trumpets since. The Conservarte is still ugly, but it plays better than any other trumpet I have ever played. It is also more ruggedly constructed than the Yamaha. So I have three trumpets for an investment of less than $200, and they all work quite well. They now sit in a corner while I play French horn in two bands and an orchestra. I also played horn in junior high school and the first two years of high school. The point is that I am playing again in my 70s and thoroughly enjoying myself, and I didn't have to spend many hundreds of dollars.
That's fantastic, I love a good deal myself. I'm getting my first plastic instrument (a trombone) next week and I'm super excited to try it out. Awesome to hear you're still rocking instruments in your 70s, I hope to do the same :)
What address can I send you a used trumpet to?
That's very kind of you, if you'd like, feel free to send me an email at chase@madmusic.band and we can talk further, I don't want to put any addresses on UA-cam :)
Don’t touch the sliver part of the valve when there is oil on it
TIL for the first time in 8 years that you're supposed to put the valve oil on the outside of the valve
And with this comment, the entire video was justified :)
The other thing about the cheap instrument is this one might be fine but the next one or two might have problems.
True, thankfully Amazon has easy returns.
You're setting the trumpet down on the wrong side. You don't want pressure on the 2nd valve slide, it can distort the valve casing.
You're the third to point that out haha. Noted, even I learned something from this video ;)
the mouthpiece of my trombone is almost double the price of that whole trumpet + case + mouthpiece + valve oil + gloves
Crazy isn't it. I have a $30 alto sax reed...that's worth half of this horn...and it's a reed 😂
Challenge accepted, please buy the cheapest piccolo flute you can find and try to play it!
You wouldn't want to hear me play the most expensive piccolo 😂
@@MadMusicBand yeah we do! 🤣😉
I thought the gloves that come with instruments are for marching band
They could be used for that I suppose, but the quality of them is terrible. I'd rather they add in slide grease or a tuner/metronome instead.
When you put the valves back in you are supposed to turn them until you hear a click
That actually only works on certain horns, this wasn't one of them.
As a Trumpet player those valves make me cringe.
Yea, I don't know how hard it is to make sure you stamp the valve with the right number...but at least they seem to work alright.
"Im going to do it with no opening implement.. because I forgot"
most band kid thing ever
What about a plastic one?
I'm sure I'll get to reviewing one eventually, but at the time I made the video this one was cheaper than the plastic ones!
@@MadMusicBand Yeah, I'd like to know about those.. They're cheap. At least one wouldn't have to be concerned about corrosion.
I had a student come in with one of these. It SUCKED. It could work in a pinch, but it makes everything harder than it has to be.
That's not super surprising, it's hard to say what the quality control is like on these seeing as they are so cheap. The one I got plays fine, but we'll see how it stands up to the test of time (and a middle school student 😂). Maybe I'll post an update video at the end of the school year.
I just paid $6k for a trumpet and I can say it’s good.
It'd be a bummer if it wasn't, that's definitely a large investment.
Gloves are for cleaning not playing
There is huge mythology around brass instruments. The material they are made of (mostly brass) is just cheap and there is almost no hand labor on current industrially made instruments (expensive instruments are industrial products too), so nothing force them to be expensive.
So we should wonder why brass instruments are so expensive, instead of the opposite.
Yup, I just got a cheap trombone, and it works well so far as well. :)
Are we in a world where band directors need to buy instruments to lend to students?
Just kidding, of course we are!
Don't worry, they pay teachers so much we're just swimming in extra money anyways ............
Bro plays a double G with ease😂that takes people their lives to do.
He played a double c 🤯
bro got the chinesium
14:42 double c are you kidding me??
😉😏😎🤗🫡
@@MadMusicBand get his man at blue devils! awsome vid keep it up!
You use the slides improperly. Push the valve while using the slide.
Yup, you're totally right :)
Would be interesting if you have this to a number of players without telling them what or how much it is and see what they think….
I was thinking it would be fun to blindfold people and have them play multiple different horns expensive to cheap, and then see what they think... I'd need some expensive horns first 😂
dude looks and sounds like alternate universe chris pratt
Obviously buff Chris Pratt and not Parks and Recreation Chris Pratt ;)
On second thought, I'll take either as a compliment 😂
@@MadMusicBand also as a long out of practice trumpet player, that 2nd valve hurt my soul
To me personally the worst thing about cheap instruments is that beginners are often delegated to them and will have a harder time learning the instrument while professionals who could make decent music even with cheap horns get horns which are way easier to make a fine sound on
It's that way with most things unfortunately. The best chefs get the best kitchens, the best athletes get the best training, etc. A beginner would still sound terrible and have a hard time playing even the best of horns. Yes it could potentially be a bit easier, but they just don't need the horsepower or exacting standards of a pro level horn at that point anyways. A terrible chef is still terrible in a world class kitchen, but they might just break that expensive blender 😂
@@MadMusicBand I myself play saxophone as my main instrument and I have found that cheap saxes are often completely unplayable for beginners since they are too leaky and can't be fixed easily (cheap metal often either deforming too easily or don't bent easily enough to be revised well) but for more experienced players, while you still will never sound your best, you can "blow past" the leaks to get the note you want
@@jakobbruhspenning I will agree with you there, woodwinds are a different beast. I'm sure I'll get to try out a cheapo alto or clarinet some day, but one misaligned or leaky pad is enough to make the horn terrible for students. I actually run in to that when a student will hand me their horn because they are having issues, yet I can play it just fine. I'm good enough to play through the issues, as you noted, but that doesn't mean there isn't something wrong. The same will apply to a cheap trumpet or trombone but to a much lesser degree I feel. If I was going to trust a cheap instrument I think I'd be much more likely to gamble on a brass instrument than a woodwind.
"I am by no means a trumpet player"
*hits double c with little to no effort*
Lol, you should hear me play percussion ;)
I would like to say I am a wholeseller for instruments and they buy these instruments at a heavily discounted price because of connections to the Chinese Communist Party and having friends and stuff. The instrument sells for about 40-75$ depending on the factory in china. Now many Chinese instruments can be good for most use case but cheap ones from easter,meddine,slate,and thomman won't be worth it in the long term. If you want something cheap I would recommend looking at Jean Paul or Allora. No I don't work for them I am in competition but I would like to keep this as unbiased as possible. Also the gloves thing is because the laquer is very cheap and wears out and scratches easily. Btw Jean Paul and Allora both from the same factory as Jupiter/King. Depends on the instrument line
That's interesting about Jean Paul and Allora. I've heard most directors lump them in the same "cheap ISO" group as other Amazon instruments. I'll keep that in mind if I ever get a chance to try one out.
@@MadMusicBand nice to know. Personally Alloras higher priced instruments are going to be better same with Jean Paul. Like for a trumpet have them start out on the Intermediate just because it is at the same level of build quality as like a jupiter quantum marching level instrument.
P.S. If you ever want some instruments from my brand or some other big ones I can give you a discount but that is if you want them
Just buy a decent used Bach TR300 is the best advice to give a new player.
I looked at eBay to see what the tr300 used would run, and the cheapest I could find (that wasn't just 'for parts'" is $125 with $32 shipping and it's in rough shape. Without any repair or cleaning, it's about $160. With repair/cleaning you're looking at over $200. That's over 3 times the price of the Amazon horn, and is also very much a gamble. At $200 for a bad condition used horn it's basically worth spending only 3x as much and getting a $600 new horn that will be prestine...but again, 3 times the money. I just bring this up to say that for $63 we really aren't comparing apples to apples when compared to other potential horns even at $150, because that's twice the amount. I'm not sponsored by Mendini, but it's a $60-$70 horn shipped to your door, brand new, and it works. At least mine did haha 😂
@@MadMusicBand I’m wary of eBay horns myself. Instrument specific Reddit groups and instrument specific forums seem to be the best bet for sellers that won’t rip you off. Both of those places seem to self-police the group to keep out scammers, and everybody seems to be honest about any problems, cosmetic or otherwise about items they are selling.
I got a friend that flips trumpets all the time. He is a repair tech tho. He swears by an auction site called HiBid. Its search function is terribly confusing at first, but once you know where to look (home goods & decor >home goods>musical instruments) you can find some good stuff for a steal.
Amazon trumpet is fine. Why would a parent of a student trying trumpet for the first time spend anything more? Let's face it: most students lose interest, and the instrument ends up in the back of a closet. A $100 Amazon trumpet sounds like a $5000 Martin Bohme to the untrained ear. Most repair shops won't repair them. Who cares? A basic cleaning will run you $85-$100 anyway. Just buy a new trumpet if it fails. If a child wants to continue playing, I would recommend this. 1. Amazon 2. Vintage used Olds Ambassador Los Angeles ($200) 3. Yamaha Y.T.R. 4335GII ($1800 new, cheaper used) 4. Dream horn.
I've heard a lot of band directors who groan when a student comes in with a cheaper horn, but I think it's important to keep in context what we are asking of them. Does any other curricular activity demand a (even on the low end) $500 commitment to start? It's unfortunate that money has to be involved at all as it would be great if schools had enough funding to have instruments for everyone who wants to be in band, but since that's not the case affordable instruments become even more important. Yea, it's not gonna play or possibly last 50 years like a 1k Yamaha, but not everyone has the finances to drop that much cash.
My mom got me my trumpet for someone else that was used and for 200 hundred dollars and it has last me 8 years.
200 hundred?
That's awesome, I'm glad it lasted for you 😊
how did this guy get a double C out of a $60 horn
And I'm a percussionist! 😅
Please can u but for me am broke 😢 an from Nigeria 😢 please am a trumpeter but I don't have money to buy 😢 help me
He kinda looks like markiplier with brown hair
Ha, first I've heard that one.
i don’t put my pinky on the pinky ring 🧍🏻
Shame shame ;)
@@MadMusicBand or on my mellophone..
Bro you can screw in the valve all the way down and then spin the the stem around til it stops it automatically lines up
That only works with certain horns, and this isn't one of them.
And then, the valves went to crap.
We'll see with time! Not the best first impression of them but they seem to be doing fine now thankfully.