Basic Equipment

Basic Equipment

Minimum, Essential Equipment

Listed below are what I consider to be the minimum, essential equipment for any cornet or trumpet player.  In addition to the basic performing equipment are items indispensable for practicing, for lessons, and for maintaining the instrument in playing condition.

You can purchase new instruments and supplies at one of the discount supply companies listed on the Equipment Suppliers page, or you can support your local music store and get better — and faster — help when you need it.  Smart shopping can save you as much as 45% on many items, and often your local store will match or even beat online prices if you give them a chance. I suggest you consult your teacher before you purchase any equipment or supplies.

Unless you already have a trumpet or cornet, I strongly urge you to consult with your teacher before purchasing one, as they will be able to advise you on brands of suitable quality, to try out and advise you on the value of a particular instrument, and to save you a great deal of money and hassle in buying a new or used horn. You can educate yourself by reading the following TTB chapters (see links).

Valve Oil

Valve oil must be purchased immediately, or the valves will not work (for long). USE A PETROLEUM BASED VALVE OIL that is specifically designed for use in close-tolerance valves. I have used Al Cass literally for decades, but I understand that Blue Juice is also excellent. Purchase at least 2 bottles, and always keep one in your case and another in your cleaning kit. I buy mine (cheaper) by the dozen and keep a third bottle beside my chair in my trumpet studio. Replace either when they run out — they last a long time, even if you oil your valves every day as you should.

Avoid synthetics! These often contain PFAS (PerFluoroAlkyl or PolyFluoroAkyl Substances). PFAS break down very slowly and have been shown to accumulate in people, animals, and the environment. Current peer-reviewed scientific studies have shown that exposure to certain levels of PFAS may lead to:

  • Reproductive effects such as decreased fertility or increased high blood pressure in pregnant women.
  • Developmental effects or delays in children, including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes.
  • Increased risk of some cancers, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers.
  • Reduced ability of the body’s immune system to fight infections, including reduced vaccine response.
  • Interference with the body’s natural hormones.
  • Increased cholesterol levels and/or risk of obesity.

Slide Grease

Slide grease should also be purchased immediately. Apply it “uncut” on your main tuning slide (it does not take much!) and on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-valve slides. Then, on the 2nd- and 3rd-valve slides, thin the grease with one drop of valve oil so they move freely. I like Schilke slide grease, but Yamaha is good, and there are others. Again, purchase two, and keep one in your case, one in your cleaning kit.

Other Cleaning Materials

Other cleaning supplies must be purchased within a month, so you may as well go ahead and get them right away.  This includes a mouthpiece brush, a “snake” brush for cleaning the tubing, and a valve casing brush. If you have a silver-plated instrument, you will need a good, non-abrasive silver polish and polishing rag. I like to have Q-tips for cleaning in hard-to-reach crevices (such as between the valve casings, in the valve slide crooks, etc.). Selmer sells a complete cleaning kit that includes everything but a valve casing brush (an additional dollar or so).  Purchase a second mouthpiece brush, keeping one set in your case and the other with your cleaning kit.

You can find a more comprehensive list of materials, as well as instructions, in the section of this website on Maintenance.

Music Stand

The music stand is indispensable for practicing.  You can start by buying a folding, wire stand, but sooner or later, you might want to get a sturdier, more attractive music stand, such as a Manhasset, Wenger, or Hamilton metal stand.

Metronome and Tuner

A metronome is also critical for training discipline in tempo and rhythm, and in measuring progress on technical exercises.

A tuner is very useful for teaching you where to adjust your main tuning slide, and how to adjust the pitches of various notes on the instrument to stay in tune with itself. For example, 1+2, 1+3, and 1+2+3 valve combinations can be sharp; a tuner will help you figure out how far you need to extend your third and/or first valve slide to bring these in tune. It is also useful during mouthpiece buzzing to teach and enforce pitch control.

While there is no lack of excellent (and not-so-good) metronomes and tuners on the market, you can save money AND always have these tools with you if you have a smartphone (an Apple iPhone or Android phone). There are numerous metronome and tuner apps, and several that do both. My favorite is TonalEnergy Tuner (TETuner), which is both an excellent metronome and tuner. If you do not have a smartphone, there are many good quartz metronomes on the market at reasonable cost.

Other Basics

A pencil with a good eraser is basic equipment for all musicians for jotting breath marks and other reminders in band, orchestra, and lesson music.

A spiral notebook is to be brought to all lessons, and will be filled with lesson plans. The 3-ring binder is for playing tips, general bits of musical wisdom (such as this document), special drills and routines, etc.  Teachers will typically assign to each student at least one method book, etude book, and often a solo, all depending upon his or her skill level.  These can be purchased from the companies listed on the Music Suppliers page, if not from your local music store. 

I have found flash cards — either physical cards or a flash card app — to be extremely effective in teaching fingerings and music writing to beginning students.  Get these only if requested by your teacher. 

Although not essential, I highly recommend the purchase of an attache or folio.  This will protect what may easily become a significant investment in music from weather and carelessness, and help keep materials together so that they are not lost, damaged, or forgotten when going to and from school, lessons, etc.

One final word… I would like to stress that a good teacher takes great care to request that you purchase only those materials that are essential to your progress as a musician and as a trumpet or cornet player.  These purchases are to be made immediately; there are very few good reasons for music or supplies to remain unpurchased or unordered between lessons.  Do not be surprised if your teacher shows little patience to those who neglect this responsibility, just as they will show little patience with those who do not practice their lessons, unless very unusual and/or uncontrollable circumstances are involved.

About Digital Options

I’ve already mentioned the smartphone metronome and tuner, but there are even more ways to geek out on electronic music tools. 

If you own a large-format digital tablet such as an iPad Pro or large Android tablet, you can purchase digital music files and read them off the tablet. There are advantages and disadvantages of these tools:

Advantages:

  • You can keep what could end up being a huge stack of sheet music and books in one skinny electronic device.
  • You can mark up the music (i.e. keep an ongoing record of personal best metronome times, comments, etc.) without defacing the original file.
  • The tablet is much less likely to be blown away by wind in an outdoor performance

Disadvantages:

  • The device is expensive!.. much more expensive than you will spend in several years on sheet music.
  • You can only see one page at a time. While you can easily turn pages by swiping, or by using a separate foot pedal page turner, it means you have to take a hand off your instrument at just the right moment on each page (or maybe twice per page, if you do a “half page” turn), or you need the foot pedal.
  • Both devices can run out of batteries or get broken if dropped, at which point you are doomed.

Summary: The Trumpet Player's Toolkit

Basic (keep in your instrument case at all times):

  • Bb Cornet or Trumpet w/Case
  • Mouthpiece (approved by teacher)
  • Valve oil* and Slide grease* 
  • Mouthpiece brush* (mouthpiece should be brushed out once a week)
  • Mutes: straight, cup, harmon, practice, others, as needed
  • Pencil w/eraser (for taking notes in lessons and in band)
  • Absorbent cloth (to collect condensation from spit valves)

For Practicing:

  • Music stand: wire stands can be adequate, but sturdy solid metal stands are far superior
  • Metronome & Tuner (TE Tuner is an excellent smartphone app)
  • (Optional) stand clips to hold music flat, especially in the wind.
  • Pencil & eraser to mark comments, metronome markings, and to highlight areas on which to focus

For Lessons:

  • Music (as requested by teacher)
  • Spiral notebook and 3-ring Binder (1″ or 1-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ x 11″) or some other way to log your lesson assignments
  • Attache or Folio in which to keep music & notebooks (Optional)
  • Flash cards (if necessary)

For Cleaning and Maintenance (see Maintenance link):

  • Box (for storing the cleaning materials, below) A shoe-box is about the right size
  • Mouthpiece brush* (second set)
  • Cleaning snake (for tubing)*
  • Valve-casing brush (preferred) or
  • Cleaning rod*for cleaning out valve casings
  • 3-4 Cloths (soft, clean, lint-free)
  • Washing cloth
  • Drying cloth
  • Polishing cloth*
  • Buffing cloth*
  • Valve oil* & Slide grease* (second set)
  • Silver polish (for silver-plated instruments). Tarni-Shield is good, but there are others.
  • Dishwashing detergent (borrow your mom’s)

*included in Selmer cleaning kit