What mouthpiece should beginner Trumpet players use?
An interview with Denis Wick Products Director of Marketing, Mary Galime, and Associate Professor of Trombone at Troy University, Dr. Jason Sulliman
Having worked with Denis Wick Products for over 16 years, I have really grown to appreciate all the options they design for all brass instruments. They truly are designed to support healthy sound production. The American Classic 7C trumpet mouthpiece, and Classic 12CS trombone mouthpiece will continue to be my top choices for beginner students for many reasons.
However, a recent experience at home drastically changed my thoughts on how we prepare students to be successful with these mouthpieces and instruments. Did I get it all wrong?
beginner trumpet student
When my son was old enough to wobble around the house, he discovered the damaged Denis Wick Maurice Murphy mouthpiece I had left out for him to discover. As a trumpet player and teacher, I didn't want to push my son into a musical instrument, but if he discovers it on his own, why not?
Like many beginner trumpet players I watched Alfred overblow to get a tense buzz, and a lot of backpressure. I practiced restraint and said nothing, allowing him to explore and discover. He enjoyed playing around, but the buzz never improved.
Then, a new job, and new teaching tool entered my life.
"Watching my son buzz on a mouthpiece with no instruction made me rethink how beginners should start on brass instruments." - Mary Galime
Enter the pBuzz and a Bigger Mouthpiece
Over the summer of 2025, I added another marketing client, pBone Music, and was introduced to the pBuzz. It is a long red bell shaped tube that telescopes off an interior tube. While buzzing on an alto horn sized mouthpiece you can play notes F - C. I brought a couple home.
When Alfred picked it up, he started experimenting:
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Marching around buzzing to cartoons
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Playing Star Wars rhythms
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Exploring bigger and smaller sounds
Then he tried something remarkable: removing the mouthpiece and buzzing into the tiny receiver tube. The back-pressure returned, but now he had a foundation. He adjusted his embouchure, let his ear guide him, and produced a full, open buzz—all on his own.
It was a revelation: starting with a larger mouthpiece helped him develop air support, embouchure flexibility, and self-directed learning.
"He let his ears lead him. He opened up his air. And suddenly he was getting this big, open buzz through the tiniest tube." - Mary Galime
Why Bigger Might be Better for Beginner Trumpet Students
I asked Dr. Jason Sulliman what his thoughts were on my change of thinking. Dr. Sulliman studied Kinesiology, and explained that from a kinesiology and motor learning perspective, what I observed with Alfred fits perfectly into how humans learn movement.
When babies are born, we have almost no motor control—just random motion and reflexes. Over time, development follows a predictable pattern:
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Broad movements come before precise ones
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Large muscle coordination develops before small muscle coordination
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Motor control moves from proximal to distal—from the core outward
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Kids master big motions (rolling, crawling) long before refined ones (speech, embouchure control)
As Dr. Sulliman put it, this developmental sequence points to a logical conclusion:
Brass beginners might learn more easily if they start with “big” movement patterns first—like the open, relaxed mechanics created by a larger mouthpiece.
Once those broad fundamentals are in place, the finer control needed for a smaller trumpet mouthpiece can develop more naturally and with less tension.
Hearing Jason connect real-world observation to actual kinesiology research helped me understand what I had been watching at home.
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"If you apply motor learning to brass, it makes sense: start broad, then get more refined as coordination develops." - Dr. Jason Sulliman
Where Should Trumpet Players Begin?
From observing my son and talking with Dr, Sulliman, I’m convinced that beginners might start with a larger, child-friendly mouthpiece, like the pBuzz, to:
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Encourage proper airflow
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Reduce tension
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Promote open, resonant sound
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Let kids explore and self-teach
Then, once the foundational skills are established, moving to a traditional Denis Wick mouthpiece can refine tone and technique naturally.
This approach challenges traditional wisdom—but seeing Alfred’s progress and understanding the kinesiology behind it has reshaped my perspective on how children best learn brass. What are your thoughts?
