{"id":1137,"date":"2020-09-12T12:23:34","date_gmt":"2020-09-12T17:23:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soundadventurer.com\/?p=1137"},"modified":"2020-09-15T20:19:37","modified_gmt":"2020-09-16T01:19:37","slug":"should-i-learn-trumpet-or-sax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/soundadventurer.com\/should-i-learn-trumpet-or-sax\/","title":{"rendered":"Should I Learn Trumpet Or Sax?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You’re at the beginning of two very different and two very different roads. Which one do you choose? Is one instrument easier than the other? Is one better?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successfully choosing between trumpet or saxophone requires decisions weighing different factors, including but not limited to difficulty, expense, career viability and personal sound preference<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does all that mean? Well, if you’ll walk with me a bit, I’ll talk about all of these different categories, and hopefully by the end you’ll have a better idea of what you want to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First off, you can’t go wrong with either instrument. They are both fantastic, beautiful, and have potential for a lifetime of rewarding playing.<\/strong> What I’m going to talk about are some of the finer details that might help align you with the instrument that better fits you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Trumpet Or Saxophone Easier To Play?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is an excellent question. Choosing an instrument is a really big decision! You are going to be playing this instrument for days, months, and potentially years! There are dozens of instruments out there and so it’s worth deciding which one will work for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you choose saxophone, does it mean that it’s going to be super hard and it will be years before you sound any good? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people believe that the saxophone is easier for beginner musicians because it’s easier to start making sound and play different notes. <\/strong>(some argue that it takes a very long time to sound good<\/strong> but I feel it depends on your goals)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It turns out that the trumpet and saxophone have their own unique difficulties. Let’s talk about them:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Is Trumpet<\/strong> Hard?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The trumpet is played by a player buzzing their lips extremely rapidly and applying the trumpet mouthpiece to the lips. The vibration energy is transferred through the horn and produces the sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the trumpet has less keys, it is considered a very difficult instrument <\/strong>by many because instead of relying on the instrument itself, the player has to produce the vibrations themselves with their lips. With a guitar you pluck a string which produces the vibration, while with a trumpet you make the vibration yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

High Notes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Trumpet players have to practice for hours upon hours to play higher notes. <\/strong>In fact, playing high<\/strong> becomes an obsession for many players.. Expert trumpet players occasionally show off their abilities by playing extremely high, which sounds like a air being let out of a stretched balloon. It’s completely non-musical, but it’s definitely a result of a ton<\/strong> of practice and is very impressive nonetheless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m not sure if I’ve really communicated how big a deal it is for trumpet players to be able to play high. Trumpeters practice for hours, buy mouthpieces in hopes to achieve higher notes, and even higher private tutors in hopes they’ll extend their range. It’s very, very difficult and takes a lot of practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saxophone has an advantage of an octave key that can help beginner players play the next octave without much additional effort. (Although some argue this makes bad habits)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embouchure<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps core to the difficulty of the trumpet is the embouchure. <\/strong>The embouchure is a fancy term for the player’s lips, jaw, face and all other associated muscles that make the buzz of the trumpet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The embouchure is<\/strong> extremely fine-tuned coordination. This coordination has to constantly be maintained <\/strong>in order to be able to maintain the playing range and endurance. In fact, professional trumpet players notice their skills going away if they stop playing for even a couple days. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, I talk more about the difficulty of the embouchure for the trumpet in more detail here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re committed to trumpet, you have to play consistently to keep your “chops” (which is horn slang for the capacity to play your instrument). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Braces<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another interesting problem that especially young players face is having to deal with braces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many trumpeters feel like they have to relearn their embouchure after getting braces and once again after getting them removed. Furthermore, it’s super painful because it’s a common bad habit to apply pressure from the mouthpiece to your lips. Some trumpet players use wax on their braces to overcome this. That’s what I did at least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Braces have come a long way, though. There are more comfortable non-metal braces that would be much easier to play with. But, if your teeth are very crooked, there’s not much you can do. If you are planning on getting braces soon, seriously… get them sooner than later so that you don’t have to unlearn and relearn as much. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Endurance<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In addition to this,<\/strong> because trumpet players are making the sound, themselves, it’s extremely difficult for new players to play for an extended period of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, <\/strong>playing beyond exhaustion leads to very bad habits that can actually damage your embouchure or at the very least cause a lot of future difficulty in unlearning bad habits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An hour-long concert (where the trumpets are probably not playing the whole time) is pushing the limits of a beginner-intermediate player. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every instrument can’t be played forever, but brass players and particularly trumpet players often struggle with endurance in playing due to the tricky embouchure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Is Saxophone Hard?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Saxophone is somewhat more approachable for new players–it’s not as difficult to make the first notes for a beginner as other instruments. However, creating good tone and being able to transition between the low and high range smoothly, as well as making smooth note transitions takes a long time to master. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good Tone<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You can learn to make a sound on the saxophone relatively quickly<\/strong>–and in fact, because there are many different keys on the saxophone that have rubber grommets, it’s actually easy to learn to play several notes because the keys do some of the work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if you ask a pro-saxophonist, they will say that it takes a very long time with a lot of practice to get a great sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The saxophone has its own embouchure requirements and it takes a long time to coordinate those embouchure muscles to create that smooth buttery sound of the saxophone. Saxophone shares that same difficulty with the trumpet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, it may not take very long to make some of the first few notes, it takes a long time to make them sound good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High Musical Aptitude<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One thing that’s particularly difficult for intermediate and expert players is that saxophonists are often required to “double<\/strong>“, which means that they play multiple instruments, including clarinet or flute, not to mention moving between soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, and baritone sax. switch instruments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a strange expectation since these instruments, while they have similarities have a lot of differences. One key thing is that many of these instruments are in different keys! This requires being able to jump between keys and fingerings and embouchure, sometimes within the same set of music! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, Which Is More Difficult? Trumpet? Or Saxophone?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since this is a virtually impossible instrument to answer straight out (since there are so many facets and factors), I’ll try and break down different aspects to give a more full answer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Category<\/th>Which Is More Difficult?<\/th>Reason<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
To Produce The First Notes<\/strong><\/td>Trumpet<\/td>Although making a buzz comes natural to some people, this can take some time for some. <\/td><\/tr>
To Learn The Notes<\/strong><\/td>Trumpet<\/td>Saxophones have many more keys then the trumpet and these help a lot in creating the sound, although the saxophonist has to provide proper air support–trumpet players have to get the right fingering and produce the right buzz frequency at the same time. <\/td><\/tr>
Double Expectations (playing multiple instruments)<\/strong><\/td>Saxophone<\/td>Because of some similarities, saxophonists are often expected to play multiple instruments, which requires learning to play in multiple keys<\/td><\/tr>
To Play High<\/strong><\/td>Trumpet<\/td>Saxophonists are super lucky in that they have a magical octave button that transports them up 8 notes. Beginner trumpet players would give up many Pokemon cards for that. <\/td><\/tr>
To Play Midrange<\/strong><\/td>Saxophone<\/td>There is actually a gap that’s common for saxophone players in between the high and the low register that takes more breath and embouchure control to get the hang of. <\/td><\/tr>
Breath Control<\/strong><\/td>Saxophone<\/td>Trumpet players have tiny aperture that they are playing through while saxophonists are pushing through a lot more air. While breath control is crucial for both instruments, saxophonists will need to move more air at a time. Flute and tuba players take the cake as far as needing the most air.<\/td><\/tr>
Embouchure and Tone<\/strong><\/td>Tie!<\/td>Long-term, both instruments require a sensational amount of control to produce beautiful music. In some aspects the trumpet requires more conditioning, and the saxophone in others. Short-term the saxophone is probably easier for most.<\/td><\/tr>
Playing With Braces<\/td>Trumpet<\/td>Trumpet is definitely more painful and disrupts the embouchure more. However, it’s by no means comfortable for saxophone players either. Saxophonists will have to curl their lips around the braces, but at least the pressure of the instrument won’t be pressing against the teeth. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, there you have it, the saxophone is easier in some ways and harder in others. The same as the trumpet. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cost Comparison Of Trumpet and Saxophone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is an important thing to consider. Instruments don’t grow on trees. Not even woodwinds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ba doom psh! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a lot of things to think about when talking about the price of the instrument. Not only is there an initial cost to the instrument, but there are accessories, necessary supplies (I’m looking at you Saxophone reeds!), and even repair<\/strong> costs<\/strong> should be considered. You can check out examples of repair\/servicing prices for Brass <\/a>and Woodwind<\/a> instruments at hickeys.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the trumpet is a much cheaper instrument to buy, supply, maintain, and accessorize. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trumpet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I did some calculations and found that the average price to purchase a trumpet at a particular music store was $2450.38<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This average includes high-end and low-end trumpets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some interesting data from this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n