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If you play trumpet (or any instrument, really) in an ensemble, you know that sometimes you have a TON of equipment to juggle - so over the past few years playing in the Charlotte Symphony, I’ve slowly upgraded my setup to try to manage that craziness the best I can - from page turns and mute changes to keeping all my equipment organized and easy to access. Have I… gone too far? Almost certainly - but I’m going to share these tips with you anyway and maybe one of the things I do might help you find peace of mind in your *tone zone* and stay focused on the music.

My Rehearsal Gear & Accessories

Product Links Below

ESSENTIALS:

  • Trumpet Stands

  • Trumpet Mute Rack

CLEANING & MAINTENANCE:

  • Microfiber Cloths

  • Refillable Spray Bottles

  • Cleaning Spray

  • Toothpicks

ORGANIZATION:

  • Pouch for Maintenance Supplies

  • Microphone/Stand Trays

SHEET MUSIC SOLUTIONS:

  • iPad Pro

  • Apple Pencil

  • Bluetooth Foot Pedals

  • Stand-Outs

  • Stand Lights

COOL BUT UNNECESSARY:

  • USB Powered Fan

  • USB Battery Brick

  • Phone/Tablet Arm

  • Tiny Stand

  • Quick Mute Change Apparatus

Essentials

TRUMPET STAND

K&M 5-Leg In-Bell Trumpet Stand

Flugelhorn STAND

K&M 5-Leg In-Bell Flugelhorn Stand

Piccolo Trumpet StandS

Hercules Flute/Clarinet Stand (my favorite for piccolo trumpets!)

K&M 4-Leg Clarinet Stand (another popular option for piccolo trumpets)

TRUMPET Mute Racks

Hercules Mute Holder for 4 mutes, including a small tray for bibs and bobs. The rings have foam padding, reducing clinking sounds!

Mute Caddy Ring Model Mute Holder
(Holds up to 5 mutes plus a plunger!)

Cleaning & Maintenance

Microfiber Cloths

Amazon Basics Microfiber Cloths, blue, white, and yellow, 16” x 12” Pack of 24

Buff Pro Multi-Surface Microfiber Cleaning Cloths, 12” x 12” Pack of 12

Spray Bottles

2oz/50mL clear empty mini travel bottle set with funnels (for mouthpiece spray!)

Cleaning Spray

Roche-Thomas 32oz Refillable Mouthpiece Cleaning Solution

Toothpicks

Urbanstrive Sturdy Safe Toothpick Holder with 800 Natural Wood Toothpicks, Pack of 2, Green

Organization

Grease/Oil Pouch

There are many options that would work for this, but the one in my video was made by Leather Specialties. Former Atlanta Symphony 3rd Trumpet Larry Black used to make them, but stopped in Oct 2023.

Music Stand Trays

K&M Sheet Music and Instrument Tray (Black)

K&M Sheet Music and Instrument Tray (Walnut)

Universal Microphone Stand Tray

Sheet Music Solutions

-Budget Option-
Ipad Pro - 12.9” 2nd Generation (2017) Refurbished

If you are buying an iPad Pro exclusively for use reading sheet music, you really don’t need a lot of computing power or storage space. I have been using my 1st gen iPad pro since 2015, with 32GB of storage. Buying an older refurbished model with the smallest option of storage space could save you hundreds of dollars.

Apple Pencil - 1st Generation

1st Generation Apple Pencil - compatible with the 1st and 2nd generation iPad Pros

-BRAND NEW OPTION-
Ipad Pro - 12.9” 6th Generation with M2 Chip

If you do decide to splurge on the new iPad Pro, this is the most recent generation (as of this article, November 2023). I still recommend the wifi only, 128gb version if you’re only planning to use it for music reading.

Apple Pencil - 2nd Generation

2nd Generation Apple Pencil is compatible with iPad Pro 3rd generation and later

Bluetooth Foot Pedals/Buttons

PageFlip Firefly Bluetooth Foot Pedal

Donner Wireless Page Turner Pedal

Flic 2 Wireless Bluetooth Buttons

Manhasset Stand-Outs

You can use these to make your Manhasset music stand wide enough to show several more pages of music than usual. Works only with the Manhasset Model 48 Music Stand (no pencil shelf version).

Music Stand Lights

K&M Music Stand Light Double 4 LED

K&M Music Stand Light 8 LED

Extra Wide Clip-On Music Stand Orchestra 18 LED Light

Cool, but unnecessary

USB Powered Fan

BESKAR USB Clip-on Fan

USB Battery Brick

Anker USB battery brick

Phone/Tablet Arm

UGREEN Tablet Stand Phone Holder for Desk Mount

Custom Tiny Stand

Manhasset Model 48 Music Stand, cut down and smoothed out by a professional welder to be the width of my iPad. Use in combination with Manhasset Stand-Outs for ultimate flexibility!

Quick Mute Change Apparatus

Check out this article by Guest Contributor Sam Huss for details on how to make your own Quick Mute Change Apparatus!

Questions?

If you have further questions about products on my website or in my videos, please feel free to Contact Me through my website!