Used Musical Instruments

trumpet mouthpiece?

Q: I started playing trumpet a while ago, about 4 years and I've been using the same 7c mouthpiece, just about 9 months ago I switched to a Yamaha 11b4, Now i'm curious to go mouthpiece hunting. I have been thinking about switching straight away to a 1c. Is this avisable? I don't have that much money to spend so I can't really go down the mouthpiece sizes intermittenly. What are the positive effects and the negative effects?
*my teeth are straight
*this is my 4th yr on the trumpet
*started with a blessing 7c and then got a yamaha 11b4 but then switched back to 7c.
*i play 2nd trumpet and sometimes 1st on jazz, ochestra and band music.
*my lips are kind of thick compared to most trumpet players, but the width of my lips can fit into a 7c mouthpiece.

A: your local music store may let you test drive mouthpieces. before you decide to buy one. If not, try a college music department or a repair shop- they may have lots of mouthpiecs lying around that you could try.

Learn the trumpet -- mouthpiece and lips

Jazz trumpeter Abram Wilson shows the basics of playing the trumpet -- buzzing from the lips, and using the mouthpiece. (From www.soundjunction.org.)