How To Remove A Stuck Trumpet Mouthpiece

By: JL Bowers, The Bandroom

We have many band parents come in our store with the same problem, a stuck mouthpiece! This is very irritating, and many people really damage the horn worse by trying to remove it the incorrect way.

NEVER USE PLIERS!

This will surely ruin your horn, and most likely will not work anyway. Lets think for a minute about the design of a mouthpiece and the receiver. The mouthpiece shank diameter increases as it nears the mouthpiece cup. Many times a horn is dropped on the mouthpiece while it is in the horn. Other players will just JAM the mouthpiece into the reciever, wedging it firmly into place.

A trick I use in our shop, that works 8 out of 10 times is actually a very simple method. First, get yourself a thick, smooth rounded wooden: Stick, dowel, spoon handle, etc. I suggest you keep a drumstick on hand, with the ends sawed off. If you read my manuals, you will find there are MANY uses for a drumstick for QUICK FIX repairs on brasswinds.

Grasp the mouthpiece cup (where you put your mouth) firmly. Take the drumstick and begin to tap lightly at the EDGE of the receiver. Usually a receiver will be really thick on the very edge. As you are tapping on it, pull out and counter-clockwise on the mouthpiece. Be VERY CAREFUL not to hit the leadpipe with the drumstick, that will cause MAJOR DAMAGE! Make sure you tap all the way around the edge of the receiver as you pull outward. Steadily begin to smack the receiver harder and harder while continuing to make sure you dont hit the leadpipe and applying steady outward pressure on the mouthpiece. After several hits the mouthpiece will pop right out. Tapping on the receiver causes vibrations that allow the mouthpiece to vibrate loose. SIMPLE!

If this trick doesn't work, then the mouthpiece is SEVERELY wedged. I promise you, there is no other method that will work other than taking your horn to a shop and use a mouthpiece puller. This service usually costs from $5.00 to $20.00, depending on the severity.

TRY IT!

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