How to Fix a Trumpet Mouthpiece

When your trumpet mouthpiece is stuck it can be a big annoyance. A trumpet's mouthpiece should be able to be removed from the trumpet freely, for cleaning and so the trumpet will fit in its case. Taking your trumpet into a musical instrument repair shop is one option, but this is a hassle and can get expensive. Here is a simple way you can remove the mouthpiece yourself, saving time and money.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. The first thing you should do is place the trumpet, very carefully, in a position where it will not move. Try sitting upright in a chair and (carefully) holding the trumpet across your lap, such that the stuck mouthpiece faces to the left. If you are left handed, flip the trumpet around so that the mouthpiece faces right.

2. Now that you have the trumpet steadied, get your dowel or wooden stick close by, and place one hand around the mouthpiece receiver portion of the horn. Keep your hands off the mouthpiece itself for now. Take an ice cube, and place it against the cup end of the trumpet mouthpiece, while keeping your hand firmly around the mouthpiece receiver. The idea here is that metal contracts when it gets cold, so you want to cool down the mouthpiece, just a bit, while keeping the part of the horn it sticks into as warm as possible. Hold the ice there for a minute or so.

3. 

   Now quickly grab your dowel (with your right hand if you are a righty), and begin tapping lightly on the mouthpiece receiver (circled in green above). A pencil should work here in a pinch, too. Tap first on the part of the mouthpiece receiver facing up towards you, and then with, an upward motion, on the lower part facing the floor.Don't tap the dowel, stick or pencil against any part of the horn other than the mouthpiece receiver, especially not the leadpipe (crossed out in red above) immediately next to it, which heads down into the body of the horn. The reason for this is that any dents in this part of the horn will seriously affect your tone.

4. As you are doing the tapping, grasp the mouthpiece firmly with your free hand. Begin to put pressure on it, turning it counter-clockwise. You should be pulling away from the horn a bit too, but concentrate most of your force on turning rather than pulling. Continue to tap the mouthpiece receiver portion of the horn (again, not the leadpipe!), pull and twist the mouthpiece, and be patient.

5. The mouthpiece will come out into your hand. You must be patient here, don't force it or begin banging on the pipe so hard that you do some damage. Keep a light touch with your dowel, but don't be afraid to use about the same amount of force you would as when knocking on a door. If you are patient and persistent, it should do the trick.If after a good long time of trying, the mouthpiece is still stuck, take the trumpet into a repair shop. They have a fancy, expensive tool just for this purpose.