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| The Trumpet Section |
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"How much does that trumpet cost?" I have played so many concerts over the years, particularly youth concerts, where someone has asked how much my instrument costs. I even get the question sometimes at new subscriber receptions after concerts. The cost of some orchestral instruments can definitely raise eyebrows. The trumpet has the dubious honor of being the cheapest instrument in the orchestra, with several popular makers producing professional quality trumpets for just under $2,000 dollars. This might seem like a lot of money to a young person hearing a symphony orchestra for the first time, but it barely scratches the surface compared to many other orchestral instruments. Of course there are some custom trumpet makers offering very fine instruments for $6,000 up past $30,000, but the trumpet is the Wal-Mart champ for lowest priced instrument in the orchestra. Strings are probably the most expensive instruments at the professional level. Violinists, violist, cellists and bass players can pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for their instrument, and prices for the finest and rarest instruments often go into the millions. At those prices, it's very difficult to find a good, and affordable, instrument. So finding a good instrument that fits you is a big problem for most string players. Many orchestras have instrument loan funds that will help their musicians to purchase good instruments. In addition, string instruments do not lend themselves to the assembly line process of production like some brass instruments, and are therefore almost always custom made. Woodwind instruments: flutes, piccolos, oboes, clarinets and bassoons can be quite expensive also, with some flutes topping $20,000+. Bassoons are also particularly expensive and some older instruments by a particular maker can top $40,000. Oboes and clarinets are not cheap either, but it's hard to compete with a flute made out of platinum or gold.... The other brass instruments - french horns, trombones and tubas can't compare to string instruments in terms of expense, but custom brass instruments can be quite expensive. There are many professional quality horns, trombones and tubas available for under $10,000. Percussion instruments can run the gamut from a $25 pair of claves into the thousands for the most expensive marimbas. Keyboard instruments like the piano and celeste can run into hundreds of thousands, and you wouldn't believe the sheer number of small parts that goes into the making of an orchestral harp. Talk about complicated!! A good orchestral harp can cost $40-60,000. In conclusion the relatively low cost of my trumpet isn't why I chose it, but there is some satisfaction in knowing that if my instrument is damaged or destroyed that I can replace it for a nominal cost.... Ed Hoffman |
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