gina

:dontknow: Is a M.F mouthpiece the same as a 5C, can my 11 year old son use it? he is in band for the first time and every teacher he has played for all say he has a talent. My knowledge is minute so I can only encourage him and get what the teachers say he needs.

Manny Laureano

Gina,

NO! Do not put him on a MF mouthpiece. Maynard Ferguson is a great lead jazz player who played a mouthpiece that was designed for him specifically! It is very shalllow. Even Maynard didn't start out on something like what he has graduated to.Keep your son on good, old-fashioned equipment for now until his face begins to grow out of what he's presently playing.

If he continues into his high school years he will have learned about a variety of things available and can get a bit more exotic if he has the choices available in your area. Let him listen to all the Maynard recordings he wants and be inspired to play well but at 11 years of age DO NOT encourage him to play a unique mouthpiece like that and don't let anyone tell you different.

ML

JackD

Absolutely! I recently tried the MFIII and was shocked to discover I could not produce a single note on it!

Manny Laureano

Gina,

Now that I'm a little calmer let me explain further.

I'm at a loss to understand why your son's teacher would make such a suggestion. If he's showing promise then, great. What a teacher does in that case is continue to have him working on good fundamental material (scales, arpeggios, basic rhythmic studies, challenging solo material). Unless your son has fairly thin lips a 5C is probably just fine for now. If he has a good upper register (high notes) then you leave him on what he's playing on because clearly, it's appropriate. To put him on something smaller to "help" his upper register is a bit like gilding a lily. It's just not necessary.

So, from your account, it truly seems like a poor bit of advice. It's like seeing that an eleven year old has good eye/hand coordination and then saying "Hey, you're talented... here are the keys to the car."

ML

the chief

The MF mpc is definately not for beginners. The shape of it is like a funnel with absolutely no rim-bite. It facilitates the upper register and endurance, but many people can't get a note out of it.

I can play it some days, and other days I can't. I just keep it for giggles now.

dbacon

It makes a great paper weight.......

__________________
Dave Bacon

bigaggietrumpet

As a not-so-proud owner of a MF mpc, I can safely say, yeah, it's a great paperweight.

__________________
Michael Smith
Hullabaloo: The official band of Texas A&M Basketball
Kanstul 1537/ Schilke 14
LA Olds Studio

cmcdougall

I cant imagine how much a beginner would struggle on any of maynards pieces, especially the jet-tone one and the ferguson bell, the newer monettes arent quite so bad but man that jet-tone, i can play double c's all day on the thing but anything under c in the staff is crap. there is no definition from rim to cup it just kinda slides into cup i really dont see how he played so well on that thing, but MAN he did!

Tootsall

And the car is an exotic "super-car" capable of 200 mph!