carltonsstudent

I bought a Destino 3* several months ago and decided to try several mouthpieces to see what would work best with it. I had been playing on a Bach 3D mouthpiece which I liked a lot so I thought I would try some of the Marcinkiewicz mouthpieces that were advertised as like 3D, 3E, and 3F. I also tried the Marcinkiewicz Vizzutti mouthpiece. I really liked the Vizzutti mouthpiece and I was producing triple-Es with it but my wife hated the sound. So I switched to the like 3F (E19) which is the most shallow of the Marcinkiewizc line. I loved it because I was getting everything I wanted and it sounded beautiful to me. But once again my wife hated the sound. I took a lesson from Clyde E. Hunt and he was very disturbed by the sound of the E19. The moral I learned from this was that what sounds good to me and seems to play really well for me may not sound good to others, and in this business, what sounds good to others is the most important consideration. Since Mr. Hunt plays on Schilke 13A4A, 14A4A, and a drilled out Bach 3C, he suggested I try a Schilke. So I tried a 14A4A and I noticed that it worked really well in the Big Band setting where we were really blowing. At the end of the job my Pedal-Cs were more there than they had ever been and I felt like I could keep playing for hours. Then I tried the Schilke in a Concert Band setting in which I played the concert without ever practicing with the band. The 14A4A was miserable because it didn't blend well with the section. So I switched back to the Bach 3D and played another concert with the same band. It worked very well in the concert setting. Then I tried the 3D in the Big Band setting. It worked very well while playing 3rd parts but on Lead parts I decided I was having to work too hard. At the 2007 TFG I had purchased the Jerome Callet Superchops 1 mouthpiece so I decided to try it out. It played extremely well and I have now been playing on it for a couple of weeks. I'm hoping that the Superchops 1 mouthpiece will be the one mouthpiece I can play in both settings. The problem may be though the blending with others in a concert band who are playing Bach 1.5 C - 3 C mouthpieces. We will see. As for the comment that real Lead players know what piece to play but the rest of us are still trying to figure it out, I would like to list a couple of confirming observations: William Vacciano is said to have worn a mouthpiece vest so that he could quickly change mouthpieces during the concert. Doc Severinson is said to have selected his mouthpiece based on the room accoustics, what type of music he was going to be playing, etc., and, in addition, is reported to change mouthpieces in the middle of a tune. This perhaps this lends credence to the idea that no one mouthpiece may be the answer to all a players needs and real players do indeed figure out what mouthpiece to play on.

miles71

No one can really tell you which mouthpiece is best without seeing you play. The debate over a big vs. small mouthpiece will rage on forever, but it sounmds like you know what you like. I cannot reccomend the GR pieces enough. I also went through the mouthpiece safari and ended up with a drawer of unused pieces. After settling on an old Bach 3C for 95% of my playing ( on any horn from Bb to Picc) and a schilke 13A4a (that was measued by schilke and they told me it was bigger than a 13 rim) I was happy for some time. I then heard about GR and tried a few of them. I got rid of all the other mouthpieces and until something better finds me I will be with the GR pieces. Drop them an email just to see what they tell you, hit a trumpet show and try a few.

Remember, dont hurt the tone just for the promise of range. Good luck.

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midwestchops

i didnt expect to see so many people unhappy with schilke 13-14a pieces. they sure sell fast for being so miserable.

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"I have never seen a country where they worry so much about their chops as they do in America." -Maurice Andre

OdieLopez3

Well they're good mouthpieces but also you need to keep in mind that its not for everyone. If Schilke works for someone and Marcinkiewicz works for someone else thats just the way it is. We all have different jaw structure and lip sizes and untill we properly try mouthpieces without hurting ourselves then we will know whats best for us.

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OL3

rowuk

Most of the comments are obviously not by lead players.
A REAL lead trumpet player picks a piece that keeps them confident that they can get the job done. That is one playing position where there is no room for DOUBT.
The discussion about whether a 14A4A/13A4A/3C/1E is better or not should be left to the people that actually use them. It is interesting to hear what you use, but without cat scans of your facial structure and evidence that you can even do a decent job playing lead, that info is of NO VALUE to anyone else. John bought a Curry and seems to get along with it. I am happy for him!

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

John P

Thanks, Robin. The Curry is working out very well. While I appreciate everyone's comments, it seems like this thread should have died a year ago. Things have gotten a little off topic. Since my original question has been more or less answered, I suggest anyone that has a mouthpiece question for other TMers should start a new thread, this one has run its course.

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JP

Vulgano Brother

By saying "this one has run its course" implies a non-quantum physical realm devoid of serious speculation on the infinite possibilities inherent in non-traditional materials.

YIKES!! Too much SCIENCE FICTION for this brother!

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John P

Ah, see, but I checked with Stephen Hawking about it. He said that, while the thread hasn't completely run its course yet, the only possible outcome of additional posts is that every trumpet player will eventually buy a Schilke 13a4a. I just figured I'd nip this in the bud before anyone gets hurt :)

But in all seriousness, the original purpose of this thread (as selfish as this sounds), to find ME a mouthpiece, has been served. Let's move on, guys.

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JP