Weedyweidenthal

ever seen wynton marsalis? his mouthpiece is welded to his trumpet. also you should have gone on to read the rest of my post and seen that i do think it is ok to change mouthpieces.

Solar Bell

rjzeller wrote:
Where did THAT come from?????

Actually I cannot even play on a 1C. I sound like an amourous albino bull walrus on one of those.
I play a custom GR which Gary made me. It is basically a reverse engineered Jet Tone Bill Chase with the rim .021 wider. In gold plate.

Also, I am only playing a Bb trumpet at this time.

-cw-

__________________
Chuck Willard
The Willard of Oz

"Don't be afraid to see what you see."
Ronald Reagan

rjzeller

Sorry Chuck, I only made that comment because I didn't know what you used, but that IF you used a 1C when playing all them high Es, Fs and "occasional" Gs, well, I'm impressed.

Sounds like from your description you've got a pretty good all-around piece there. Though it's still pretty impressive to play all those different styles, including the lead book, on the same piece. So I guess I'm still impressed!

BTW -- I agree with your comment regarding young kids being asked to play outragously high. I think it was Vizzutti who complained that too much emphasis is placed on high note development in a young trumpet player, and I think I agree.

....but it SOUNDS so cool.....

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There are 10 kinds of people in the world: Those who understand binary and those who do not.

DaveH

Well, I am going to agree with Vincent Bach - a guy whose horns and mouthpieces often take a beating from people who should spend more time developing skills rather than shopping for equipment.

He said that tone is a trumpet player's greatest asset. I agree. I hear an awful lot of talk about high range; very little, comparatively speaking, about tone. Instead of how high can I squeal; how about how good do I sound?

I play a standard Bach 3C. I have tried other kinds and sizes of mouthpieces and found them lacking for a wide variety of reasons. Too small, too big, unsatisfactory rim, unsatisfactory tone, etc. And, I always come back to Bach.

The 3C has some minor shortcomings...what mouthpiece doesn't? But, I like the tone, and I play it because of the tone it allows. I cannot play any higher on anything else, and have never made high range playing a goal. I have always made sound a priority; a relaxed, flowing sound.

I think a player should find the best mouthpiece design and size and then focus on tone.

Renold Schilke also spoke against the "high note craze" of many students as something to be avoided.

If the production of the high register - lets say beyond an F above high C has become the goal of trumpet players today, then I sincerely hope that sound is of an equal priority...otherwise, those players will be doing a great disservice to the hearing of all the dogs in the neighborhood.

Alex Yates

For me it is one mouthpiece for everything except piccolo. When I have to play with a particular sound, it comes from my conception. I think Chuck basically stated this in his post. I have never been an equipment chaser. I usually make whatever I happen to be playing work in any given situation. The only thing that would make me switch to another mouthpiece is if I had play a "lead" book out of nowhere....but I don't suspect that will be happening in my life time. Whew!

Also, throughout my entire playing career, my mouthpieces have always hovered around a "1" with varying throat and backbores.

cmcdougall

I also have to say I try to stick to one mouthpiece all the time, or at least the same rim, I do not have a good enough embouchure to feel like I could successfully switch rims all the time.

Weedyweidenthal

i've never sompared rim sizes on my bach and jet tone... do i look at the outer diameter or the inner diameter?

rjzeller

If you don't feel a difference, does it matter?

I feel a tremendous difference between a 1, 1 1/2, and 3...some folks don't. Personally, the outer rim, inner rim, AND contour of the rim all matter to me. I don't like a lot of bite...the more rounded the better....

__________________
There are 10 kinds of people in the world: Those who understand binary and those who do not.

uatrmpt

Could it be that part of the equipment chasing problem for young trumpeters is because demands are being placed on them that, which coupled with their desire to master the entire range of the instrument, isn't being met by their instruction? I mean, I'm about to graduate as a fifth-year music ed student and neither of my two teachers ever taught me about range. One was a product of academia, the other a principal orchestral trumpet player. Anything I learned and developed, I did myself. I've come really close to being a good player, but never got what I needed from my teachers. Unless I can find a way to become comfortable with my playing, I'll be putting my horn down after my recital. It's just not enjoyable anymore.

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--Matt--

DaveH

I suppose that this may be true, but I think it is worthwhile to note that not many people "master" something like the trumpet in their entire lifetime. My guess is that many professionals might say that they have spent an entire lifetime in attempting to achieve mastery. Maybe they do eventually master it, but I do not think it happens until many, many years are spent in the process.

I don't know how much to expect from colleges as regards professional playing ability. I do not know how much you will get from a music education program in that regard. I am sure that many professors in such programs probably do not have range as their main focus, especially if their main concern is in training orchestral players. If music is like some other college majors with which I am familiar, you will gain your real skills and abilities AFTER you graduate...

I was not a music major, but the main teacher I had was a professor of trumpet in a major urban university and then became head of the music department. He also played in the local symphony. We never worked on range. I never heard him play above an E above high C. Much time was spent in the basic pedagogical books and solo literature. The production of tone, not range, was the main focus. Much time was spent on basics of tonguing, phrasing, flexibility, endurance, tone, performance, etc. But, that was in a different time period. Raphael Mendez was the "role model" so to speak at that time.

I have a feeling that if someone wants to have different instruction, they need to look beyond the traditional college music department, or go to a college where there are professors who teach what is desired.

Just my opinion, FWIW...