Catfish

My teacher suggested I purchase a tippleC mouthpiece and I went looking for one this evening when I finished work. The owner of the music shop said he had never heard of it and he has been in the business for 30 years.

He also said that a mouthpiece is a very personal thing and I should try a few under instruction before deciding on the right one.

Anyone got any thoughts here.

nordlandstrompet

Your teacher might have meant "3C"?

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nordlands

"All music is folkmusic. I ain't never heard no horse sing no song?" Louis Armstrong

Wife still says: Trumpets are expencive!

tedh1951

Catfish,

I stepped over to a Benge (Old Bach) 3C - works a treat for me as long as the embossed 3C points south - (I'm NOT kidding).

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Ted

camelbrass

Cat,

I'm also betting he meant a 3C. You shouldn't have any problem getting one at a decent music store it's one of the most popular mouthpiece sizes about. It's good advice about trying a few different sizes...sort of like shoes.

Ted,

It's not uncommon and it's called clocking (like on the hands of a clock). Mouthpiece rotation doesn't matter on my Bb but my C has to have it aligned. Either it has an effect or I've gone funny in my old age (highly probable).

Regards,


Trevor

flugelgirl

Ted, that probably has to do with the gap, they way your mouthpiece fits the horn and the leftover space around it. Check this link....
Bob Reeves Sleeve System and Trumpet Mouthpiece Gap Information
Catfish, I'm betting too that he meant 3C. While everyone has different mouthpiece needs, sometimes the best way to find out is by trying a few. It won't hurt you to try a 3C, but it also won't hurt to ask why he recommends this piece, and what else you might want to try. For beginners, though, it's usually fine to stay on your standard 7C a while before switching till you get to know yourself and your horn. I play a 3C equivalent, but did not get there imedialtey - I switched after a number of years because my needs changed over the years. You may find yourself in that situation, or you may not - only time will tell.

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tedh1951

Cat,

I've bought a tenor horn mouthpiece through the Australian Academy Of Music, in Brisbane, and they couldn't have been more helpful - lending mouthpieces (and instruments too) until I had my weapon of choice. (No, I don't have any commercial interest in the AAM, although I have done some "volunteer work" for them in their now defunct Sydney showrooms - a mate worked for them for a while). Try taking some antiseptic wipes with you, if you wish to avoid germs from the great unwashed - not quite as good as boiling water, but at least something.

Regards
Ted

Trevor,

Up until I had tried it recently, I wouldn't have believed the clocking thing - I'm still a bit "gob-smacked" about it, but I can't deny that it works - and I suspect that I know why, too. Perhaps the subject of yet another thread?

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Ted

tedh1951

Flugel-m-girl,
Now THAT is an interesting link. I tried it with my son's tuba some years ago (without ever seeing the link) and sure enough, transferring the contact points on the mouthpiece shank by reducing the "diameter" of the taper made a difference - I did this because I couldn't face buying a new mouthpiece after the little sod had dropped his MP for the latest time, and of course it landed on the thin end of the MP. This I repaired by gently grinding the damaged material away (shortening the mouthpiece a bit about .025") and then reducing the diameter of the entire taper over it's length, to get the MP back to approximately the same position. Yes I know this shortened the overall length - but it sounded (to my uneducated ear) sweeter/mellower, and he was happy as a clam - and it saved me from needing to spend "beer vouchers" unnecessarily. He later changed to a smaller MP anyhow. Thanks for the link though.

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Ted

MJ

the tripleC sounds good. Let us know where you find yours.

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Catfish

Wow, Thanks for all of the information.. I will keep the clocking in mind camelbrass.

Thanks for the link flugelgirl..

She did indeed mean a 3C... She says I am ready to move on to the new mouth piece, and this will make it will be less taxing to play at a higher range... I hope this is a good sign.. In June this year it will be 2 years since I started playing.

I am also looking at a new trumpet on Thursday night, and if I can get it for the right price I will buy it... Anything has got to be better than the one I have got.. It is really cheap and nasty and it has a big dint in the piping, which means it pulls and is harder to play (I shoulda got that fixed hey)....

nordlandstrompet

Don't buy a trumpet on thursday. Buy it on monday if you like it and have the possibility to borrow and testplay it for the weekend!

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nordlands

"All music is folkmusic. I ain't never heard no horse sing no song?" Louis Armstrong

Wife still says: Trumpets are expencive!