rowuk

The paper not only changes the gap (maybe not so important) but it also puts a stage of insulation between the vibrating horn and the mouthpiece. I would suspect that would make a BIG difference.

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Schwab

The gap is very important to how a horn plays. Bill Adam is not really big on talking about any kind of equipment tweaks, but the gap is the only time he ever mentioned anything concerning equipment with me.

See here for more info on the gap:

Bob Reeves Sleeve System and Trumpet Mouthpiece Gap Information

And the paper trick:

The Bob Reeves Paper Trick - An experiment to adjust the gap on your trumpet mouthpiece.

I would suspect that adjusting the gap would make a bigger difference than having paper in between your mouthpiece and reciever. Last year I played for months with a piece of paper stuck in the reciever because the horn played better with a slightly larger gap. When I had time, I had my mouthpiece cut for Reeves sleeves.

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Dylan Schwab
Stage 1 New York

Trumpet guy

Did the conversion work? I put the paper in recently and feel it slots a little easier. Will the mouthpiece conversion amplify any advantages gained by using the paper?

So will a smaller diameter bell help the higher register speak more easily, and a larger one aid pedal notes?

I don't understand, what is efficiency in this context? I thought slotting meant more efficient.

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Daniel Lan
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Bach Strad Bb 37
Bach TR300 (marching)
Berkeley Cornet
Berkeley Picc
Jupiter JST314 Soprano Trombone
Olds Ambassador Fullerton Trombone

Schwab

Having the mouthpiece cut for sleeves did exactly what it was supposed to do, I found gap that works best for me. I wouldn't do it unless you are going to stick with one mouthpiece and horn for a while, it is a little expensive having the mouthpiece cut and buying sleeves. It is cheaper to stick with the paper for a while to see if you really like it or not.

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Dylan Schwab
Stage 1 New York

Trumpet Dad

The shank on my son's mouthpiece is a little wider than a standard Bach and was causing a gap of 4/16" when inserted into his Kanstul. Today I shaved a small amount of material off the side of the shank to give him a gap of 3/16". I noticed an immediate improvement in response and resonance and had to tell him to back off a little because he was over-blowing as it was very loud. He said he was just blowing normal.

I also ordered some heavy valve-caps which arrived today. His trumpet is very bright and I wanted to darken it just a bit for symphonic playing. I put the new caps on and took my son to his lesson. His teacher plays 1'st trumpet in a major NYC orchestra and he immediately commented on what a beautiful sound my son had today. He didn't know about the tweeking I had done.

My son also said his lips were not that tired today, so I believe there is something to be said about a properly aligned gap. I also like the sound with the heavy caps. It's a warmer, richer sound.

rowuk

There were experiments in Germany many years ago to prove if the rotary or piston valves were better. Identical horns except for the valves were built and tested with little or no difference noted when playing long tones. The more positive action of the rotary valves was deemed "better" when playing fast passages and the blow of the pistons was deemed more consistent.

I think this would be almost an impossible test to fairly conduct. There are simply too many differences in valve construction: sprung vs. unsprung weight, distance between the ports (results in a different slide radius), materials, bore consistency..................

The players in the know know where the best valves are, but even those with pro horns without state of the art are getting the job done.

My favorite valve block ever was the Selmer Radial 2 degrees. That made perfect technological sense!

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Trumpet Dad

The University of New South Wales has a great site on Brass Instrument Acoustics Brass instrument (lip reed) acoustics: an introduction and tons of information on Music Science. Music Acoustics, Physics, UNSW