Steve A

Hello Ed, I hope you're doing well! I have two questions that I've been poking around, looking for answer for, and it occurred to me yesterday that you'd certainly have an excellent answer for the first, and almost certainly a similarly excellent answer for the second.

First of all - can you recommend a good recording of some of the Strauss brass fanfares, like Festmusik der Stadt Wien, and Feierlicher Einzug?

Secondly - I've read periodically about the practice of using a mouthpiece with a shortened shank on C trumpet to improve some intonation and response problems - do you have an opinion on this?

Thanks!

Steve

ecarroll

Hi Steve,

The only recording of the Strauss fanfares that you mention that I'm aware of are by the "Locke Brass Consort", a pseudonym for a group of London freelancers, released on Chandos (CHAN 8419) in 1980. The performances are a bit sketchy in spite of the excellence of all the players involved. I suspect that it was made rehearse/record over one day due to lack of budget. Chandos, as well as Nimbus, were famous for that. That said it includes all seven Strauss works for brass ensemble, many now inexpensively published by Dave Hickman, and is a terrific document if you can still find it.

I suspect that the recording made of the Feierlicher Einzug Der Ritter Des Johanniterordens at the Cichowicz memorial concert at McGill last year is better than the one above, but I still haven't heard it (cue offstage grumbling).

Regarding short shanks, I'm interested in the concept but don't play them myself. I have noticed, however, that glissando mouthpiece buzzing into a short tube such as a piccolo trumpet leadpipe is difficult due to the harmonic series created by the added length. It stands to reason then that a short shank would be more efficient in this regard. Does this mean that higher trumpets should require correspondingly shorter shanks (ie: the cornet shank required to play the Schilke P54)? Perhaps. . . but sometimes I'm happier basking in making music rather than worrying about trumpet physics. Ignorance is bliss and call me blissful.

Best from Los Angeles,
EC

Steve A

Fair enough! Thanks.

Vulgano Brother

Arthur Benade, Dave Monette’s tame acoustician, did quite a bit of research on mouthpiece popping frequencies, and the effect of backbores. Dave’s designs reflect this, and yeah, his shanks are shorter, but a shorter shank per se won’t make a mouthpiece better. I’ve had a lot of fun mutilating mouthpieces this way in the past, filing down the end of the shank; then letting a pro machinist adjust the shank back to the Morse taper. The same mouthpiece that works well on one C trumpet may not work well on another, so count on a lot of non-bliss if you go on the mouthpiece shank length safari.

Have fun!

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tptCarl

First of all - can you recommend a good recording of some of the Strauss brass fanfares, like Festmusik der Stadt Wien, and Feierlicher Einzug?



Search ITunes for Strauss: Samtliche Werke Fur Holz Und Blechblaser, Vol 2

German recording with marches and 6 fanfares, a large suite, part of the complete Strauss Wind music compilation. Conductor appears to be Dankwart Schmidt. In spite of some intonation difficulties (have you ever played any of these ?) this recording is super.

rowuk

If I remember right, the Strauss was also played by the Columbia Brass and E. Power Biggs. Mundy Ghitalla played lead.

ANY change in the mouthpiece makes a difference. The length is only one factor. If the trumpet is well designed, it will perform well with the length of shank used when play testing.
To make the shorter shank work, a complete redesign of the backbore and throat is necessary.
My Monette Bb mouthpieces are not optimal for my C trumpet. His C trumpet mouthpieces work much better. The backbore and throat are different however.

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