TrumpetMaster - View Single Post - Should I learn to play a Lead mouthpiece? C.Findley

rowuk · 04-25-2007, 11:02 AM

My 2 cents on this issue:
IF you are working with a shallow lead piece, darkness is not one of the characteristics that you will easily find. Why?
To use a shallow cup, you need to keep the lips from entering the cup and clogging it up. That means very little lip mass is vibrating=bright tone. To play high notes all night, the air pressure has to be high meaning the tongue is arched and fills the mouth cavity also making the sound bright. This is all true regardless of mouthpiece manufacturer.
Playing darker means more lip mass=bigger mouthpiece and deeper cup as well as the tongue lower making for a larger open space behind the teeth.

Actually, a shallow mouthpiece "supports" the lips with back pressure (a good thing when playing lead. It increases efficiency and decreases the brute force required!). If you drill the throat out, your sound does not get darker, the slots get fuzzier, the support for the lips and efficiency goes down so you have more work and less output. I do not recommend trying to fix a proven design with a drill bit. To open the throat, you also need to make adjustments to the backbore. That would involve custom work. Mark Curry can do this for you for instance.

If your natural sound is bright, the only solution for high and not too bright would be a horn with a red brass or copper bell. If your natural sound is dark, you wouldn't have posted - you would be there already.
I think when playing extreme mouthpieces, you shouldn't worry about what gets to YOUR ears. A lead piece projects well and your audience hears something completely different. Get your sound recorded from 30 - 50 feet away and then judge where you are. A FAT lead sound doen't necessarily have anything to do with dark or bright.

Air in your sound can generally be cured with a lot of long soft tones and some mouthpiece buzzing. All low pressure/volume activities!

04-25-2007, 11:02 AM	#3 (permalink)
rowuk Moderator Fortissimo User Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Germany Posts: 4,367	Re: Should I learn to play a Lead mouthpiece? C.Findley My 2 cents on this issue: IF you are working with a shallow lead piece, darkness is not one of the characteristics that you will easily find. Why? To use a shallow cup, you need to keep the lips from entering the cup and clogging it up. That means very little lip mass is vibrating=bright tone. To play high notes all night, the air pressure has to be high meaning the tongue is arched and fills the mouth cavity also making the sound bright. This is all true regardless of mouthpiece manufacturer. Playing darker means more lip mass=bigger mouthpiece and deeper cup as well as the tongue lower making for a larger open space behind the teeth. Actually, a shallow mouthpiece "supports" the lips with back pressure (a good thing when playing lead. It increases efficiency and decreases the brute force required!). If you drill the throat out, your sound does not get darker, the slots get fuzzier, the support for the lips and efficiency goes down so you have more work and less output. I do not recommend trying to fix a proven design with a drill bit. To open the throat, you also need to make adjustments to the backbore. That would involve custom work. Mark Curry can do this for you for instance. If your natural sound is bright, the only solution for high and not too bright would be a horn with a red brass or copper bell. If your natural sound is dark, you wouldn't have posted - you would be there already. I think when playing extreme mouthpieces, you shouldn't worry about what gets to YOUR ears. A lead piece projects well and your audience hears something completely different. Get your sound recorded from 30 - 50 feet away and then judge where you are. A FAT lead sound doen't necessarily have anything to do with dark or bright. Air in your sound can generally be cured with a lot of long soft tones and some mouthpiece buzzing. All low pressure/volume activities! __________________ Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.