Quote:
Originally Posted by Schwab  I have big lips and I play a smaller mouthpiece than most people. Everyone should find their own way and not rely on what is printed in a catalogue to pick a mouthpiece. Byron Stripling plays lead on a Bach 1C, what does the Bach catalogue say about a 1C? |
A Bach 1C is not the same relative depth for everybody.
If one player's lips do not protrude into the cup very far, then the Bach 1C will seem fairly deep and the upper register will be a challenge with that mouthpiece.
If another player's lips protrude into the cup a lot so that the player's lips almost bottom out, then the Bach 1C will seem very shallow and the upper register will be relatively easy with that mouthpiece.
The point is *not* that a player with X lips should always play with a Y mouthpiece rather than a Z mouthpiece.
The point is that players with different lips will need to play different mouthpieces in order to achieve the same tone for blending together.
That players with different lips will need to play different mouthpieces in order to achieve the same range.
For example, in general, an upstream player on a Bach 7C might sound like a downstream player on a Bach 7D in terms of both tone and range.
But that does not change the fact that in general shallower cups aid in playing the upper register.
Could the player you cite play lead trumpet just as well with a Bach 1 rather than a Bach 1C? No, because the shallower Bach 1C helps the upper register more.
The statements made in the Bach catalogue and in the Schilke catalogue are generalities which are true.
Each player does indeed need to take into account many variables in choosing his mouthpiece, with lip thickness and cup depth being just 2 of those many vaiables.
Contrary to what you are implying, the Bach catalogue does not dictate that a person with certain lip type must or should play with a certain cup depth, only that certain cup depths could aid certain goals in playing if the player wants to avail himself of such aid.
It is up to the individual player to decide whether he wants to avail himself of such aid by using any particular mouthpiece.
- morris