If I were to play in an orchestra or concert band, and played a lot of concert solos, (or cared about playing concert solos), I would love the overtones and the mellow sound it provides.
But the mouthpiece I have now just has too much for my preference, and purpose. When I want overtones, I'll get me a flugelhorn.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rowuk  This is exactly what DOESN'T happen. If we were pouring water through the mouthpiece, you would be right, but music is like AC not DC. That means boring out the throat does not give you a freer blow, but DOES reduce the efficiency of the mouthpiece/horn and makes the slotting fuzzier! The throat and the backbore need to be optimized and you ALWAYS have to trade off characteristics when modifying a mouthpiece!
The less air the better the sound!. Before anyone jumps down my throat, let me explain: a clear sound efficiently played requires a small but strong aperature. Less air goes through the hole because the horn is doing the work, not brute force playing. We still have to take a deep breath to put a large volume of air behind the lips. That air just does not disappear
when playing correctly! |
I read this very same material in Chase Sanborn's
Brass Tactics and I agree completely... but I think the basic essence of what you're saying is that the cup, backbore, lungs, and embouchure must work in the most efficient manner possible to produce the clearest sound, with the least amount of air provided.
Problem for me, is that I am producing more air than my piece can handle, at least for my taste. I don't really know what the specs are on it, as Zeus doesn't release that information... all I know is that it is extremely deep and not really that wide. And it is not clear, while when I play on a shallower, wider, more "free-blowing" peice, the clearness problem dissappears, and making it easier to do things like lip trills and whatever, while still retaining a clear, "trumpety" sound. And by shallower and wider, I mean Bach 5C-6D (do they make 6 widths with D cups?) type cup and rim.
At least that's what the Warburton chart said.
I may end up changing my embouchure and fixing the problem altogether...I don't want to end up with the classic "tiny mouthpeice" scenario, where you go to the store and scream on a tiny shilke and 3 days later, your range is the same as it was before the new peice, and your mid-range sound is terrible... I don't think I will go spend any money until I work on a uniform warm-up routine and method book practice. Maybe that will solve the problem...