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rowuk · 04-14-2008, 04:23 PM

Something much different happens with the mouthpiece. Depending on the cup depth, the strength of the overtones change. A shallow mouthpiece has more turbulence or "back pressure". If this is matched up with the correct embouchure and breath support, the lips have resistance from both sides which raises the resonant frequency of the vibrating mass and limits the maximum flap distance of the lips. This causes the higher overtones to seem stronger (by damping the fundemental)and that creates a brighter sound. Because you cannot get a shallow mouthpiece to function mashing it into your face, the more relaxed embouchure is free to vibrate fast.

A deep mouthpiece allows the lips to flap much further (they don't bottom out), and this allows the fundemental to be stronger and makes the sound darker. IF you resist the urge to mash the mouthpiece into your face, your top end is only limited by your breath support, exactly the same as with a shallow mouthpiece. If your range goes down, you are just playing wrong!

I repeat myself, high notes are dependent on your embouchure NOT rim size or cup depth. My range is exactly the same on a Monette B2D or a Schilke 14A4A or a Bach 7C, 1C, 1X or 10 1/2E. I use different mouthpieces for creating a tone color most suitable for what I am playing. I have also tested this concept on several of my students with the same results. The secret is not using pressure to get range!

The Helmholz resonator is in fact part of mouthpiece dynamics, but its effect is modified by the resonant characteristics of the trumpet too! Most resonators behave erratically a couple of octaves below their tuned frequency and it is no different here! By the way, irregular shaped objects have a tuned frequency based on volume not distance. That is why we can get a short, fat beer bottle to resonate at the same frequency as a long, skinny one. The internal volume just must be the same. The difference in mouthpiece volume does not explain how the lips can vibrate faster, that is based on the effective mass of the lips, the pressure between the two lips and the speed of the air moving across them. Lip mass and pressure is controlled by compression, air speed is controlled by the shape of the corridor in the oral cavity. Synchronizing these factors gives us the upper octave.

04-14-2008, 04:23 PM	#10 (permalink)
rowuk Moderator Fortissimo User Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Germany Posts: 4,195	Re: Playing on new mouthpieces Something much different happens with the mouthpiece. Depending on the cup depth, the strength of the overtones change. A shallow mouthpiece has more turbulence or "back pressure". If this is matched up with the correct embouchure and breath support, the lips have resistance from both sides which raises the resonant frequency of the vibrating mass and limits the maximum flap distance of the lips. This causes the higher overtones to seem stronger (by damping the fundemental)and that creates a brighter sound. Because you cannot get a shallow mouthpiece to function mashing it into your face, the more relaxed embouchure is free to vibrate fast. A deep mouthpiece allows the lips to flap much further (they don't bottom out), and this allows the fundemental to be stronger and makes the sound darker. IF you resist the urge to mash the mouthpiece into your face, your top end is only limited by your breath support, exactly the same as with a shallow mouthpiece. If your range goes down, you are just playing wrong! I repeat myself, high notes are dependent on your embouchure NOT rim size or cup depth. My range is exactly the same on a Monette B2D or a Schilke 14A4A or a Bach 7C, 1C, 1X or 10 1/2E. I use different mouthpieces for creating a tone color most suitable for what I am playing. I have also tested this concept on several of my students with the same results. The secret is not using pressure to get range! The Helmholz resonator is in fact part of mouthpiece dynamics, but its effect is modified by the resonant characteristics of the trumpet too! Most resonators behave erratically a couple of octaves below their tuned frequency and it is no different here! By the way, irregular shaped objects have a tuned frequency based on volume not distance. That is why we can get a short, fat beer bottle to resonate at the same frequency as a long, skinny one. The internal volume just must be the same. The difference in mouthpiece volume does not explain how the lips can vibrate faster, that is based on the effective mass of the lips, the pressure between the two lips and the speed of the air moving across them. Lip mass and pressure is controlled by compression, air speed is controlled by the shape of the corridor in the oral cavity. Synchronizing these factors gives us the upper octave. __________________ Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again. Last edited by rowuk; 04-14-2008 at 04:29 PM.