dbacon

From: Leon Merian
To: tpin
Cc: LEON MERIAN
Subject: Mouth pieces / sizes etc / rebuttals etc


After reading all of these posts on what mpc to use...deep,
shallow, wide, narrow, backbores etc etc...I said to myself " Leon, be cool,
keep out of it" but I rec'd a few queries from some members who asked me
what my take was on all of this asking me what my thoughts were. Wellllll,
I can only say what I've said many times before that choosing the "right"
mouthpiece is a very personal decision for all players...There are no two
players exactly alike, and the "PERFECT" mouthpiece does not exist and never
will exist. Because a certain player sounds great on a certain mouthpiece
doesn't mean that you {or anyone else } will will find that particular piece to
be *the right one* for you and make you sound "great also. Playing the identical
piece will not produce the identical sound !!!
Generally speaking, most well experienced teachers will suggest
that one should use the largest piece which is suitable in the type of playing
that one does. HOWEVER, this does not mean that one must use the largest piece
possible. That of course is absolutely ridiculous.
In all of my years in this business, I have run into SO many trumpet
players who are constantly trying to find a more "satisfactory" piece and their
search goes on and on and on......I could throw many many names out there but
sffice it to say, as a classic example, our fellow hornblower and friend Doc. He
could wallpaper his entire house with all of the pieces he's had made up and
then some.
As I've stated many times before the "perfect" mouthpiece does not exist
!!! Furthermore, changing pieces continuously will definitely have a very
negative effect on you. Players who do this constantly eventually will become
very insecure in their playing. It will lead to total frustration believe
me, I've seen it time and time again with some very fine {name} players.
You will find that one piece will give you more flexibility and
facility and another will give you a better range and again another will give
you more core and resonance....so it all boils down to a compromise. Of course
a mouthpiece should be as comfortable as possible. If a player uses one that has
too sharp a rim, then this could be cutting and cause discomfort.
Conversely, if the piece is too rounded this could lead to inaccuracy .
I find that many younger players today, far too many, are emphsizing their
higher registre which is an absolute danger to the exclusion of developing
a better sound, producing a truly resonant quality in the core of their sound
which is without any doubt the most important ingredient in a beautiful,
full,fluid trumpet sound. Many of these younger players {including some of the
younger teachers} don't realize that strong players who posess a
good upper registre have this ability through years of practicing the basics of
playing...not through some magical "new" mouthpiece produced by one of the many
mouthpiece manufacturers out there today .
Of course, there are many outstanding players out there
that use very small pieces and there are also many players out there who play
with great skill and authority who use large pieces. As I have stated in my post
on the Concept of Sound a while back....this SOUND is in the players head and
this is what will determine his/her success in the trumpet world
more than the discovery of any new "magic" mouthpiece that will do it for
him/her. Choose a mouthpiece that will serve you well in a variety of
musical situations. Warm Regards to all you guys and gals
in TPIN land..........Leon Merian



today.

__________________
Dave Bacon

dbacon

Hello All.....I've rec'd a few requests from members asking me about mpc
pressure and will comply
with a few words about same.............I would first like to begin by
saying that pressure is ALWAYS present in your playing and the right amount
is necessary and needed for resonance and a good sound. The important thing
is the degree in which you use it is efficient for what you are
playing.......
Your *set* must be secure--that is the contact you have between
the chops and the mpc
must definitely be secure so that your air stream is directed straight into
the mouthpiece.Mouthpiece pressure by itself will not do the job however but
it is required in order for you to direct your airstream. I don't think that
any player would purposely use excessive pressure because we all know that
it is physically and musically damaging [to the chops as well as to the
music being performed].
I'm sure that most of us have used excessive pressure at one
time or another and are well acquainted with the outcome---poor flexibility,
chop fatigue, deep mpc impressions on your chops etc. etc. Using this kind
of pressure shows me that certain basics of playing have not been acquired,
and corrected and there is not much you can do about it until these
fundamentals are addressed----
You must correct the root causes of your problem.
You all know how adamant I am about keeping the corners firmed
and I believe that this excessive use of pressure is generally caused by
your corners being weak AND secondly but equally important is not having
enough air to reach the embouchure....in other words an Inadequate
Airstream. Any *good set* {well formed set} must have firmed corners...If
the corners aren't firm
enough then the tendency will be to use excessive pressure so as to keep the
chops in position.
Therefore a vigorous air column is absolutely VITAL. You see, if the air
column is weak then the chops wont have a good, solid cushion of air support
to help the lips resist the [metal] mouthpiece.
SO, in closing I would like to say that a good *setting* and good
*airstream*[vigorous] is of utmost
importance in order to alleviate this excessive mouthpiece pressure. Thank
you all and God Bless;
L E O N M E R I A N

__________________
Dave Bacon

dbacon

As I have stated in many of my posts here on TPIN this nonsensical idea of
looking for a short cut or quick fix to any aspect of trumpeting simply does not
exist PERIOD.And in two very recent posts two of you players out there
and probably many more {lurkers} are inquiring once again for these quick
fixes to be able to play higher and higher !!!!!!!!! PLEASE let me say once
again that there is great danger in emphasizing your upper registre, trying
desparately to play higher and higher to the exclusion of everything else.
What many young players {and this includes some teachers} are
failing to understand is that strong, fine players who do have good upper
registres,have acquired these abilities and capabilities through many years of
down to earth hard practice of the BASICS in playing the trumpet and not
through some magical choices of this "miraculous" piece of equipment.
This overemphasizing aspect of playing the horn to the neglrct of a
sensible, well balanced approach will only slow you down. hindering your
progress and really limit your success in becoming a better, more accomplished
player. I have played with many outstanding trumpet players who use{d} pieces
that were quite small and conversely played with several much younger players
who played with great skill and control in the
upper registre . You see--the concept of SOUND in the person's head and his/her
basic skills, determine the success or failure of the player much more than any
single piece of equipment such as the mouthpiece.
My suggestion then is to find a MP which is comfortable, will give you a nice
resonant sound, is flexible and fluid and then...GO TO WORK !!!
Most Respectfully your guys and gals. Corners firm and keep that air on !!!
L E O N M E R I A N

__________________
Dave Bacon