DCB

I am now, and have for some time, playing on a small diameter mouthpiece. What size Monette would be suggested? My current size is a .610 Curry. My sound is nice high to low but I am looking for a different sound. I have played Monette's in the past but they just never seem to work... maybe just me.

Thanks for the advice.

Peace

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trpt2345

As Bobby Shew says, play the smallest mouthpiece you can get away with. Honestly, I am not familiar with Monette sizes, just thought I'd throw that in there.

Michael McLaughlin

"While on safari in Africa I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas I'll never know." Groucho Marx

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Manny Laureano

Just to show you how different people are, I believe you should play the largest mouthpiece you can play comfortably!

I define comfortably as having all the high register you need, as much endurance as you need, and the richest sound you want. If you can achieve the same things on a small mouthpiece then you go with that.

I don't know Curry mouthpieces and I only know the Monette sizes that are mine or very close to it. I'm a Monette player but I'm not a dealer or anything like it, so, I don't know anymore about the mouthpieces than I have to. Call the shop and ask to speak with Dean Comley if you're still interested. Monette mouthpieces work best for people that have a relaxed, thick air approach to playing and strong embouchure-supporting muscles.

ML

NickD

I would say play what FITS you - both from a sound point of view AND range point of view.

I remember talking to John Cvejonovich here in Chicago about an experience he had with the late Johnny Howell. They were trying out a whole bunch of trumpetsand they found that no matter WHAT they played after a little bit of time on the horns, they ended up sounding like themselves. While mouthpieces have a significiant contribution to the sound, I honestly feel that in the long run this will occur even with mouthpieces. Certainly after a switch, particularly if it is a subtle one, you might sound a bit different, but I'd be willing to bet you'll end up sounding like yourself. You ear will cause to to subconsciously adjust yur playing. So I would say find the mouthpiece that allows you to do just that with the least amount of work on your part.

Listeners absoultely do not care what you play on (unless they're trumpet geeks!). They just care about how it sounds to them. There is nothing to be gained by working harder. I wouldn't change unless you are getting the feeling you can do things a bit easier.

There is one caveat, I suppose. We are all continually learning and evolving as musicians. You sense of sound or your embouchure may be changing as you progress in experience. That indeed may call for a mouthpiece change. Still, I'd just try to make the job easier.

FWIIW...

Nick

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trpt2345

This is a primary difference between classical (for want of a better term) and jazz/commercial players. I frequently have to play way above the staff on my Bb, for hours at a stretch. Rarely do I do anything below the staff. Hence a small mouthpiece is what I need. In college I used a huge 1C until my teacher said, why are you killing yourself? He compared it to a toilet seat.
While at Eastman Byron Stripling, who is in fact the chairman of the Big Lip Committee, told me that my Schilke 14A4C was too small and that I should play a bigger piece. I asked Barbara Butler about this. She asked me if I liked my mouthpiece. I said yes. She asked if I felt comfortable with it and liked the sound I got from it. I said yes. Then, she said, I should tell Byron to do something which is technically physically impossible and in view of the posts about profanity I should probably leave unsaid. So I didn't switch. I have found that classical players always advocate for big mouthpieces and everyone else advocates for smaller ones. Jon Faddis uses a really really small mouthpiece. Bobby Shew uses a 14A4A.

Michael McLaughlin

"Move over little dog, 'cause the big dog's movin' in." Hank Williams

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MrClean

I wonder if she would give you that same advice today?

Vulgano Brother

Why not check out Mark Curry's web site and send him a short email stating what you are looking for, and check out the mouthpiece comparator on Kanstul's site?

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W Scott

With all of the different mouthpieces that Mark Curry makes, I have a hard time believing that you couldn't find the sound you want. Give Mark a call and tell him what you need. He's a nice guy and really knows what he's doing.

BTW, Manny, my teacher---who is a classical player, loaned me a Curry 1B. I was playing on a 1DE and he said 'try this, I'll bet you like the sound!'. Yep, the only question now is 'gold rim or standard silver'. I like the bigger mouthpieces--and that's after playing some pretty small mouthpieces. Different strokes for different folks!


Bill

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rjzeller

Bigger is better. Just ask my wife.

....

...seriously, she loves my sound on my new Monette. I have to play just about all styles frequently, and while the smaller cups DO make it easier, I find I still get the best sound out of the largest piece possible.

I used to play on very small equippment, and I could play lead as well as I needed to. But I've moved larger, and after an adjustment period, my range, endurance, and quality of sound have all increased.

Right now I play on a B4. I've reached a point where I feel it might be a tad small, but affords me the opportunity to pretty much play everything I need to, so instead of following my heart and moving to a B2, I'm sticking with what I have. I think the B2 would push my endurance just a tad too far, so I stay where I'm at right how -- the largest I can play on comfortably.

I vote large....

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cornetguy

pick the largest you can play on and still get a colorful focused sound that is the same in all registers (Laskey reccomends this approach) and don't really worry about the numbers and letters concentrate on the sound.

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