barato

Okay... Put it this way. I am totally confused about the differences in mouthpieces. I am in high school band, but the variations of mouthpieces are very small. Some play with customes, the bad and little bit talented crowd stick with 7C, and some play with smaller mouthpieces. So what makes all of these mouthpieces different? Are there specific ranges of mouthpieces that give up flexibility and/or tone, and are there mouthpieces that do the opposite and give those valuable things. Any advice helps, but my curiosity is just making me wonder. If there is a topic on this subject already please tell me.

rowuk

Feel free to be confused! Most players have no idea why their mouthpiece is better or worse-that info is not even necessary as long as it works.
a 7 C is a medium small mouthpiece with a medium sized cup. A deeper cup would make the sound darker and sometimes make high notes harder. A more shallow cup (7E) will sound brighter and sometimes high notes easier. A bigger mouthpiece 5C or 1C will sound "bigger and darker" but you have to practice more to sound good. A smaller mouthpiece like a 10 1/2C will sound smaller and sometimes be harder to play depending on your face muscles.
If your goal is to play big band lead trumpet, a smaller, shallower mouthpiece is probably better. If symphonic playing is favored, a bigger mouthpiece is useful.
Generally, if you do not know where you want to go AND you practice a lot, a bigger mouthpiece is better. You can switch at any time later!

crowmadic

Rowuk, Crowmadic here. Your reply to this Thread has answered some of the questions in my Thread "a question for THE MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE about...". But will you read that Thread and respond. I always find your input to be sensable, as well as other TMers, but I would appreciate your inpute, and It might help barato...............thanks, tom

k0elw

Read "Jens Lindemann's mouthpiece rant" on Trumpet Herald.

Forum: trumpetherald.com

Best thing anyone had written on trumpet mouthpieces, ... ever.

Solar Bell

I would NOT call that a rant.

A lot of common sense there that could put an end to these ubiquitous mouthpiece threads that do no good.

-cw-

k0elw

Not to discredit the content, but to accurately reflect
the passion with which it is delivered. Mr. Lindemann does refer to this tome as a "rant."; ( You have to hear it live!")

-Elllis

Richard Oliver

oops.


Richard

rowuk

Very good indeed - Jens even makes the point that the "medium" mouthpieces can also be considered "specialty". I am not sure this applies to all types of players.

IF I am a pro in a symphony orchestra, it is clear that a large mouthpiece will give me the colors that I am looking for.
IF I am a pro and playing the lead book, I need different sound colors and therefore buy a different (smaller) mouthpiece.
IF I am a travelling Artist somewhere in between as Jens is, I need to do things that maybe the other 2 extremes don't and buy a mouthpiece that is in between.
The common denominator is that all of these guys are PROS and really get used to whatever they choose. It becomes an extension of their bodies!

IF I am a normal joe and practice about 1-2 hours a week (or maybe a little more), I can really benefit from the bigger sweet spot as Jens describes it, of a bigger mouthpiece. I see this all the time in amateur players that I work with. The benefit in sound and consistency for this type of player more than outweighs the few high notes less that are possible. This concept also provides great benefits for a local concert band section sound. It also insures that the first book players practice regularly - otherwise they don't get through the rehearsal! A 3C, 1 1/2, 1 1/4, Schilke/Yamaha 17 or 18, or equivalent GR, Warburton or Monette turns out to be a real blessing!
Amateur big band requirements are also MUCH different than the pro situation. The smallish mouthpiece does not give chops with less routine enough room to swell. A bit bigger works here too! Generally the amateur lead book is a little less demanding than Maynard Fergusons book was!

What I am saying is there is a little bit of truth in any of the posts here. The big picture is so diverse that mouthpiece manufacturers will continue to produce everything from toilet bowls to hypodermic needles - and find customers for them. For most of us, the truth is like for Jens Lindemann, somewhere in between!