Jon Kratzer

Clean your mouthpiece day.

I'll admit lately I've been rather lax about cleaning my equipment on a regular basis. Time just hasn't been on my side, although I've kept my instrument pretty well maintained, my mouthpiece was another story! Due to eating on the road, playing late nites at clubs, and being generally exhausted as can be I've neglected my poor GR. Lately I've been unsatisfied with my sound, it's not been as rich as I'm used to, so out of pure aggravation I looked down my mouthpiece through my leadpipe and realised the light at the end was really dim! I was angry, so I took out my mouthpiece, snaked the leadpipe and it was clean as a whistle. I looked through my mouthpiece and was appauled! I had neglected my only connection between my lips and the horn. I cleaned it out nice and pretty on the inside, and instantly my sound came back to me.

So, for those of us who've had so much to do lately, take 5 minutes to sit down and clean your mouthpiece if you haven't already! I know this is cheesey, but I'm sitting here with nothing better to do. ;)


Jon

PSH

Good advice. I had the same problem last week. I'd been noticing that the horn just didn't seem to work as well as it usually does. All it took was for me to clean out the lead pipe and mouthpiece and things were all right again. Granted, the whole horn still needs to be cleaned...but that's another story...

~Preston

Manny Laureano

Ya know, Jon...

... we have to talk about that side-by-side horn test you did recently if you were playing a horn that dirty ...

ML

Jon Kratzer

Actaully manny, I play 2 different mouthpieces for Bb and C. My C trumpet mouthpiece was clean as a whistle as i had cleaned it only hours before the test, and even when I cleaned it had almost nothing in it.

This was my Bb mouthpiece that I cleaned, lol.


Jon

Vulgano Brother

Jon Kratzer

Whucha whistlin' ther Herr Vulgano?

Solar Bell

What have you been eating and not cleaning out of your mouth before you're playing?

yuk!

-cw-

Jon Kratzer

;) It happens sometimes. I've seen much worse tho, one of my mentors I'll leave his name out....it was disturbing that he could sound so damn good through that much crud.

Jon