02-15-2004, 11:44 PM
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| Pianissimo User
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 198
| Custom Mouthpiece Design written by Karl Hammond of Schilke
Schilke Custom Mouthpieces by Karl Hammond
When I was at TMEA I had to pleasure and honor of meeting Karl Hammond from Schilke Music in person. Mr. Hammond is the custom mouthpiece creator for Schilke and has worked for them since 1993. I have spoken with him in the past as he has produced 3 custom mouthpieces for me. Being able to sit there and speak with him in person was very interesting as I have always been amazed by craftsman that can create masterpieces with their hands. Mr. Hammond’s latest creation is the Schilke Symphony Series mouthpieces.
I was given a custom mouthpiece pamphlet which was written by him. The read was rather interesting. It cleared up several things for me that I had misconceived all this time and so I have decided to type this up and share it with you: Quote: Custom Mouthpiece Design
By Karl Hammond
Balance vs. Resistance “The Fine Line”
Every mouthpiece should be a balanced combination of blowing freedom with equalized resistance. These features come together to create the ideal mouthpiece and are critical to the efficiency of a player’s set up. Every set up has this “fine line” of freedom and resistance. This occurs when the player finds the center of the pitch along with the desired sound and controlled flexibility. Each player’s “fine line” is different. At Schilke Music, we do not make the assumption this “fine line” is the same for all players or musical situations. Through consultation, our Custom Shop will help assist a player to determine what sound they want and why their current set up doesn’t accomplish this balance.
When a mouthpiece is to “open and free”, the net musical result is usually a loss of control with poor attacks and “cracked” notes. When there is too much resistance in the mouthpiece, the center of the note may be hard to find resulting in a unstable feel. The components of the mouthpiece that help create this balance are the rim, cup, throat, and backbore.
One critical performance variable to address regarding custom mouthpiece work, before discussing the various mouthpiece components, is the “gap” size. The gap refers to the distance created within the trumpet mouthpipe receiver occurring between the end of the mouthpiece and the beginning of the lead pipe. A smaller gap can raise the pitch of the trumpet compromising a player’s accuracy and control. I n instrument is playing flat consistently, the gap could be too large resulting in poor attacks and a lack of focus to the sound. The trumpet shank or stem can be altered to penetrate further into the mouthpipe receiver to raise the pitch rather then alter the inner characteristics of the mouthpiece.
Rim
The rim creates the ultimate feel for the player and is the connection between the equipment and the body
Wider Rims = more comfort/less flexibility. If a rim is too wide the player may experience a “pinched” sound and the loss of attack definition.
Narrow Rims = more flexibility/less comfort. The placement of the rim high point is critical. A more pronounced high point on the rim provides greater flexibility. If the high point is closer to the cup entrance, the rim may feel smaller in diameter to the player, even with the larger cup volume.
The balance between comfort vs. flexibility and ultimately, feel vs. sound is vital to a players success. Finding a rim that gives the player the longest amount of playing time resulting in consistency, comfort, and resonance is desired.
Cup
Deeper Cup = richer, darker tone. More core with less highs in the sound.
Shallower Cup = brighter with high overtones present in the sound.
Regarding cup shapes, bowl cups ten to have more resistance because of the flatter bottom of the cup. The net musical result is a more aggressive sound. The V-cup shape will have an open feel. In order to find a balance between blowing freedom and resistance, V-cup mouthpieces tend to play better with some resistance in the backbore.
Cup diameter is on aspect of the mouthpiece that players use to compare one mouthpiece to another based on personal feel and manufacturer measurements. The diameter will be determined by many variables that pertain to the individual player including embouchure, experience, strength, instrument, and musical style. Wider diameters require more strength to maintain the balanced characteristics of the mouthpiece. The narrower diameter may produce a strained sound without focus and control if a player needs more room.
Backbore
The backbore is essentially an extension of the instrument’s mouthpipe. The tighter tapered backbore will produce brighter, more aggressive sound. A larger backbore will create a darker, thicker sound with greater depth. The backbore is the final variable we work on creating a custom mouthpiece because it will ultimately balance the top part of the mouthpiece (rim & cup) to achieve that “fine line” of blowing freedom with a balanced resistance.
Throat
The throat of the mouthpiece is crucial he the mouthpiece freedom vs. resistance equation. The player needs to understand how resistance impacts their performance. A tighter throat will increase the resistance greatly and lessen the amount of air getting through the mouthpiece. Opening the throat will reduce the resistance in a more extreme way then opening the backbore. When the throat is opened, the amount of air (blowing freedom) will increase therefore darkening the sound creating a larger center to the note.
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