smaller mouthpieces

    
smaller mouthpieces    09:41 on Friday, July 17, 2009          

reedy
(66 points)
Posted by reedy

Hi all, ive been a brass band cornet player for about 10 years now and have been playing trumpet for about 3/4 years and ive got grade 8. i bought a schilke 20# mouthpice a while ago and im now playing on a bach 2.5 C i bought a shcilke 14a4 quite a while ago for lead/high note stuff. but my tone sounds really bad which puts me off, is there any easy way of playing on these smaller MP's ive tryed spending time playing on it and i dunno if its me or what???


Re: smaller mouthpieces    14:12 on Friday, July 17, 2009          

JOhnlovemusic
(1279 points)
Posted by JOhnlovemusic

You might try a Laskey 50MC trumpet mouthpiece.
It has a shallow cup for your high lead type playing and a second cup to help improve the tone.


Re: smaller mouthpieces    16:12 on Thursday, July 23, 2009          

DrDave
(12 points)
Posted by DrDave

The two mouthpieces you are comparing (Schilke 14A4a and Bach 2-1/2C) are examples of a fairly shallow, and very deep trumpet mouthpiece. For example the 2-1/2C actually is deeper and more bowl shaped than a Bach 1-1/2C, which is a big orchestral mouthpiece. You can compare mouthpiece cup profiles here. http://www.kanstul.com/html/products/mouthpiece_compare.html

Since your background is in cornet playing your sound concept for trumpet probable reflects that, meaning you like a dark, full sound. That might be why you are drawn to the sound of the Bach and do not like the Schilke. Since mouthpiece design is always a bit of a trade off, any more shallow mouthpiece that makes the upper register a bit easier will generally have a characteristic sound that is thinner and brighter than a deeper cup, especially when playing in the lower register. There is nothing you can do to make the 14A4a sound much different. It sounds the way it was designed.

So there are a couple of options. As suggested above you could accept the tonal characteristics of the shallow lead piece as doing what it is designed to do, and use it for lead while using the Bach for other applications, or you could try to find a mouthpiece that is a different kind of compromise (all mouthpieces are a compromise).

You might consider any one of many mid sized diameter mouthpieces with a medium or medium deep cup. There are lots of examples. Bach 3C or 5C, GR66M, Curry 3C, Yamaha 14C4, Monette B4, B4S or B6, Warburton 4M or 4MD are all in that range. Any one of these would probably improve the ease of your upper range and produce a sound that you prefer to the 14A4a. It is not that they are better mouthpieces than your Bach 2-1/2C. It is just that they are more middle of the road in terms of cup volume.

Cheers,
Dave
www.wedgemouthpiece.com


Re: smaller mouthpieces    05:54 on Friday, July 24, 2009          

reedy
(66 points)
Posted by reedy

thanks for your help guys, since playing the 14a4 the other day i realised that i had to much of my top lip inside the MP and noticed instantly when going back to my bach! so i think im gonna try and sort that out and start on the 14a4 and just work loads on my tone production, long notes etc

and yes i have always liked a nice dark sound i played on a shicke #20 for about 6months last year but i now would rarther be more of a trumpet player than a cornet player and have more of a brighter sound to my playing.... only time and practice will tell


   




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