Choosing The Right Mouthpiece
how to choose the right mouthpiece? there has been much discussion on this topic so I would like to share my thoughts on this. i am by no means an expert but i can share with you what i have learned.
1. rim - find a rim that will be comfortable for you to play on. too flat and you sacrifice flex ability but you gain endurance. To round and you lose endurance but gain flexibility.
so, find a happy medium, you want a rim that will give you comfort but also flexibility. usually a medium round rim does the trick, at least it did for me.
2. diameter - getting the right diameter is the "secret." you want one that is not to big and not to small, it needs to fit like a shoe.
the only way you can discover this is to try different diameter mouthpieces. regardless of what a lot of band directors will say, one size doesn't fit all. if that were the case, we would all wear size 13 shoes. no two people have the same lips or teeth formation.
if a shoe doesn't fit right you don't wear it, so why would you play a mouthpiece that doesn't fit?
3. Cup - depth of the cup is more in line with what type of music you are going to play. for concert band or orchestra, you will want a deeper cup like a "C"cup. for jazz band or marching band you would want a little shallower cup. try a "a" cup if it is to small then a "b" cup.
** That is why a lot of great players today have multiple mouthpieces, but usually the rim and the diameter is the same in most cases.
4. Backbore and throat - these affect the sound produced from the mouthpiece. the tighter the backbore the more focused the sound. The bigger the throat of the mouthpiece the more air you can push through.
so how do you put all of this together?
1. find a rim that is comfortable but allows flexibility.
2. find the right diameter that will fit your lips.
3. get 2 mouthpieces - (1)one for jazz band and marching band - a smaller (A 0r B) cup "but not to small or you won't be able to buzz on it" with a fairly tight backbore and a standard or slightly tight throat. (2)one for concert band or orchestra with at least a "c" cup and with a standard backbore and fairly open throat.
I use 2 different mouthpieces for the different work i record but they both have the same rim and diameter. one is deeper for soft ballad music that i record and a shallower mouthpiece for the high register work i "attempt" to do.
* what about maynard ferguson and bill chase and mouthpieces they used?
every great trumpet player is or has been fitted with a mouthpiece that works for them and i promise you it was trial and error.
a shallower mouthpiece will not make you play higher, it will only enhance the range you have. shallower mouthpieces make your tone brighter with more edge which is what you want if you are playing in a jazz or pop band. there is no substitute for hard work, a shallower mouthpiece will not make you play higher. will smaller shoes make you run faster?
i don't want you to spend money on a mouthpiece that you hope will work to find that it doesn't. So if you can go to a music store that sales mouthpieces ask the salesman if you can try different ones and work through finding the right rim and diameter that fits you. if you can do that you will be dollars ahead. once you find the right rim and diameter, then you can make a small investment in getting the mouthpiece that works for you for both jazz and concert band. some players can use one mouthpiece for all occasions, and that is great but most players don't.
after starting back to playing after laying off for 34 years, i chose to go with the roy stevens method because i played all wrong when i was in college. i, "jammed and crammed" back then and i decided to start back playing i wanted to learn one of the proper ways to play. i started out when i came back using the roy stevens method because of george rawlins. he let me try several mouthpieces until i found the right rim and diameter. i used to play a schilke 6a4a for jazz and a back 3c for concert band. there was a vast difference between those two mouthpieces and george helped me work through the process. now i don't jam and cram, i'm playing in a proper way that "works for me." since the time of writing this page i have moved to the mf protocol and also changed mouthpieces to fit the protocol. If i were going to to play traditional method i would use the roy stevens method and the legendsbrass rs jt 645. but now i use the legends brass mf hg which works better for the mf protocol "for me." both methods are good and the key is matching the right mouthpiece with the right method that works for you.
i'm not an expert, nor do i clam to be, i'm just sharing my testimony with you hoping that i can spare you of the "mystical, magical mouthpiece that will fix it all.
God Bless,
Dan
1. rim - find a rim that will be comfortable for you to play on. too flat and you sacrifice flex ability but you gain endurance. To round and you lose endurance but gain flexibility.
so, find a happy medium, you want a rim that will give you comfort but also flexibility. usually a medium round rim does the trick, at least it did for me.
2. diameter - getting the right diameter is the "secret." you want one that is not to big and not to small, it needs to fit like a shoe.
the only way you can discover this is to try different diameter mouthpieces. regardless of what a lot of band directors will say, one size doesn't fit all. if that were the case, we would all wear size 13 shoes. no two people have the same lips or teeth formation.
if a shoe doesn't fit right you don't wear it, so why would you play a mouthpiece that doesn't fit?
3. Cup - depth of the cup is more in line with what type of music you are going to play. for concert band or orchestra, you will want a deeper cup like a "C"cup. for jazz band or marching band you would want a little shallower cup. try a "a" cup if it is to small then a "b" cup.
** That is why a lot of great players today have multiple mouthpieces, but usually the rim and the diameter is the same in most cases.
4. Backbore and throat - these affect the sound produced from the mouthpiece. the tighter the backbore the more focused the sound. The bigger the throat of the mouthpiece the more air you can push through.
so how do you put all of this together?
1. find a rim that is comfortable but allows flexibility.
2. find the right diameter that will fit your lips.
3. get 2 mouthpieces - (1)one for jazz band and marching band - a smaller (A 0r B) cup "but not to small or you won't be able to buzz on it" with a fairly tight backbore and a standard or slightly tight throat. (2)one for concert band or orchestra with at least a "c" cup and with a standard backbore and fairly open throat.
I use 2 different mouthpieces for the different work i record but they both have the same rim and diameter. one is deeper for soft ballad music that i record and a shallower mouthpiece for the high register work i "attempt" to do.
* what about maynard ferguson and bill chase and mouthpieces they used?
every great trumpet player is or has been fitted with a mouthpiece that works for them and i promise you it was trial and error.
a shallower mouthpiece will not make you play higher, it will only enhance the range you have. shallower mouthpieces make your tone brighter with more edge which is what you want if you are playing in a jazz or pop band. there is no substitute for hard work, a shallower mouthpiece will not make you play higher. will smaller shoes make you run faster?
i don't want you to spend money on a mouthpiece that you hope will work to find that it doesn't. So if you can go to a music store that sales mouthpieces ask the salesman if you can try different ones and work through finding the right rim and diameter that fits you. if you can do that you will be dollars ahead. once you find the right rim and diameter, then you can make a small investment in getting the mouthpiece that works for you for both jazz and concert band. some players can use one mouthpiece for all occasions, and that is great but most players don't.
after starting back to playing after laying off for 34 years, i chose to go with the roy stevens method because i played all wrong when i was in college. i, "jammed and crammed" back then and i decided to start back playing i wanted to learn one of the proper ways to play. i started out when i came back using the roy stevens method because of george rawlins. he let me try several mouthpieces until i found the right rim and diameter. i used to play a schilke 6a4a for jazz and a back 3c for concert band. there was a vast difference between those two mouthpieces and george helped me work through the process. now i don't jam and cram, i'm playing in a proper way that "works for me." since the time of writing this page i have moved to the mf protocol and also changed mouthpieces to fit the protocol. If i were going to to play traditional method i would use the roy stevens method and the legendsbrass rs jt 645. but now i use the legends brass mf hg which works better for the mf protocol "for me." both methods are good and the key is matching the right mouthpiece with the right method that works for you.
i'm not an expert, nor do i clam to be, i'm just sharing my testimony with you hoping that i can spare you of the "mystical, magical mouthpiece that will fix it all.
God Bless,
Dan