lead mouthpiece

[Wyatt1631]

Im a high school student looking for a nice lead mouthpiece. I currently play on a Allen Vizuti mouthpiece for lead but my sound is too bright for my liking. Any suggestions on a mouthpiece that might be a good lead mouthpiece but not as bright as the Allen?

[homecookin]

My suggestion would be a Bob Reeves 42M.
It is a great mouthpiece for lead, it is not too bright
and you will get a little fuller sound.
I played on a Reeves 42ES for many years before switching. to the 42M.
I love the sound.

[trumanjazzguy]

If you start practicing EVERYTHING on the Vizzutti piece, instead of just plugging it in for jazz band, your tone will darken on it. I think it is a great emough piece for EVERY kind of music. Allen plays every type of music on it...

I used to fall into the trap of playing wide and deep for classical, and smaller and shallow for jazz, but my playing in all ways suffered. Once I switched to the Marcinkiewicz E8 R. Baptist, and began practicing all manner of things on it, my endurance, tone, and range took off in a big way.

What is your "classical/normal practice" mouthpiece? Odds are, it is too wide and too deep for you. If it is a Bach, you may need a more modernized, efficient piece.
_________________
TPT: Nova LA
CRN: Getzen 1950’s W/5.5in bell
FL: Jupiter 1100R
‘Pieces:
TPT: 34-throat shallow double-cup, Chet Baker’s Custom Schilke, Bach Corp 3, Bach Mt. Vernon 6C, Ken Titmus BF Custom(s).
CRN: NY Giardinelli 7SV.
FL: Yamaha Bobby Shew

[Brad361]

I would not make a suggestion, what works great for one guy might be a train wreck for the next. The exception to this might be if someone was very familiar with the piece you are using (I'm not), maybe they could make an informed recommendation.

Brad
_________________
When asked if he always sounds great:
"I always try, but not always, because the horn is merciless, unpredictable and traitorous." - Arturo Sandoval

[J-Walk]

[trumanjazzguy]

The OP was kind enough to inform me of his current equipment choices. He's playing a Curry 3TF for classical....! NO WONDER he thinks the Vizzutti is too bright! If he switched to a more standard Classical piece, say, a Bach 3C, the differences between the switching would be far less, and I think his playing would improve. A Curry 3TF is TOO DEEP for anything but a "special effect" piece for a somber jazz ballad solo. I'm sure I'm not the only person who believes this to be true.

Of course, I still think that he should switch and STAY only on the Vizutti for a while. Shallow mouthpieces promote correct embouchure mechanics. Deep mouthpieces are a crutch and promote too much chop intrusion, blowing too much air, and pressing too hard for the high ones.
_________________
TPT: Nova LA
CRN: Getzen 1950’s W/5.5in bell
FL: Jupiter 1100R
‘Pieces:
TPT: 34-throat shallow double-cup, Chet Baker’s Custom Schilke, Bach Corp 3, Bach Mt. Vernon 6C, Ken Titmus BF Custom(s).
CRN: NY Giardinelli 7SV.
FL: Yamaha Bobby Shew

[Martinharris]

I couldn't get the vizzutti to work partly because the diameter is so wide.
The wider the diameter is, the harder it is to keep your lips out of the mouthpiece.
I think the GR 65.6S (Malacuso) is a fantastic lead mouthpiece but $$$$

[Trumpetingbynurture]

[cheiden]

In my experience, players who gravitate to really shallow pieces often do so for the wrong reasons and to the detriment of the development. Same for those that go for huge cavernous pieces.

To the OP I'd advise finding less extreme pieces on both ends of the spectrum.

I do not believe that in all generality playing on extreme pieces, small or large, helps development.
_________________
"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
Charles J Heiden/So Cal
Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb/Yamaha 731 Flugel/Benge 1X C/Kanstul 920 Picc/Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim on 1.5C underpart

[John Mohan]

[John Mohan]

[John Mohan]

My suggestion to the OP is he get away from BOTH the radical mouthpieces he is using and while in the development stages of his trumpet career, use ONE common sense mouthpiece. In his case, given that he plays a Curry 3 rim, I'd suggest a Curry 3C. mouthpiece.

Using different mouthpieces, especially when one is a younger developing player stymies consistency and development. As my teacher Claude Gordon used to say, find a good, common sense mouthpiece and then stick with it. This is critical for the beginning to intermediate student. A pro who has to play the wide variety of styles of music out there today at professional levels might need to use more than one mouthpiece to get the jobs done - but they shouldn't be all that different from each other, and in 99.99% of cases they shouldn't be extreme.

Personally I'm playing a fairly heavy book right now, The Producers (many Eb's and F's, a run up to G above High C and even a sixteenth note run up to Double High C). For the most part I'm playing the show on a copy of Arturo Sandoval's Mt Vernon 3C (about the same size as a Curry 3C.). Sometimes on double show days, I am inclined to pop in my Horntrader HT 3CS 28 Lead Mouthpiece which is basically a slightly smaller and shallower version of the Mt Vernon 3C. Nothing radical.

Best wishes,

John Mohan
Skype Lessons Available - Click on the e-mail button below if interested
_________________
Trumpet Player, Clinician & Teacher
1st Trpt for Cats, Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Evita, Hunchback of Notre Dame,
Grease, The Producers, Addams Family, In the Heights, etc.
Ex LA Studio Musician
16 Year Claude Gordon Student

[Brad361]

I agree with John's last post above.
Generally speaking, a developing player (and most high school students ARE developing players) should do as John said, find a reasonable "middle of the road" mouthpiece and stick to it, and PRACTICE with it. I had one very advanced high school senior private student to whom I lent a Schilke 14a4a, because he was having endurance problems with the lead book for their musical. I told him he could try it, temporarily, to see if it helped, but he should then go back to his Bach3C. I told him it may or may not help. He tried it, didn't like it and returned it.

Brad
_________________
When asked if he always sounds great:
"I always try, but not always, because the horn is merciless, unpredictable and traitorous." - Arturo Sandoval

[Wyatt1631]

Thank you for all of your replies! i will for sure take them into consideration!

[Trumpetingbynurture]

Regarding classical/orchestral mouthpieces, there was a really terrific set of posts from Nonsense Eliminator (Richard Sandals) that I stumbled across a month or so ago which I found really lived up to his screen name:

http://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1218857

I think his posts settle the issue of orchestral mouthpiece sizes etc.

--

Other than that, everyone else seems to be saying the same thing... Find a good middle-of-the-road compromise for your lead piece. Something not too shallow, not to small, not too tight, and learn to play it!

[trumpetplanet]

I can see a whole bunch of great comments here but as I read it it looks like people are in disagreement with each other when actually both parties have equally valid points.
I don't have a lot add here rather than another perspective but wouldn't be posting if I didn't think it'd help.

[duane v]

I've been using this mouthpiece (Severinsen JET-TONE) since the 7th grade.... My trumpet teacher Claude Gordon gave it to me.... For me there is no other mouthpiece other than a Bach 7C and Schilke 13a4a that works for me. By the time I was in 8th grade I could scale up to G above high C and back down to low E all day.

If you can find one (a vintage one) it would be worth a shot.

[John Mohan]

[duane v]