Bill Adam and mouthpieces.

PH · Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2002 4:42 pm Post subject:

Adam feels that for general use standard Bach C cup mouthpieces are superior. He doesn't make this a hard fast rule. I studied with him for a long period in the '70s when I was playing a Schilke 16 and he never said anything negative about it. Eventually I became dissatisfied with my sound and AFTER I HAD CHOSEN to change he said, "Well that sure is making a big difference for you young man"!

This is the same as his approach to trumpets. He feels Bachs have superior tonal and playing characteristics, but he will rarely tell you to get a different axe. Eventually your ears tell you that something is missing in the timbral spectrum of most other horns and they tell you you need a Bach.

He has most of his students on either Bach 5C, 3C, or 1C as they are developing. Later, if you seem inclined toward more commercial playing he might move you toward a Reeves. Yes, in the old days he would recommend Purviance. One of the Purviance models was supposedly designed for him when he was playing full-time back in the '40s before he came to Indiana (I think the one Reeves numbers 9 or 9A).

Another thing that Mr. Adam used to do (again in the '70s) was to gradually open up the throat of your mouthpiece quite a bit as your playing developed (usually in increments of 1 or 2 bit sizes) until you relaxed your airstream and eased your body and tongue tensions. He would sometimes open mouthpieces up to 18 or 19 throats! Then, when you were very relaxed and moving a lot of energized air, he would back the throat size down again and at that point he would move some players to the Reeves or Purviance.

At some point he became dissatisfied with this approach. Now his biggest concern seems to be how the mouthpiece fits with the trumpet, particularly the receiver gap.

[ This Message was edited by: PH on 2002-02-24 19:43 ]

[ This Message was edited by: PH on 2002-02-24 19:45 ]

dbacon · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Nov 2001 Posts: 8592

PH · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2002 9:06 am Post subject:

It is my opinion that, even though Mr. Adam knows the technical data for the best gap between mpc. and receiver (and can recite how many hundredths of an inch it should be for most mpc./trpt combinations), that he basically deals with this issue according to your performance. Like most things the gap is partly dependant on how the player relates and balances him/herself with the instrument. There are interacting factors beyond that gap that effect the response.

Adam can tell how this is working for you by listening to your playing. If you are a good player, then when it's right for you, your horn, and your mouthpiece you'll be able to tell as well.

When the gap is right, presuming you play well, the response is good, the pitch center is good, and the tone is resonant and has "core". When the gap is too large the response can be good but the core is lost and the pitch in the 4th partial and high range gets squirrely. When the gap is too small the center is too narrow and the response is slippery (resulting in less accuracy).

Again, this isn't usually an issue he makes a great deal of. I have known him to take emery cloth to a student's mouthpiece or have them wrap the shank with paper (to reduce how far in the mouthpiece goes) to test how this effects the response.

razeontherock · Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2004 12:10 am Post subject:

What is "0 gap?" Does it literally mean no gap from end of mouthpiece shank, so there's a smooth airstream into the receiver?

You speak of too little gap, so I guess I'm way off here. Forgive my ignorance ...
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hose · Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2004 6:27 pm Post subject:

In the the early eighties I was taking weekly lessons from Mr. Adam. One day I ask him if my shaved shank Bach 5C mp with 0 gap was OK. He replied that that was perfect! 0 gap was just right. About six months later I tested him again by telling him I had a new version of a 5C. It had a gap of about 1/8 inch. His reply was that a 1/8 inch gap was just what I needed. The next time I asked him about mouthpieces he said he didn't know much about mouthpieces. Of course, we all know that was BS. He just didn't want me worrying about mouthpieces. I had plenty of issues without doing a MP safari. I told him this story a few weeks ago and he just laughed.