Keeping it simple

[Lionel]

For those of you who this idea helps? Great. If it seems contrary to your path? So be it. The ideas might not be applicable to you.

Then again as we progress in embouchure/wind development? Our chops evolve into a different trumpet player. Thus the mouthpiece which wouldnt work for you a couple years ago? Might be a fantastic improvement this year. Or next year. I'm definitely not the same trumpet player. As seen in my mother's family pictures. In fact am much different from 30 years ago. Back when I puckered excessively and used lots of arm pressure. Hey? It worked. Got me more gigs that the guy who couldnt play above high C.

Keeping it simple: if yoy can derive some support from a shallower mouthpiece? Then by all means use it. A mouthpiece never gets tired. If the sound is too edgy?. I like to bore my own throats out to between a #16 to a #22. Your local hardware store sells a selection of "Irwin" bits. I bought all sizes from 16 up to 28. 16 being the widest. We're in flugel horn territory here. Owning all these sizes of bits was illuminating. Taught me much. I had thought my classical trumpet piece which is similar in depth to a 3C was around a 27. In fact it was a #24.

28 is as small of a throat as most manufacturers make. Although Terry Warburton claimed in an interview that he's made a #30 throat for a classical player and he loved it.

A standard right angle drill can bore the throat.

A Dremel tool can alter the back bore. Granted your first few attempts will likely be jagged. And at first you'll probably screw up the transition from the bottom of the cup to the throat. That and make the throat too long. Potentionally causing intonation problems.

However the sound you can get with say the very shallow Schilke 6a but put on a #22 throat is very fat in the middle and lower registers. You can now tell Warburton or Kanstul to "open up a Schilke 6 to a #22 throat and corresponding back bore. Get something you really like and then have the pros fine tune and duplicate it.

Now with your "scream piece"? Practice Clarke studies. Connect your upper register well to the low with Clarke Etude V. And use miscellaneous exercises in Clarke and elsewhere.

Fake books up an octave is a great idea. I like the long tones of "Girl From Impanema" Realy gets me in shape for lead playing in a big band. As most first chair, big band material isnt about playing double C. Mostly its being able to 'cruise' at G top of the staff to the E above high C. Often I find people trying out for the lead book but faltering on the mere tuning note as they tire.

Invariably these guys are using fairly large pieces like Bach 3C. And that is a fine mouthpiece for those whom it works well for. And I do know some strong players who use 3C. However I long ago decided that so long as I liked the sound of any really shallow piece I found? That I would stay with it until something else better came along.

And then sometimes there are gigs which completely exhaust a trumpet section. I remember a New Years Eve like this on 2011. We were supposed to play three sets of 40 mins each. We ended up blowing four sets of 50 mins each. I was on lead. By the final set the other three guys couldnt get out of the staff. But I still had my high C anyway.

Today through continued practice and minor mouthiece adjustments my high F stays good through the whole night. An its only been through applying common sense with mouthpiece modifications which has cured things up. With practice a trumpet player who formerly could only squeak a high F on his 3C mouthpiece?

Can probably hammer it on something in the Schilke "a" series cup depths. And that's the name of the game for lead playing.
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"Check me if I'm wrong Sandy but if I kill all the golfers they're gonna lock me up & throw away the key"!

Carl Spackler (aka Bill Murray, 1980).

[burnhamd]

Lionel,
Excellent analysis, loved it,
Dan
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[Lionel]