Issues with Lotus mouthpiece

[Brent]

What mouthpiece were you using before?

I know there's an acclimation period, but if it's been over months without success, that's a sign it's not really for you.
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Brent

[TKSop]

Rule number one of mouthpiece changes: Dont do them "just because" - there has to be a good reason, an expected outcome and a honeymoon.

The good reason - in short, don't change without a good reason. Is there something about the current piece that you don't like? Is a change of gear a reasonable way to address that?

The expected outcome - without a particular goal in mind, there's no real way to judge whether the new set of compromises (every mouthpiece is a set of compromises) suits you better than the old one.Whether that's looking for something less taxing in the high register, control over articulation, intonation or a particular tonal goal... there must be a goal, otherwise why are you changing?

The honeymoon - we've all heard of "honeymoon periods" with new mouthpieces, right? That short period (days or weeks) where the new piece feels awesome, then things crash a bit and have to be built back up...
If you never have that good period in the first place, then two things are in play: firstly, it'll take much longer to get to the point where things feel great (if it even suits you enough to do so) and secondly you won't know what that point feels like until after putting in the work to get there (and it's rarely worth it).


So... did you have a good reason to swap to this piece?
Did you expect a particular outcome that you thought would help you?
And did it even work great for you in the first place?

More likely than not, the best course of action would be to go back to the previous piece and ignore any salesmans patter that might tempt you to try something radically different (you've done that, it hasn't worked).

It may come as a shock, but not all great players are right all the time (if nothing else, look at how juxtaposed their views can be to each others!), sometimes there's a disconnect between how any of us play and how we conceptualize things (ie: how we think we play).

Do you take regular lessons (with Adam or anyone else)??

[RenaudRED]

I watched this interview of Adam Rapa recently : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAe54S2474U
In the end he explains what he means by "shitter", so I thought I could sum it up here for you guys

He basically says there are two ways to play the trumpet : "shitters" and "pissers". The comparison means some people push really hard to get notes to come out (think of having trouble shitting) and others just take the horn and let everything flow without using any strain (think of pissing).
Even though "pissing" feels easier on the muscles, it requires huge amount of coordination and concentration, especially when you try to make the transition from "shitting".

What most people seem to say is that Lotus Mouthpieces claim to make life easier if you are a "pisser" or are willing to play that way. But switching from shitting to pissing is hard and takes much time.

I am currently working on this transition and it takes time and focus, and I'm nowhere close to mastering this. But I can tell you it's not a "simple" change like only an embouchure change, it really feels like starting from scratch again. Also, I could'nt even fathom the amplitude of the change without the help of a teacher who has himself made this transition.

[Brent]

Whether that mouthpiece is going to work depends on the player. From what I understand, the Lotus has similarities to a Monette: bigger throat and back bore. For some people, that set up works better, others not so much.
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Brent

[kevin_soda]

[Andy Del]

[theslawdawg]

[Brad361]

[JayKosta]