"Trumpet Mouthpieces Meltdown!!"

[musicman040]

Hi everyone. Hope all is well. I am 81, & play the 3rd Book in Concert Band, & 4th Book in the the Swing Band. Been using Bach 3C, Reeves, 43M & 43C. Here lately, when playing, my notes "CHOKE", or get a garbled/gurgling sound, like there is excessive water in the tuning slide, but there is no water. Not sure what is going on. I have eliminated mechanical issues with both my horns. Mt. Vernon Bach Strad & Yamaha 8310Z Horn. So I think it is in the MP Choice. Rim Size?? Cup Depth.?? Do the lips get thinner as you age? Should I be looking at a smaller rim Size. In the Bach, maybe a 5C? Or in the Reeves a 40/41/42, Rim?? "HELP". Any comments, suggestions, recommendations, welcome. It is really frustrating!! TIA for for your help in this matter.
Tony In Delaware/musicman040@verizon.net

[Andy Cooper]

Try the pencil exercise where you hold a pencil firmly between your lips in a pucker and blow. Does the air escape evenly around the pencil or does part of your lip give way to the air pressure?

[JayKosta]

If you have any trouble with dry or cracked lips, then using a 'chap-stick' type moisturizer can help. I just use a generic type (plain unflavored unscented) from the dollar store - but there are many boutique varieties available.

I just use it at night before sleep.

Dry winter indoor air (low humidity) can cause problems for lips.
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Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'.

[PMonteiro]

I've had this happen when part of my lips just barely touch the side walls of the mouthpiece cup. I'm not sure if I would call it bottoming out since the lips were nowhere near the bottom and it was happening just inside of the rim. You could try a mouthpiece with a greater undercut (some would call it a lower alpha angle) to give the chops more room.
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YTR-6335HSII
YTR-2320
Accord in C

[GeorgeB]

Hi, Tony, I am 85. I played between 1953 and 1965 and stopped playing until 2016, fifty plus years later. During those early 12 years I played 1953 Conn 28B Constellation and used a Bach New York 10.5C mouthpiece. It did everything I wanted. But 50 years later there were many changes. I now had a full upper denture, the muscles of the face were not the same, and God knows what else. So it took a mouthpiece safari to find that either a 3C (.650 " ) or a 5C
(.640" ) was the right size, but rim was also important. Comfort was an absolute necessity for high range playing. Eventually I discovered Trent Austin's ACB line and today I use either the ACB TA1, the 5CS or the 3CS, depending on what I am playing. I've tried Bach, Curry, Stork, even the Wedge, the latter coming close to being the one, but the oval shape and lining things ups with the chops was just too much of a hassle.
In a nutshell. Tony, I found I had to play with a larger mp. Perhaps you have to go larger, or perhaps even smaller.
George
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GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
2016 Manchester Brass Custom
1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
1962 Conn Victor 5A cornet

[RUenvsci]

Sounds like an air flow issue. Try some mouthpiece buzzing exercises and leadpipe buzzing.
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Comeback player