Happily Confused....?

Garroid · Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2002 2:20 am Post subject:

I'm not sure if this belongs to this topic or the mouthpiece one.....
I generally bounce around between 2-3 mouthpieces, never using a screamer for legit or quasi-legit work. However, yesterday I had to play more than one consecutive military ceremony, and decided to see what would happen if I used one of my screamers, this case a marcinkiewicz 12.4. The gigs sucked, and I was totally done midway through the 2nd gig. Next day, today, I was playing consistantly a Bb, and usually my range tops out at an Ab on the best of days.......
....any thoughts? Should I stop bouncing around, or just practice more on the shallower cup??
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Gary A. Wilder

trickg · Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2002 5:02 am Post subject:

The advice I got once from a friend of mine (he makes custom mouthpieces) is that you should always warm up on your smallest equipment. He insists that you need different mouthpieces for different types of music that you play but if you warm up on bigger equipment, you won't be able to move to the smaller stuff later if you need it.

I don't think that there is a "magic bullet" mouthpiece, a once size fits all. I used to play everything on one mouthpiece until I started playing in a Latin band. I was struggling to get through the gig so I started using a Schilke 14A4a that had been given to me by a friend and it made a world of difference. Not only was my endurance better, but it facilitated my upper register as well. It took a couple of weeks to get used to bouncing back and forth between the two mouthpieces, but now I can make the switch pretty easily.

Don't know if any of this will help, but it's what I do.
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Patrick Gleason
- Jupiter 1600i, ACB 3C, Warburton 4SVW/Titmus RT2
- Brasspire Unicorn C
- ACB Doubler

"95% of the average 'weekend warrior's' problems will be solved by an additional 30 minutes of insightful practice." - PLP

Nicholas Dyson · Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2002 2:23 pm Post subject:

The rule of thumb I use, (but won't berate you if you don't agree) is this:

Play on the smallest (economical) mouthpiece you can get your desired sound on.

I spend VERY LITTLE, (none) time playing legit. It's just not my bag. However, I do play everything, from shows to big band to rock band to combo on the same equipment.

Basically it came down to this.... Each of these styles requires a different sound. ALbeit, not as much as orchestral to mariachi or something like that, but different nontheless. I found that after spending enough time getting locked in with one mouthpiece I have the flexibility to vary my sound without varying my gear. If I had to go back to the world of legit, I would probably get some new equipment, I suppose it's just how varied your playing is and what is most comfortable for you. Some people like their chops to be in a constant state of flux, I like to know exactly what everything feels like without confusion. (I get confused easily, too many high notes, me thinks....)

Just my thoughts...

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Nick Dyson
Seattle, Washington

http://www.geocities.com/nicholasdyson/personal_page.html

[ This Message was edited by: Nicholas Dyson on 2002-06-07 17:26 ]

pedaltonekid · Heavyweight Member Joined: 15 Nov 2001 Posts: 1711

I routinely play 2-3 mouthpieces on my Bb trumpet and different ones for C, Eb, Cornet and Piccolo. I try to play on the ones I plan to use for upcoming performances everyday.

I generally limit my piccolo playing to 15-20% of my total practice time and mix it up as to when I work on that.

With a little practice it is no problem switching around. For me it does not matter which one I use first as long as I get in a good warmup on a Bb horn (trumpet or cornet).
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Best Regards, Play Well!!