Trombone Mouthpiece for doubling

[trmptman01]

This may have been discussed here before. I recently purchased a valve trombone. I need a mouthpiece for it that makes it easier to switch back and forth. I seem to remember reading somewhere about a Curry mouthpiece that works really well. But I could be mistaken. Any advice is definitely appreciated.

Thanks, Brian

[homecookin]

I have doubled on trumpet,valve trombone, and slide trombone for years.
At first, when trumpet players start to double on trombone (valve or slide) they experience the" puffy chop" feeling when they go back to the trumpet mouthpiece.
This effect is overcome by practicing soft long tones on both instruments for several weeks. You have to practice going back and forth between instruments.
It takes a little perseverance, but with proper practice you will develop a trombone embouchure as well as your trumpet embouchure and the puffy feeling will go away and you can go back and forth between the instruments with no problem.
It really has nothing to do with what trombone mouthpiece you use. In fact, using a smaller trombone mouthpiece or what some players call a "doublers mouthpiece" is somewhat defeating the purpose of playing the trombone
in my opinion.
I know this is not the answer to the question that you were asking. But I just thought I would offer this suggestion based on my own personal experience of doubling on trombone and trumpet for many years.

[trmptman01]

I appreciate the info.

[kehaulani]

I'm going to make a general comment that applies to many aspects on trumpet playing on the internet and that is, sometimes, I think there's too much miniscule thinking and analysis. A little snake oil thrown for good behavior.

I could be wrong because I believe in more intuitive things. I played trumpet but played trombone one year in one of the North Texas Lab Bands, and never thought much about it. I just played the mouthpiece that came with the horn, whatever that was, LOL.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[bnsd]

I think trying to find a trombone mouthpiece more similar to a trumpet mouthpiece in size is a mistake... I'll try to explain why, but I'm sure others will have a different opinion

A trombone (actually my favorite musical sound) sounds big and full. I refer to it as a round sound; too bright, and it loses some of it's charm. A nice full size trombone piece will do that. They DO make an actual trumpet size mouthpiece for a trombone, but you can't play low, and I don't think it actually fills the horn very well. They also make a trombone size that fits in a trumpet.

https://www.chasonsmusic.com/hybrid-crossover-mouthpieces

When I play both, I think of it as two different embouchures. Yeah, there is some overlap, but they are far enough apart that I think of them separately... get too small on a trombone mouthpiece, and you are blurring those differences

[kehaulani]

To answer your question, though, maybe a Curry with a C cup?

"The same digital technology used for trumpet mouthpieces is now available for trombone. You can now use the same rim for all your playing needs."

http://www.currympc.com/index.php?id=12
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[iiipopes]

Personally, to go with my 3C/76 trumpet mouthpiece I use a Bach 12C for doubling on bone, which is only on occasion. To me, it is like a larger version of a 3C with its cup diameter to depth and geometry to throat to backbore. I find it matches well with the bone I play: lightweight with a .500 bore.

It is not the best mouthpiece for playing 3rd bone parts where you may be playing with a trigger, but I am usually filling in a missing part, anywhere from lead on down to 3rd part, but not lower.

Most valve trombones have a bore on what is now considered a smaller bore, anywhere from .485 to .500 to .508. I don't know of any that are larger. So just like you don't want too small a mouthpiece, you don't want one so large that it doesn't get tubby-toned, either. Valve bones, by their nature, do not have as "full" a tone as discussed above.
_________________
King Super 20 Trumpet; Sov 921 Cornet
Bach cornet modded to be a 181L clone
Couesnon Flugelhorn and C trumpet

[chapahi]

I had great results with the Curry 12C.
_________________
Sima, Kanstul 1525 Flugel and Kanstul pocket trumpet. Olds Super

[jaysonr]

At one time in my life, I doubled extensively on trumpet and trombone. In fact, for a good while I was more serious about my trombone playing than my trumpet playing. I used the mouthpiece on each instrument that made the most sense for that instrument and style.

At the time on trumpet I was playing a 1C'ish type piece (dabbled w/ a 2 for a while), and I know I had a 3C I used some, and a Schilke 12.
On trombone, for my small bore jazz horn, it was a Bach 11C, for my big tenor it was a 4G or 5G depending on the sound (I also had a 3G I'd pop in if I were playing a part w/ nothing but low stuff and I wanted a huge sound), I had an old Conn 8H for a while I used a Schilke 51 in, and on Bass trombone a 1-1/4GM and a Schilke 60.

If you want to double, use the right tool for the job to help you sound best on the instrument you are playing at the time, and practice all of your setups often so that you can switch between them as needed.
_________________
Isaiah 40:8
3 John 2

[Crazy Finn]

[trmptman01]

Looks like the advice from most of you is to quit overthinking it and just practice.

Years ago I went to a concert of Doc Severinsen and the KC Pops Orchestra. After the concert Doc was signing autographs. I asked him which horn he played on that night. He said he didn't know. He said he had a couple hundred different trumpets and the only 2 things that stayed the same were his mouthpiece and his piccolo trumpet. He said that your concept of sound is in your head and ultimately it doesn't matter which trumpet you play you are always going to have that sound in the end. He also said that what makes you better isn't your horn it's how much time you spend with it practicing.

Sounds like that's the advice I'm getting about the valve trombone.

I appreciate all the input guys. That's one of the reasons I love this forum.

[jaysonr]

If you're going to be playing valve trombone, that's most likely a .500 bore instrument. Get yourself anything in the range between an 11C and a 15C and you'll be fine.
_________________
Isaiah 40:8
3 John 2

[Denny Schreffler]

Depends on the t'bone, how you want it to sound, and the musical demands of the gig -- just like trumpet.

I played a Bach 12EW on valve 'bone, Holton 1¼G on bass 'bone, while using a Ratzenberger AlHirt with an A rim on tpt on the same gig.

Denny