Mouthpiece Selection

[dssheller]

Hello all,

Currently struggling in finding the perfect mouthpiece for me. I played on a Bach 3C for most of high school and my first year of college before testing and eventually buying a Monette Prana B6S1. I have played the mouthpiece for a year now and still love it, but sometimes find that my sound is too dull.

My professor thinks I sound amazing on it, so this may just be me being my own worst critic at times.

Suggestions and thoughts appreciated. The horn I play is a Yamaha YTR-6310z

[Brassnose]

Don't change if there is no real need - I returned to my very first mouthpiece after a (not really excessive) safari and it works just fine. But I not a professional player by any means ...
_________________
2019 Martin Schmidt eXcellence
1992 Bach 43GH/43
1989 Kühnl & Hoyer Model 15 flugel
1980/2023 Custom Blessing Scholastic C 😎
1977 Conn 6B
1951 Buescher 400 Lightweight
AR Resonance, Frate, Klier

[zaferis]

Yes, I'd agree. The mouthpiece safari is something to approach carefully. If you're playing well, progressing AND your teacher likes the sound (pitch, articulation, etc) then sit tight.

However, my first impression is that you're playing a lite-weight trumpet designed to have a quick response and a more commercial tone but, If I'm not mistaken, the mouthpiece you're using has a pretty hefty mass to it (more brass/weight vs. say your Bach 3C) which to me takes away some of that shine in the sound. I think that is what I find with heavyweight mouthpieces (Mega-Tones and similar).
Maybe, that's what you're hearing in your tone when you call it dull.

I'd suggest you have this conversation with your professor.
_________________
Freelance Performer/Educator
Adjunct Professor
Bach Trumpet Endorsing Artist
Retired Air Force Bandsman

[JVL]

hello,
do you also pay enough attention to clean regularly the horn ?
and i can also tell you that making tweak the horn by Bobby Shew himself can make the horn sound completely different and easier too
best

[Richard III]

What people haven't said, unless I just missed it, is the feedback factor. You may not be hearing the true sound. I have a mouthpiece/horn combination that sounds completely without depth and lacks what I'm looking for. However, when a friend plays it, it sounds perfect. Yes, it could be his approach is better or I'm just not hearing what I'm playing. Try recording yourself to hear the real you. Just a suggestion. Best wishes.
_________________
Richard

King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece

[cheiden]

Record yourself on both the Monette and the Bach. Have a friend play both. See if your impression of sounding dull bears out. Then if you're not satisfied you'll likely need to give Monette a call.
_________________
"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
Charles J Heiden/So Cal
Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb/Yamaha 731 Flugel/Benge 1X C/Kanstul 920 Picc/Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim on 1.5C underpart

[Pete]

I play various mouthpieces for different things. I try to stay with approximately the same diameter though. i don't use the same mouthpiece that I use for lead as I would to play a small group jazz gig.

So the question you should ask yourself should be, what is my purpose for a specific mouthpiece ? A brighter sound? Cleaner attacks? More endurance?etc. If you are using the current Monette B6S1 for the majority of your playing, find something that you will actually use in a specific situation that makes your sound a bit brighter for example. It usually does not need to be a drastic change to do this. And it doesn't have to be another Monette. The B6 rim diameter is .650 so research some pieces that are close but may be a bit brighter.

Warburton 5 series, Marcinkiewicz Shew pieces (a bit wider diameter), Stork Studio Master pieces, etc.

Pete

[Andy Del]

[Bflatman]

Andy is absolutely right.

I will put it blunter.

Do you want to sound fabulous or do you want to sound like sh1t.

If you want to sound like sh1t carry on, disregard your professor and throw away your mouthpiece and what you have achieved.

It takes many players a lifetime to sound great and some never achieve it.

By all means throw that away because you are not happy with how you think you should sound.

This is called snatching failure from the jaws of success.

As for me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to sound as good as you do right now.

[Pete]

Wow, it’s just a mouthpiece fellas. It does not make you the player that you want to be. Use the right tool for the job. I don’t play big band stuff on a 1C and I don’t play quintet stuff on a 14a4a.

Many pros use various mouthpieces for different situations. Shew, Bergeron, Saunders, Ingram, etc. all do this. Herseth did it.

I try different mouthpieces all of the time. I have a friend who is the best lead player that I have ever played with, and he uses many different mouthpieces. We did Maynard Ferguson’s “Maria” , an orchestrated version of the “Overture” to Candide which he played Bb trumpet and piccolo then Buddy Rich’s “West Side Story Medley” in which he played lead. We played them back to back as a tribute to Bernstein, and he used four different mouthpieces. He didn’t miss a note and this was in the second set of our regular Monday night big band gig!

The mouthpiece does not make the player, the player makes the mouthpiece.

Pete

[Christian K. Peters]

Hello all,
This is the second mouthpiece post of the day for me... and I find myself with some of the same posters..Hi fellas So as I see it, the OP is in the mode of learning. he is taking lessons, asking questions and getting feedback from somebody in front of the horn. Yet, he still not satisfied. He has not proven to himself, that what he hears and what people tell him they hear, is acceptable. I have a rack of pieces that I have collected over the last 40 years. Some of which I have sold or given away. Those pieces are a part of my education. And. if he is not completely happy with the Monette, How many Schilkes can he by for the same price? I would say start with a 14B or 15B...Or heaven help dessheller if he goes to a ML horn and starts the process over again. But again, who are we to tell a person what will fit their face, unless they go through the process of their own assessment. Safaris can be wasteful, but what you get is a tangible education. Speaking of, I have three Bb's i don't need from a different safari...Even more expensive
_________________
Christian K. Peters
Schilke Loyalist since 1976

[Andy Del]

[Bflatman]

Maybe I was heavy handed but I see a lot of players who appear to be learning to blame their gear when they hit problems, and when they dont hit problems they still blame their gear for not making them sound as fabulous as they imagine they should.

By all means change your gear and experiment but dont change it simply to find out if you are as fabulous as your professor has told you that you are.

A mouthpiece change will disrupt the player. And the player is already playing fabulously.

What does he stand to gain from this change, - he might feel a little bit happier.

What does he stand to lose, - everything.

Surely a player has one task, to sound fabulous and great for an audience, the op already does that, so why is that not good enough.

Does nobody else think this is a monumentally daft thing to do.

[Craig Swartz]

Lots of suggestions, castigations, warnings, etc, so I'll add another. Provided you have a good sense of pitch, try pulling your tuning slide perhaps 5 mm/3/16" and continue to play up to the pitch you are used to playing. Verify with a tuner if you want. Try to use the tongue placement and corners of the embouchure at the outside edge of the mouthpiece rim to accomplish this, as well as a more energized wind collumn. (Do not add pressure to the mix.) I'm trying to deal more with your description of a "dull" tone- playing higher in the pitch often creates a bit more zing and character. Use the lengthening increments with a grain of salt, more or less to taste so long as you aren't straining. I don't see how you could do any damage to yourself or your present embouchure in this manner and it's pretty cheap alongside additional Monet (et al) custom pieces. Good luck..

[JVL]

Practice is crucial, but equipment too.
Maybe, the best thing to do at one point, is to have a lesson with a master that knows a lot about practice and equipment.
I can't recommend enough Bobby Shew.
best