Wycliffe Gordon Wybrid

[jorymil]

Does anyone know much about Wycliffe's "Wybrid" mouthpiece and/or have experience playing with it? I've heard of trumpet players using a Bach 22 or similar mouthpiece on trombone, but never heard of anyone going the other direction. I really like the sound Wycliffe gets out of his trumpet with this thing, but $200 seems a lot to drop for something niche like this. For almost $200, you could buy a good used Yamaha student model trumpet with a more standard mouthpiece and just work on your "trumpet" embouchure.

[Burgerbob]

I would just choose not to play trumpet, personally.

[Mikebmiller]

I got a wild hair a couple of years ago and bought a trumpet and one of those mps to see if I could become a trumpet player. Kept at it for about a month and then eventually sold both the trumpet and the mp. I could get an ok sound on the trumpet, but my range topped out at about a concert F above the staff (thinking bass clef here). I also tried a friend's Schilke 24. My chops just aren't made for doubling, it seems. But I did gain a lot of respect for trumpet players who have a good high register.

And I learned big lesson. I always thought that if you buzzed a note on trombone and then essentially buzzed the same note on trumpet, that it just came out an octave higher. It seems that is not actually the case. To play a high C on trumpet, you have to be able to play a double high Bb on trombone.

[harrisonreed]

I played the 11C version of it, but it was about what you'd expect. A cool novelty. Just don't play trumpet.

[jorymil]

Thanks guys. At this stage of my life, I'm not going to be a professional trombonist, let alone a professional trumpeter: I just want to have fun with it. I own a student-model King 606 and a pTrumpet for general goofing around. Both cost me less than $100. I'd always wanted to play the trumpet growing up, and I love Clifford Brown and Clark Terry, so if something like this made it significantly easier and more fun to play the trumpet, I'd give it a go. Sounds like more _comfortable_ perhaps, but not $200 more comfortable.

[jorymil]

And burgerbob, if you're gonna bring the snark, don't be afraid to take it over the top for laughs: "I'll never play that bleepity-bleep piece-of-farm-animal excuse for a brass instrument! You'd have to be so uptight that you can eat pencil lead and find diamonds the next day!"

[Burgerbob]

I played trumpet a lot in high school, for better or for worse (worse, I think). I honestly just don't find it as fulfilling as the bigger horn.

If you do want to play, I would just use a trumpet mouthpiece. Schilke 16 isn't too expensive.

[afugate]

I got a wild hair a couple of years ago and bought a trumpet and one of those mps to see if I could become a trumpet player. Kept at it for about a month and then eventually sold both the trumpet and the mp. I could get an ok sound on the trumpet, but my range topped out at about a concert F above the staff (thinking bass clef here). I also tried a friend's Schilke 24. My chops just aren't made for doubling, it seems. But I did gain a lot of respect for trumpet players who have a good high register.

This was me, until I had a couple of lessons with Doug and fixed some fundamental problems in my embouchure. Now I can play above the treble clef staff on both trumpet and trombone. Helpful when I'm working with kids.

Not suggesting this is the case for you. Just mentioning it for others.

--Andy in OKC

[Mikebmiller]

Yeah, I got over wanting to play trumpet fairly quickly. Now I mess around with alto trombone some and can halfway play that instrument with a pretty good sound. I have toyed with the idea of getting an alto horn, but as I am no longer in a British brass band, there wouldn't be much call for it around here.

[RJMason]

I owned one of the hybrid pieces. Low range was fat but high range was hard. Works for him, but not for me. I just picked up a 1.25 c and learned the regular mouthpiece. Easier to play, but need to build endurance through daily practice. If you’re just having fun, I’d suggest that!

[jorymil]

Thanks to all of you for your experiences - I'll stick with the regular pieces for trumpet.

[Fruitysloth]

I'm with RJ as well, picked up a trumpet today with a Warburton equivalent of a 1.5C, and it worked much better for me than the Wycliffe model.

[brtnats]

Totally opposite experience. I’ve got one, it works really well for me, and I play a lot of trumpet because of it. I don’t make a living playing, but I do play *a lot* with stable, gigging groups in a variety of styles. This mp opened up trumpet for me. I had a trumpet methods class in college, but the constant switching between it and trombone really made playing the trumpet a chore and the switch difficult enough that I stopped as soon as I could. The hybrid mouthpiece stopped that and made trumpet an easy double for me. I had to play on it for 30 minutes to know it would work, and had to practice keeping my corners firmer in trumpet ranges. But I can play it up to high C, and I can play it all night up to a high A.

Some of us find ourselves in situations where there are almost always other musicians to play with. I agree with Bob, trombone is more satisfying for me under most circumstances. But if I’m playing a church gig, which seems to happen a lot these days, I’d rather have my trumpet. It’s just a better horn to be alone one in some settings.

I’d honestly try one out if you have the opportunity. For me it’s essential equipment.

[JGordon]

Some years ago I inherited my father's WWII vintage King Liberty model trumpet -- a horn on which he sounded great. I messed around with the horn but I wasn't having much success on the trumpet mouthpiece I had. So, I bought the Wycliffe Gordon "Chasons Hybrid" model mouthpiece. With it I could immediately play stuff in the treble clef staff, but above the staff I struggled.

I just picked up the horn (it has been a long while) and I can just squeak out a "C" (really a Bb in concert terms) that lives a couple of ledger lines above the treble clef. That note is not really usable for me although I assume that if I really practiced the horn regularly, it might become more reliable. Still, I can play in the middle and low registers and that is enough to have fun.

The sound I get on the horn and mouthpiece has a lot of core or brilliance. In trombone terms, it is not a "dark" sound. I don't know if this is because of the horn, the mouthpiece or the way I am playing the equipment. I rather like the sound, but it is more a lead trumpet sound than a smokey nightclub after-hours sound.

I got the trumpet for free and so I was OK paying some money for the mouthpiece -- and I am glad I did. However, I just amuse myself with the trumpet and that process stimulates me to think about my father. I have never used the horn on a gig or rehearsal with other musicians.

Given my peculiar experience, I can't either recommend or discourage the use of the mouthpiece. All I can say, is that in my case it has been fun playing around with Dad's horn and this mouthpiece.