Upgrade from the Schilke 51D

[kaikitano]

I have been playing on a 51D by recommendation of my teacher for the past 2 and a half years, and it has done me surprisingly well considering what I have heard about it on this forum.
Recently, I ordered a new, fancy trombone and figure that I might as well upgrade my mouthpiece to fit the bill. I know of the nice mouthpiece brands, but I am not sure what I should be looking for in terms of sizes. For example, if I was going to order from Doug Elliott, what sizes would make sense based on my enjoyment(?) of the 51d? Not exactly looking for an equal match in measurements but more something that will play quite well while not being an unbelievable adjustment.

[BGuttman]

First, if the 51D is working, why do you want to change? You should change mouthpieces if you are running into problems and you can't seem to solve them through more practice.

If the 51D has problems like a dented shank or plating loss, then replacement might be in order.

Just to calibrate yourself, the Schilke 51 rim is Doug Elliott's 101, or the Bach/Wick/etc. 5, or the Hammond 12. A 51D is pretty deep, so you might want to look at the equivalent of Doug's G or H cup. Doug has a nice mouthpiece chart on his Web site, www.dougelliottmouthpieces.com.

Note that if you are unsure of whether you need to change, you can get a short consult with Doug Elliott. He usually won't push his mouthpieces unless you need something that only his mouthpiece can provide. As an Elliott user, I find the series to be pretty nice, although it can be pricey -- particularly for a student on limited resources. The real nice part of the Elliott system is the ability to dial in the mouthpiece to your exact needs, once you know what they are.

[tbonesullivan]

What instrument are you getting this mouthpiece for? The 51D is often considered a mouthpiece for Euphonium, due to the deep cup it has. However there are definitely people out there playing with very deep cups on a tenor trombone. Does it allow you access to the full range of your playing? I know a big sign for me that I am using a mouthpiece that has too large of a rim size is that I sound airy around high B flat and above.

Finding the right rim size for YOU is what is most important, and it definitely can be a daunting task. Other aspects of the mouthpiece can usually be changed to suit the sound you want and the instrument you are playing.