Mouthpiece Size Advice for New Player

[PaulT]

Hi,

Sort of new. I played in high school and I was pretty good, but I haven't played since, a thirty year lay-off. When I did play, I just played, I didn't think about horns or mouthpieces and I received no instruction or advice on either. I had a Conn Director (student horn/.484 bore?) and I played the Conn mouthpiece that came with it with nary a thought about trying anything else.

Now, I have the bug to play again and have been invited to join our town's band when it starts up again this fall (they lost a couple trombones and there is a chance I might be the only one). Even prior to the invitation, I had been thinking about picking up the horn again (with thoughts of "All of Me" riffs dancing in my head) and to that end, I picked up a Reynolds Contempora on ebay.

When I realized my trombone bug was sticking, and with thoughts of having to hold down a trombone section as possibly the only trombone, I recently picked up another horn on ebay, a Yamaha 630 (.525 bore) thinking it would be a dandy all-around horn. With my first blow, I fell in love with this horn and I have playing it every day and it sounds so rich and sweet. And now, with the background out of the way, here is my question...

QUESTION: (ok, a little more background) I have three mouthpieces and I am alternating between all three as I practice with my Yamaha 630 (.525 bore). The mouthpieces are: Yamaha 45A (Bach 12E); Bach 12C; Yamaha 48 (Bach 6 1/2 A). The 48 came with the horn from the factory , it sounds round and rich. The 45A is sharp and bright and is lots of fun. The 12C falls in between the other two in all regards.

1) I am still developing my embouchure (I hope). Is ok to rotate mouthpieces or should I stick with one and grow with it?

2) The small 45A (12E) is the easiest to play, the 48 takes the most work, do I go with easy or work? (I do have a small mouth and have also played trumpet pretty well)

3) I like to rotate mouthpices because they all sound different. The little 45A sounds jazzy, bright and sharp, the big 48 sounds big and round and smooth as creamy butter. The Back 12C, again, falls in the middle. Is it ok to pick the mouthpiece by the sound I want on any given day or tune or should I stick with one and learn to make whatever sound I want with it? And if sticking with one is the choice, should I go with the middle of the road 12C or learn to do all of what needs to be done with the 48 (6 1/2 A)?

I do like the 45A, but I wonder if it isn't a "specialty mouthpiece" and not a good choice to develop my chops with. Or is it fine choice if I want my 630 to sound and play (sort of) like a small bore jazz horn?

Ok, that's a lot of questions that may not have answers, but if you were the experienced trombone instructor I never had while learning the horn, what mouthpiece advice would you give me? I want to play smooth and mellow "All of Me" blues at home and I want to be a one-man trombone section (if need be) blaring out Sousa marches and whatever it is town bands play.

[Posaunus]

Congratulations and your purchase of what should be a fine instrument - and welcome back to the trombone world.

In my opinion, the 45A and the 12C pieces are both too small for a 0.525" bore trombone. Too "thin" and "bright" for me.

The Yamaha 48 should be just fine for almost everything you will be playing. Go for the extra work and fuller sound; you will be rewarded for the effort. After a year or two of playing, you may want to experiment with other mouthpieces - but no need now while you're "refining" your chops.

Warning: You will probably get LOTS of other opinions form other TromboneChat members, many differing from mine - and several who will suggest you buy some other mouthpiece they like!

[sirisobhakya]

Warning: You will probably get LOTS of other opinions form other TromboneChat members, many differing from mine - and several who will suggest you buy some other mouthpiece they like!

Not from me. I agree that the 48 (and the 6 1/2 AL) is one of the most versatile mouthpiece out there. My bandmate in Japan uses it for everything from 1st Jazz (that high Cs and Ds) down to low D. Providing you might be the only trombone in the band at least for a while, it is great to have that flexibility. You can also find it with both large and small shank, which is great if you want to try (or go) with .547" horns in the future.

But if someone joins, you can also choose your path. If you want to go into lead trombone playing, the 12C might be a good choice. The 45A is mainly for bass trumpet, too shallow, making it too bright and tinny for average trombone playing. If you want the rim, 45C2 is better (but it is equivalent to 12C according to Yamaha).

Regarding the switching of mouthpiece, my opinion is: for the time being, until you get back all of lip skills like lip slurs and focus, stick with one mouthpiece is better. After that, if you know what kind of sound you are after, and what kind of sound you should be after, switching mouthpiece back and forth is not that much of a problem. I also switch from Yamaha Yeo (rim size around Bach 1G) to Bach 3G in case I want to "cheat" high notes. Another bandmate also has 6 1/2 AL and 5G for high and medium-low playing respectively.

[Doug Elliott]

I don't generally like to give advice with actually seeing and hearing someone play. It would be unusual but not impossible for the smaller mouthpieces to be the right choice.

Record yourself playing each of them. Listen for sound, articulation, and accuracy. Choose one and stay with it. Your playing will develop faster and better if you're not continually confusing your face by switching.

[PaulT]

Thanks for the replies. I put all three mouthpieces through their paces again last night, and I will stick with the 48 and put the other two away for awhile.

The little 45A is fun, but it peters out at lower registers and it is bright and nasally, as if there is some kazoo in the mix. Not the sound for a band. But, a lot of fun in my basement. Perhaps someday, when my chops are settled and the band is happy with my Sousa, I will get one of those little alto P-bones and pop that over-grown trumpet mouthpiece in it and see what I come up with. In my basement. Just me, my horn, and my suffering family upstairs. But, for now, I will concentrate on learning how to play my 630 with the 48 in it.

The 48 really does work well with the 630 (which is good, as that is the mouthpiece Yamaha sends the horn out with). Top to bottom, loud to soft, the 48 is full, sweet, and even.

(The 12C was easy to put away. It was just a watered down 48 without the brash fun of the 45A)

I live fairly close (four blocks) from the University of North Dakota and their trumpet guy (who gave my son lessons) has said he can put me in touch with UND trombone guy for a couple lessons sometime.

Thanks for taking the time to help out. I am picking up some good tips from this forum. I especially enjoyed the tip one fellow offered up about pouring himself a couple fingers of good whiskey to enjoy while he practiced. I tried that last night, and it worked. I have never sounded better! I would try four fingers, but I might start playing so good I end up sending my slide through the fish tank

Ah, life is good!

[timothy42b]

I especially enjoyed the tip one fellow offered up about pouring himself a couple fingers of good whiskey to enjoy while he practiced. I tried that last night, and it worked. I have never sounded better! I would try four fingers, but I might start playing so good I end up sending my slide through the fish tank

Ah, life is good!

I would recommend staying away from Diet Coke. I had a bad experience with it some years back.

I was playing with a German style big band (weird instrumentation). We were usually provided beer during performance and we sounded awesome. But for one gig I had to stick to Diet Coke, as I had a long drive ahead; the others were free to imbibe.

Wow! Who would have thought? Just one player drinking coke made the whole band sound bad. Missed entrances, bad rhythms, forgetting repeats, what-there's a coda?since when? intonation, dynamics etc. There's hardly any musical skill that wasn't affected by that Diet Coke.