Romera Lassalle sackbut mouthpiece on modern alto

[heinzgries]

yesterday i got the romera lassalle sackbut mouthpiece. Because of the great look, I could not resist ordering one, although I had some concerns about the shallow cup. It is the version with the modern gold plated rim.
I put it on my voigt alto and was pleasantly surprised. The sound was not too bright despite the shallow cup. A nice full round sound. The modern rim is very pleasant on the lips.
I think it's a good option for a modern alto trombone.
And ... it just looks great.

[LeTromboniste]

I've used an Egger "classical" alto mouthpiece in a modern alto to good results (that mouthpiece really isn't very historical, everything is quite rounded, but the cup is much more hemispherical and less V-shaped than modern mouthpiece. It gave a really nice bright but warm and resonant sound).

[heinzgries]

Hello LeTromboniste,

can you tell me, which change it will makes, if i let make a softer transition from the cup to the V shaped section. Like on the pic below?

[brtnats]

Heinz,

I played the Lassalle for a time on my Egger sackbut and my Conn 36H. I agree with you, it’s a very comfortable, clean alto sound. I remember it being a little difficult to get here in the US though...

[LeTromboniste]

Hello LeTromboniste,

can you tell me, which change it will makes, if i let make a softer transition from the cup to the V shaped section. Like on the pic below?

What happens when the throat is rounded is you get more core to the sound and more projection, and reduce the air/hiss in the sound, while also losing a lot of overtones and flexibility to color the sound. In turn, that extra core to the sound means it's less transparent, and you need much harder articulations to not sound sloppy, so you lose much of the palette of articulations - that is why the Renaissance articulations don't work so well on modern trombone and why you never really have to use very strong T's nor any K's on a sackbut. A flat rim with a sharper bite also makes a big difference in what possibilities are offered in terms of articulations.

So, making the throat more rounded/blended : for use on a sackbut, not a good idea at all; for use on a modern alto, probably not a bad idea.





Another difference you already have in that mouthpiece compared to historical mouthpieces is that venturi in the backbore, which is added there to compensate for the lack of a leadpipe and to give the easier slotting modern trombonists are used to. It also contributes to add core and resonance to the sound.

Basically a modern setup is more stable but less flexible, whereas a historical setup is more unstable but more flexible.

There isn't one that is good and the other bad, it's just a question of what playing characteristics are desirable for different types of music and different performance situations. Stability and a full sound with core and projection is super useful on a modern trombone when you need to project your sound all the way to the end of a 2000-3000 seat modern auditorium and play in a 100 piece orchestra; also when most of what is asked of you musically is to play very loud and with very clear and consistent articulations, transparency and having a large variety of articulations is not very important. Core and resonance are less desirable on sackbut when you play in a big church acoustics with voices and soft instruments, where the venue creates your resonance for you (and where a modern setup can only sound muddy, over-resonant); and for articulations, the music you play on sackbut requires finesse and subtlety in virtuosic chamber music with cornets or violins or when playing texted music alongside singers in a way that is not possible or desirable on a modern trombone with a modern mouthpiece. There's a reason they kept making flat rims and sharp throats well into the 19th century (and it's not that they didn't know how to make them round) - it gave them the sound and characteristics they needed for the purpose they had, and when the purpose changed, the design changed.

[heinzgries]

thanks for your great response.

[heinzgries]

After one hour playing renaissance music with my orchestra at this evening, I think i will nothing change on this mouthpiece