TromboneChat

I currently play on a shires Q30 and a schilke 51D roughly the same amount of time (1 year, got the schilke shortly after the horn). I was recommended the schilke by my teacher but now my teachers, including the one who recommended the 51d are saying it's on the small side for the instrument. Obviously a different mouthpiece won't solve any of my playing problems but I'd hate for it to cause any problems of itself. I'm also not particularly attached to the 51d and would be cool leaving it, there weren't many things that made it much more preferable over my previous bach 5g. Recently, I was recommended the bach 4g or something by denis wick by a local professor that I trust. What are some pieces or mouthpiece traits that tend to not argue with this particular instrument/why is the schilke too small and why would he recommend the 4g?

Any advice is appreciated

The 51D is not "small," necessarily, but the rim size is pretty small for most players. It's very deep but has a 6.5AL sized rim.

A 4G or 4BL might be a good thing to try- find a used one and it will be a cheap experiment.

It's not uncommon that our embouchure needs a larger rim as we develop. Maybe it's time for you to move up from a 1.01 inch rim to a 1.02 inch rim. There are lots of different mouthpieces in this size.

The classic is the Bach 4G. I played one for years.
Another is the Schilke 52. If you like the rim on your 51D you will like the 52 (note: 52E2 is a very deep mouthpiece and may be too big a step).
Wick has several in this size: 4AL, 4BL, and 4ABL. I went from the 4G to the 4BL. I found the 4AL to be an air hog. 4ABL is midway between and may be good. Note that Wick has an unusual rim profile. Some people like it and others hate it; seems to be no middle ground.

Good luck.

I'll echo what has already been said, and add that even a 51 (no letter, slightly shallower but slightly wider than a 51D) might have been a better fit from the get go. I wouldn't plug a 51D into anything but a Euphonium; it's generally too small a diameter for many faces, and otherwise too deep a cup for trombone.

(Fwiw I found that I liked a Bach 5G better than a Schilke 51 in that size range.)

If you'd like another opinion, you can ask Doug Elliott who is on this site. He can analyze via Skype what will work best for you.

Do you still have the 5G? Do you have any other mouthpieces at all?
The 51D is generally not a good choice but I know some teachers advocate it.

Doug Elliott wrote: ↑Tue Jul 04, 2023 7:47 pm Do you still have the 5G? Do you have any other mouthpieces at all?
The 51D is generally not a good choice but I know some teachers advocate it.

I still have the 5g. Should I just play that instead?

A 5G is a great mouthpiece to use on any large bore trombone. If I had to describe an "average" mouthpiece it would be a 5G. Should you go bigger? Only you and your teacher can really say.

Try it, probably a better choice.

The 51D was at one time a popular choice for Euphonium. Very deep cup. A 5G is a much better choice with that horn, and many players these days are playing bigger rims than the 5, with slightly shallower cups than the G. The 51D is basically the opposite. The 5G was the "go to" mouthpiece for large bore tenors for many years - it's a pretty good place to start.

Jim Scott