TromboneChat

I play principal trombone in a couple community Orchestras, and have never played Alto trombone before.

Have a couple Mozart/Beethoven heavy concerts coming up in the spring, found a used Yamaha 671 for the right price, and decided it would be fun to try to learn Alto. I looked into the Chinese options, including the hand-picked/collaboration ones (like ACB Doubler or Schmitt Music Lake City), but felt more comfortable going with a reputable model. I've been bitten by crappy, cheap horns.

I'm wondering what a good "baseline" mouthpiece to start out on would be, particularly for that horn. I have always played standard 5g sizes (Conn, Griego 5/5M/5ES) on large tenor, and have had good luck with a Bach 6.5 on small tenor, which is what the horn comes with.

Do I need a special alto shank piece? Is a 6.5 too large? I don't wish to ebark on the perfect mouthpiece journey, just find something appropriate for the equipment that won't sabotage me learning or my tenor playing.

Cheap options:
5C, Yamaha 48, 48A, or Nils Landgren.
6-1/2 works OK.

See how a standard small shank fits.

Learning the instrument is more important right now than finding the "perfect mouthpiece."

The 671 takes a standard trombone shank -- nothing special. My Conn 36H came with a 7C (but a special shank for that horn). I played a Bach 4C since I'm not comfortable on smaller rims. Then I got a Giardinelli 5M with a screw rim to which I fitted a Doug Elliott MT 102 rim. This worked great for me.

Some find the really small mouthpieces like Bach 12C or 15C work great. The Bach alto came with a 15EW (extra shallow with a wide rim).

Just a few suggestions.

For learning the horn, I have the alto method by Forum Member Harrison Reed, although I had to learn it by brute force since Harrison only published his method about 20 years after I got my alto. There is also a nice book by Mike Lake.

The 671 came with a Yam 48A, the “A” signifying an alto back bore.

Why not start with that?

Personally, I don't like to change everything at one moment and prefer to have something "old/familiar" as a start point (new mouthpiece / old instrument, new instrument / old mouthpiece).
So, in your situation I'd start with 6,5 and learn how to play on Alto (positions / blowing etc.) and later change mouthpiece if something is wrong (tone/partials etc.).

Denis Wick 10cs works great.

Bach5G wrote: ↑Wed Nov 13, 2024 10:05 pm The 671 came with a Yam 48A, the “A” signifying an alto back bore.

Why not start with that?

My 671, purchased new from WWBW, did not come with a mouthpiece. Come to think of it, of my 4 "new" instruments, only one came with its mouthpiece. Is it rare for mouthpieces to actually get delivered like they're supposed to?

My 671 works marvelously well with a garden variety Faxx 7C. Nice, light alto sound, good intonation with octaves that line up well, and responsive articulation. I experimented with other, more exotic options, but they all were missing some piece of the whole -- Hammond 45C, Schilke 40something, one of John Calder's bespoke alto creations, Wick 10CS. The 7C just made music easiest for me.

Thanks all!

I'll have 2 (perhaps different vintage or spec) Bach 6 1/2's, a Marcinkiewicz 12 (bit smaller) I used to use for lead big band playing, and possibly a Wick 10cs to play around with. One of them should work.

A friend tells me his 671 came with a 48A, but he bought it a number of years ago.

Bach5G wrote: ↑Mon Nov 18, 2024 5:32 pm A friend tells me his 671 came with a 48A, but he bought it a number of years ago.

They did. I also recommend trying a 48A. I’ve used it on both a 671 and my current 871. I might have an extra one I could unload - send me an email if interested.

I’m in the camp that no single mouthpiece is ideal for all situations where alto gets used. I have a couple alto pieces I like (Greg Black customs, etc.), but I still find myself coming back to the 48A on the rep you’re using it on… I just used it on Mozart Requiem a week ago.

As far as using tenor pieces on altos go, a 6 1/2 is ok. One of my favorite alto players uses it with great success... But I have found it much easier for me to play alto well with the smaller throat of a “real” alto piece.

Many decades ago now, but I recall that it worked really well with the stock 48A and a Bach 7C. I still have a DE setup I got to use with it…. But I sold the horn before I played in public with it.

Cheers,
Andy

The 15CL and 13CL are very good choices, too, and not very expensive.

According to a list set out in Alto Savvy, a Bach 6 1/2 AM works for some.

I also liked a Bach 11C in my JP 236.