I was playing the Pickett Brass Mark Ridenour mouthpiece and was ignoring all the negatives about it. One day in my lesson my professor said, "Brandon, you sound really bad" and he proceeded to give me a few different mouthpieces to try that instantly improved my sound to the warm rich sound I had been trying to obtain with Mark. I tried very hard to make it work with Mark, but I ended up on a $50 date with Tom Hooten and he won my heart.
I have also experienced a long and frustrating mouthpiece journey, however my issues always hinged around my tooth architecture creating a point of contact that could be overly-stressed and even cut. It took many years of trial to come to understand what was important for my face in a mouthpiece overall, but most importantly, in rim shape and size. Thanks for the great commiseration!
Thanks for sharing!! Yes, I definitely feel like rim shape is one of the less well understood aspects of mouthpieces, and contributes to a lot of pain and discomfort when not properly experimented with... so glad you found something that works for you, your anatomy, and your playing style!
Many commercial players will change mouthpieces during a day, some even during a session. I haven't heard of classical players doing this unless they change horns. Thoughts? Maybe one mpc just can't satisfy all needs?
I’ve hopefully come to the end of my own mouthpiece journey as of recent. First real one was a Kanstul copy of a Mt Vernon 3C with a Bach 10 backbore. Unfortunately lost it. Went through numerous upgrades and sizes mainly around 1.25C variants. Currently am on a custom piece that Jim R New made for my teacher. It’s a B4S/1.5C/26/24. Designed to be efficient while not losing comfort. Great video. Very informative.
Great video Jon! Really enjoying all your videos so far that I’ve watched 👍. I’m just a hobbyist trumpet player, in my early 50s, and have been trying to play trumpet for around 4 years now. For background I actually was formerly a baritone horn player (British brass band baritone) who struggled away on low brass, with serious embouchure anxieties for best part of 30 years. I gave up baritone for trumpet after having had enough of big mouthpiece struggles for years, I felt that I’d be happier on trumpet and that given time I’d adapt to the smaller mouthpiece. It certainly is taking time! 😜🤣. And 50+ mouthpieces later …..😳🙄??? I’ve tried: Bachs, Yamahas, Denis Wicks (very popular here in the UK), Schilkes, Curry’s 600s, Monettes, Lotus mouthpieces, and a few other odds and ends off EBay. Right now I’m trying to decide between a Yamaha Tom Hooten signature (loved your review) and an Alliance Brass #2 Prestige (manufactured by Denis Wick) …. Love both these ladies! ❤️. To decide which is best for me I know that I need to spend more longer periods than I generally do to get used to a mouthpiece …. I’m only a hobbyist like I said, playing trumpet is not my job, I just don’t have the time to invest the dedication or intensity in to my mouthpiece relationships that you do …. But I’m still having fun! 😃🎺❤️. And there’s a Denis Wick Heritage 1.5C trying to woo me as well at the moment …. What’s a guy to do?! Choices-choices!! 🤣. Love the videos Jon, keep them coming! Very best wishes, Donald 🎺❤️🏴
Hilarious. I have recently "broken up" with a large harem of mouthpieces. I am now down to one - a Bach 3D. She's quite the bright lass, but she's easy, and so I like her. 😄
I find I fall out of love with mouthpieces during the winter when it is very dry and my lips don't feel quite normal. I also have the problem of big lips and having to play cornet, flugel and piccolo which makes everything a compromise. I also dropped a dumbell on my face and damaged my lip a couple of years ago which was really not a great idea! My longest relationship was 1988-2002 when I played a modern Bach 1. Currently on a Monette 1-5M on trumpet but difficult to get something working on cornet.
The worst mouthpiece I ever played was Marcinkiewicz 1-1/3c mouthpiece. Even though it got me through honor band and college auditions, I found myself unable to play longer than 5 to 10 minutes at a time. I am happy with my current mouthpiece. I play a Stork Vacchiano 2B+25c mouthpiece. The response is faster, more direct, the intonation is almost always spot on, the articulations are faster and smoother, and ironically, it’s easier for me to hit high notes!
Super informative. Your videos have me thinking about my mouthpiece. It’s a Bach 1 1/2 C, unsure of throat and backbore sizes though. Been using it for decades for everything. When you mentioned the flat upper register I “resonated” with that critique.
I’m looking at a Harrelson Spectra Tone mouthpiece. You can change out the rim,cup and throat sizes to customize your personal needs . Plus he offers a Venturi gap kit for any horn. He also builds trumpets
I still remember my first. Vincent Bach corp. 6c. You will forever be in my heart... And the mouthpiece-wallet because I for some reason carry around 4 mouthpieces when I only use one of them
I only play Bb. But yeah still use it from time to time when I want a specific sound. Right now my main is a schilke 15a4a heavyweight. Best mouthpiece I have ever played
Very interesting video and it's always a trumpet players quest for a bigger tone and better flexibility. But myself I have used the same mouthpiece for over 50 years I have used a bach 1 1/2 c . I am mainly a jazz player and I found it other shallower mouthpieces never worked for me. I have a robust embouchure and I need a deep cup to keep the blood flow ,when you're playing a hard gig or endurance is a factor but mainly you have to get used to a certain mouthpiece before you can take full advantage of it. If you cannot play in an upper range because of mouthpieces too big then you need to practice once you develop a very strong embouchure you can play in any range despite the mouthpiece.
Hey Jon great video! Let me share some info with you on what I found to be an ideal mouthpiece for orchestra, band and solo work. I had played for several years on a Bach Herseth style mouthpiece; a 1B rim and cup, with a 22 throat and a 24 backbore. I loved the big orchestral tone of this mouthpiece and I could really push the louds on it. But since I'm not Herseth 🙄 after an hour of hard playing it wore me down. A few months ago I had been in touch with west coast studio trumpeter Jon Lewis and he got me onto a mouthpiece he actually designed and machined himself and called it a CAJon Mouthpiece. He later gave the mouthpiece to Gary Radtke to make improvements. Jon had me get in touch with GR on the specifics. Let's say first I have never been a flat rim guy like most orchestral players and neither is Jon Lewis. The mouthpiece GR made for Jon had a Bach 1-1/2C rim, a Bach 3C cup, a 22 throat and a big GR #3 backbore on a 4 inch studio blank. Jon used this mouthpiece for all the Star Wars stuff. He was also using it in his orchestral work too, but said at times he needed to sound darker on some first parts, so he had a version made that used a 3B cup. He used this 3C design on his Bb, C, D and Eb trumpets. Since I like a .670 inside rim his design is one of the best I've seen. Keep those videos coming!
I know... I think we all want to believe in "the one" - but really almost all successful relationships are built on years and years of learning, adjusting, and understanding each other deeply. An initial spark is awesome, but the other things are what carry a relationship into a long and happy future.
My worst mouthpiece was playing a Bach 1C my first semester of my degree RIGHT after coming back from drum corps where I played on a Yamaha 14B4 all summer. Way too big, way too deep 😓
I played bored out Bach 3C for years and then switched to a GR 66VC after a blind test. The intonation blew me away. I play that for most things now. I keep thinking I should go to something bigger, but I just keep sticking with that same mouthpiece because I sound good on it and I don't really have the time or money to try out a bunch of mouthpieces right now. Have you ever tried a GR? I would love to hear your thoughts on them in comparison to what you have played over the years.
Take the GR play test Jon, or at the very least make a blind play test for yourself using the same etudes to directly compare mouthpiece A B and C rather than shooting in the dark over time like this. No need to guess and theorize when you have a test that will actually show you your winner piece. Test to find your correct rim and diameter first, not Billie’s or Bobby’s or your teacher’s but YOUR correct fit. Never try to fit into your teachers shoes. In fact he should know better, to help you find what fits you not him. …Rim and diameter first by finding which plays with the fewest etude errors (cracked notes/ air balls…) and the most crisp, clear articulation👌 Take your time and listen closely. Then you can move on to testing cup depth, alpha angle, backbore etc. Treat it like a good science experiment. You’re a smart young cat with a load of potential, you’ll get it. Nice work with these videos too🤙
Yes, I have played a few! Mostly ones similar to what people consider the "Tom Rolfs" edition which is a Stork Vacchiano 2B+25C. The Vacchiano rim is very different from my Parke, and the cup design is also very different, however the storks are impeccably made! The Parke Orchestral rim is a flat Bach 1X style rim, while the Vacchiano rim is very rounded making it a little easier to get around the instrument. The Stork cup, especially the "pumped cup" models indicated by the +, are very unique but I really enjoy the full sound and great flexibility. My favorite so far is a Vacchiano 2B+24D which I had converted to a bach-like blank (as shown in my recent video, "Same Mouthpiece, Different Weight").
I‘m currently with a Yamaha John Hagstrom, which is a good allround mouthpiece for me. Especially I like the full, still brilliant, but not too sharp sound using it. But I wonder whether this is silver plated brass, because the surface, finish and color is much like stainless steel. Do you know anything about that? Couldn’t find information by Yamaha.
Yes, it is silver plated brass, but by John's request it is plated without first being buffed which gives it that more dull satin appearance instead of super shiny like most new Yamaha mouthpieces. 🤓🎺
