Trumpet Mouthpieces
Trumpet Mouthpieces
Trumpet Mouthpieces
by
AdrianD.Griffin
Asitappearedinitsuneditedversion.
TheInstrumentalistMagazine,February,2008
Themouthpiecemaybethemostcrucialequipmentchoiceastudentcanmakeotherthanhis/her
trumpetplaying.Itisalsotheeasiestthingtochangeinonesplayingtoachieveadarkeror
brightercolor,oradapttodifferentsituationssuchasleadplayingororchestralplaying.
Onceaplayersaircausesthetensedlipstovibrate,thevibrationsthenenterthemouthpiece.It
isthissoundwhichentersandisfurtheramplifiedbythetrumpetitself.Whatthismeansisthat
themouthpieceistheprimaryresonatingfactorintrumpetplaying.Thetrumpetisjustan
amplificationofthemouthpieceitself.
Whileamouthpiececancomplementwhataplayeristryingtodo,itsnotgoingtoallowthemto
dosomethingtheycant.Ifastudenthastechnicalissues,anewmouthpieceisntgoingtofix
them.Ideally,theperfectmouthpieceshouldeasetheirhighrange,blowfreeandeasyinthe
middleandlowrange,playintune,havegoodenduranceandbephysicallycomfortable.
Astudentwithawelldevelopedembouchurewillbeabletoplayonalargermouthpiece,giving
themalarger,warmersound.Itistypicalforstudentstogetanewmouthpiecesometimeafter
theirsecondyearofplaying,andagainastheyadvanceintopreprofessionalplaying.
Trumpetplayersoftendontjustdonthaveonemouthpiece;wehavetwo,three,evenfour.
Someplayershavemanagedtocollecthundredsovertheircareer.Weareeachinsearchofthe
holygrailofmouthpiecesonewhichoffersbothphysicalcomfort,easeofplaying,andthe
soundwewanttomake.
Althoughanewmouthpieceisasmallinvestmentintermsofprice,itishighintermsof
adjustingtotheembouchurechangeoverthenextmonth.Itisimportantthatthestudenttake
thetimetomakeagooddecision,sotheydontwasteamonthofstudyadjustingtoa
mouthpiecethatultimatelydoesnotworkout.
Selectingamouthpiece
Beforetheytrytheirnewmouthpiece,thestudentshoulddoacompletewarmupontheir
standardequipment.Thiswillgettheminshapeandgivethemabasisforcomparison.The
roomwheretheytrythemouthpiecesshouldhavegoodacoustics(havethemclaptheirhands
onceandlistentothereverberation),oraroomwheretheyarealreadyfamiliarwiththeirsound.
Thestudentshouldbelookingforamouthpiecethatiscomfortable,butwithoutcompromising
onsound.Ifpossible,theteacheroranothertrumpetplayershouldbewiththestudentasthey
tryoutmouthpieces,sincethesoundwillbesomewhatdifferentinfrontofthebell.Also,
someoneintheroomshouldmixupthestudentsmouthpiecechoicessotheydontknowwhich
onetheyareplaying.Thiseliminatesanypreconceptionsthestudentmayhave,andallowsthem
toobjectivelyreportonthecomfortandsoundofeachmouthpiece.Makesuretheyrest
frequentlysotheirchopsareasfreshaspossible,toavoidbiasingtheresult.
Theadjustmentperiod
Afterpickingtheirnewmouthpiece;thestudentshouldbepatient.Theywillprobablynoticea
temporarydropintheirenduranceandrange.Reassurethemthatthisiscompletelynormal,
sincetheyareusingtheirembouchuremusclesslightlydifferentlywiththenewmouthpiece.The
initialexcitement(Wherehasthismouthpiecebeenmywholelife?)isoftenfollowedby
frustrationasthenewmusclesbecomefatiguedoverthefirstweekortwo.Theywillgettheir
chopsbackoncethemuscleshaverebuilttheirendurance.
Aftergettingthenewmouthpiece,havethestudenttakeadayortwoofffromplaying,togive
theirmusclestimetofullyrest.Afterthisrestperiod,havethemeaseintothenewmouthpiece
withaslow,easywarmup(longtones)thatrequiresverylittlepressureandmovement.
Followingthewarmup,havethestudenteaseintotheirpracticeroutine,payingspecialattention
totheirembouchure.Theirdailypracticeshouldbenomorethan4560minutesforthefirsttwo
weeksofthemouthpiecechange.Youwantthemtoexercisethenewembouchuremuscles
withoutdepletingthem.Iftheykeeprunningthemusclestoexhaustioneachday,themuscles
willbetootiredtoactuallybuildendurance.
Aftertwoweeks,theembouchuremusclesshouldbeacclimatedtothenewmouthpiece,andthe
musclesshouldhavebuiltupenoughstrengthandenduranceforthestudentsregularpractice
routine.
Havethestudentputawaytheiroldequipmentsotheywontreachforitinatimeofneed!If
theirnewmouthpieceisnotperformingastheywouldlikeittoafteronemonth,theycanreturn
tothepreviousmouthpieceorbegintheirsearchagainwithabetterideaofwhattheyarelooking
for.
Mouthpiecesforbeginners
The7Cor5Cmouthpieceisthemostcommonforbeginners.Studentswithlargerlipswillbe
morecomfortableonamouthpiecewithawiderinnerrim(theopencenterofthemouthpiece),
suchastheBach5B.Thislargerinnerrimwillallowthestudentslipsroomtovibrate;a
narrowerinnerrimwillpinchintothefleshypartoftheirlips,causingissuesintone,flexibility,
andendurance.
Whilestudentswithslightlythinnerlipscanplayastandard7Cmouthpiece,playerswith
extremelythinlipsshouldchooseamouthpiecewithanarrowerinnerrim,suchasBach10C.
Astandardmouthpiecewouldrequireadditionalmouthpiecepressureforthesestudents,andas
abeginnertheirembouchurestrengthisinsufficient.
Somestudentsmayhaveateardroplip,inwhichthefrontpartofthelipcomesdownfurtherthan
therestofthetoplip.Sincethislipformationcanleadtoanunreliableresponse,flutteringinthe
sound,adownwardairstream,andaperturecontrolissues,theteardroplipisgenerallynotwell
suitedtothetrumpet.
Ifastudentwithateardropliphastheirheartsetonplayingtrumpetandunderstandsthe
difficultiesassociatedwiththeirlipshape,privatelessonscanhelpthemdevelopstrategiesto
minimizeitsimpactontheirplaying.TheSchilke13C4canbeagoodmouthpiecechoicefor
studentswithateardroplip.ItiscomparabletoaBach3C,butithasmorerimsurfaceareaand
isslightlymoreflat,helpingtostabilizetheteardropportionofthelip.Itsmorefunnelshaped
cupalsoallowsthelipsroomtovibrate.
Thepartsofanymouthpiecearetherim,cup,throat,shank,andbackbore.Eachofthese
componentshasadifferenteffectonthecomfortandsoundofthemouthpiece.
MouthpieceRim
Therimofanybrassmouthpieceismeasureintermsofitsdiameter,width,contourandedge
(bite).Therimchoicehasthemostinfluenceontheplayerscomfortandendurance.Asharper
inneredgewillproduceacleanerattack,whilearoundedinnerrimwillcreateasmoother,more
roundedattack.
Iftheedgeistoosharpitcanreduceendurancebypushingintothefleshofthelips.However,a
sharperedgewillalsohelpwithcontrolbyallowingonlytheproperamountoffleshtovibrate.
Ingeneral,themoreoftheoutsiderimaplayerhasincontactwiththeflesh,thelessfreethelips
aretoresonate.Iftherimistoonarrow,itcanpushintothefleshofthelipsandcausealackof
enduranceaswellaspossiblebruising.Amediumwiderimisgenerallybest,andisfoundon
themoststandardmouthpieces.
MouthpieceCup
Thecupofthemouthpieceismuchlikeabowl,andinfluencesthesoundandresponsiveness.A
deepercupwillproduceadeepersound,easierplayinginthelowregister,andaslower
responsetimebecauseoftheadditionalvolumeofair.Ashallowerthecupwillproducea
brightersound,easierplayinginthehighrange,andarapidresponsetime.Shallowcupsare
bestusedforhighplayingorsmalltrumpet(piccolo/Eb/D)performing.
Theshapeofthecupalsoplaysaroleinsound.Thebowlshapeofastandardmouthpiece
producesabrightertimbrethantheconeshapefoundontheflugelhornmouthpiece.
Professionalsmayspecialorderaconicalcupforastandardmouthpieceshanktoachieveadark,
warm,mellowsoundonthetrumpet.
MouthpieceThroat
Thethroatcanbestbedescribedastheholeinthecenterofthecup.Thebiggerthethroat,the
moreaircanpassthrough.Thecoreofthesoundwillbewarmer,richer,andhaveaclear,pure
focus.
Thestockthroatsizeisa27,referringtothesizeofthedrillbitusedtocreateit.Highschool
studentswouldtypicallyplaya27or26(slightlylarger)throatsize.Professionalsmore
commonlyusea24or23,whichallowsthemtomovemoreairthroughthemouthpiece.
Usingalargerthroatrequiresawellestablishedembouchureandgoodendurance.Otherwise,a
throatthatistoolargecanresultinplayingflat.
MouthpieceShank
Theshankisthepartofthemouthpiecethatisinsertedintothemouthpiecereceiverofthe
trumpetleadpipe.Thestudentshouldcleanthemouthpiecewithabrushaftereachuse,tokeep
depositsfrombuildingupinsidetheshank.
Themouthpiecemustcreateatightsealinthemouthpiecereceiverforproperperformance.
Mouthpiecereceiversvaryonlyslightlyinsizeifatallfromcompanytocompany,soplugand
playworksmostofthetime,butnotalways.Ifastudentinsertstheirmouthpieceintothe
trumpetandhearsametallichittingsound,itprobablymeanstheirmouthpieceshankistoo
slender,andhasextendedpastthemouthpiecereceivertohittheleadpipeitself.
Ifthemouthpiecedoesnotsealwell,theresultingairleakwillmakethetrumpetnearly
unplayable,andifitisplayableitwillbequiteflat.
MouthpieceBackbore
Thebackboreistheinteriorcircumferenceoftheshank,andisamajorfactorintheoveralltone
colorwhenthemouthpiecemeetsthetrumpet.Abiggerbackborewillproduceadarkersound;a
narrowerbackborewillproduceabrightersound.
Ifthebackboreistoolarge,theplayerwillsufferfromdeflatedenduranceandflatintonation.If
thebackboreistoonarrow,therewillbeperceptiblylessroomfortheplayertoaltertheairflow
inordertomakeminoradjustmentsinthepitchandsound.
Mouthpiecesfordifferenttrumpets
Althoughtrumpetscomeinvariouspitches(beyondthemostfamiliarBbandC),alltrumpets
useastandardtrumpetmouthpiece.Cornets,however,useamouthpiecewithashankthatis
narroweraswellasshorter.Thetraditionalcornetmouthpieceisfunnelshaped,likeaflugelhorn
mouthpiece(producingawarmersound);themoderncornetmouthpieceiscupshaped,likethe
trumpetmouthpiece.
Althoughsimilartoacornetmouthpiece,thecupofaflugelhornmouthpieceismuchmore
funnelcupped,andtheshankistaperedforthelargerflugelhornreceiver.
Mostpiccolotrumpetperformersuseamouthpiecewithashallowcupandanarrowerrim(both
innerandouter).Thereceiverofthepiccolotrumpetmaybedesignedforeitheratrumpetor
cornetshank.Thecornetfittingrespondssomewhatfasterbecauseofitsnarrowerbackboreand
shortershank,soispreferredbymostprofessionals.
Fromgoldtoplastic
Mouthpiecesstartfromrawbrass,andarethenplatedtotherequestofthemanufactureror
customer.Becauseoftheriskofbrasspoisoning,itisillegalforamanufacturertosella
mouthpiecetoacustomerwithouttheplating.
Silverplatingisstandardforanymouthpiece,andtendstogripthelipsbetterthangold.Aplayer
wholikesafirmsetfortheirmouthpiecewillbemostcomfortablewithsilverplating.Gold
platingwarmsupfasterthansilver,andisalsoalittleheavierthansilver,addingsomeweightto
themouthpiece.Goldplatingallowsthelipstomovealittlemorefreely,whichwetsetplayers
maytendtoprefer.
Plasticmouthpiecesaremostoftenusedoustideforcoldtemperatureperforming,orforcasual
buzzinginthecar.Theyareinexpensiveandquitedurable,butlackthesoundqualityofthe
standardmetalmouthpiece.
Plasticorluciterimsareusefulforplayerswhohaveanallergytosilverorgoldplating,aswellas
forplayingoutsideincoldtemperatures.Theserimsarecustomorderedbecausetheyaremade
perorderandrequestfromthemanufacturerasapartofscrewrimmouthpieces.Generally,
screwrimmouthpiecescostslightlymorethanastandardmouthpieceandtypicallytakesa
monthortwotoreceive,soaplasticmouthpieceisamoreeconomicalchoicefortheoccasional
outdoorperformancesituation.
Specialtymouthpieces
Screwrimmouthpiecesweredevelopedforplayerstousethesamerimbutchangetodifferent
backboresandthroatsusedfordifferenttrumpetsorplayingsituations.Alargecupand
backboremaybemoreappropriateforsymphonicplaying;thesameplayercanusethesamerim
withmoreshallowcupandtighterbackboreforjazzorleadwork.Playersshouldputadropof
valveoilonthethreadseveryotherweekorsotokeeptherimfromlockingtothecup.
Amegatonemouthpieceismuchlikeastandardmouthpiecehowever,butwithasubstantial
amountofweightaddedtothebodyofthemouthpiece.Theaddedmassallowsthelouder
volumetobeproducedwithlessdistortion,whileaddingwarmthanddarknesstothesoundin
allregisters.Amegatonemouthpieceisstandardizedwithalargerthroat.
Thefluffymouthpieceisahybridmouthpiece,combiningthecupofaflugelhornmouthpiecewith
therimandshankofatrumpetmouthpiece.Theendresultisawarm,velvetysoundwhichis
perfectforquietpassagesorlyricalsolos.
Bentmouthpiecesareusefulforplayerswhohaveaverysevereoverorunderbitethatisnot
correctablebysimplypushingorpullingthebottomjawforwardorbackwards.Theseplayers
playwithanacutelydownwardorupwardslanttotheirtrumpet.Themanufacturercanbend
themouthpieceby812degreestocorrectthetrumpetspositionwithoutadverselyaffectingthe
pitch.
TheasymmetricalmouthpiecewasdevelopedbyJohnLynch,andusesaspecialcupdesigntoallow
foreasierhighrangeplayingwithlessmouthpiecepressure.Itshouldnotbeusedforeveryday
playing.Formoreinformationonthismouthpiecevisitwww.asymmetricmouthpiece.com.
MouthpieceRepairTools
Althoughmajortrumpetrepairsshouldbereferredtotheshop,abanddirectorcanmakelife
easierforthemselvesandtheirstudentsbyhavingafewsimpletoolsonhand.
Fortheoccasionalsituationwhenastudentgetstheirmouthpiecestuckinthereceiver,a
mouthpiecepullerisessentialandmakesquickworkofthesituation.Donoteveruseawrench;
boththemouthpieceandtheleadpipeitselfcanbedamaged,escalatingafreerepairintoan
expensivesolderingjob.
Amouthpiecetrueingtoolisamusttohavearoundincaseofadroppedmouthpiece.Iftheshank
isbent,thetrueingtoolcanbeinsertedintotheshankandtwisted,returningthedentedshankto
itscylindricalshape.
Howtoreadmouthpiecenumbering
TheBachnumberingsystemisconsideredthestandardformouthpiececomparisons,andisused
asareferencetocompareotherbrands.IntheBachsystem,thenumberreferstotherim
circumference;thebiggerthenumberthesmallertherim.Bachmouthpiecesrangeinsizefrom1
to20.
TheletterintheBachsystemreferstothecupsize.Thehighertheletter,thesmallerthecup;so
Aisthelargestcupsize.TheCcup(ormediumcup)isthemostcommoninsymphonyand
bandplaying.D,EandFcupsarereferredtoasshallowcups,andaretypicallyusedfor
leadplayinginjazzband.
MouthpieceComparisonChart
Bach
Monette
Schilke
DenisWick
Yamaha
Numbering
Numbering
Numbering
Numbering
Numbering
1C
B15
20,M1
TR17C4
1C
B2
M1.5,15
TR17B4
1C
B3
16C4,M2
2W
TR16C4
2C
14
TR15C4
3C
B6
M3,13C4
TR14B4
5B
14D
TR14D4
5C
13B
4C
TR14C4
6C
12
4C
TR13B4
7C
B7F
11
4B
TR11C4
101/2C
B8
9C4
TR8C4
TrumpetMouthpieceManufacturers
Bach
www.bachbrass.com
DenisWick
www.deniswick.com
Yamaha
www.yamaha.com
Monette
www.monette.net
Warburton
www.warburtonusa.com
Curry
www.currympc.com
GregBlack
www.gregblackmouthpieces.com
Schilke
www.schilkemusic.com
Marcinkiewicz
www.marcinkiewicz.com
Stork
www.storkcustom.com
JetTone
www.jettone.com
Kelly
www.kellymouthpieces.com
Reeves
www.bobreeves.com