Heavy mouthpieces

[jmerring]

I am experiencing weakness on the right side of my face, due to a neurological condition. On some notes (most notably first space F under bass clef), I sometimes get a double buzz or the note will fade out almost completely. I generally use a Miraphone Rose Orchestral, TU-33 or Schilke 66. I recently tried a Dillon G-5, which helped in quality of sound, but I still had a bit of embouchure weakness.

Would a heavy-walled, thick rimmed mouthpiece of a wider cup be of any help to hold my weak side? Opinions?

[Dylan King]

Tommy Johnson had a similar problem and always played on a wide-rimmed piece like the Miraphone C4, Marcinkowitz N4, and although I haven't seen or played it, I do believe there is a custom TJ LOUD mouthpiece available as well.

Perhaps more surface area allows one to "smoosh" the mouthpiece against the emouchure a little tighter to prevent leakage.

Just a theory. I hope it helps.

[iiipopes]

If you want a wide rim, of course a Bach 24AW is a really wide rim. A Wick 2 has a more conventional rim that is a little bit wider, because it's a smaller cup in the same sized blank as a Wick 1, and has a slight ridge in the rim that might help get a seal. On either of these, I'd look for an older used "funnel" style which has more metal about the rim rather than the newer "bowl" style exterior that has a really thin rim and really thick outer bowl at the throat. Perantucci also have some mouthpieces that have wider rims, but you'll have to consult their catalog for models, as I don't know them by number.

[JHardisk]

I encountered this problem with a student once. He suffers from an unknown nerve damage to the left side of his face. It affects his hearing, facial muscles and slightly, his left eye. When I first started teaching him, he was playing on a toilet bowl, to prevent air leakage. This worked somewhat, and he had a killer low register sound, but anything above middle C was a real struggle. We took apart his buzz and found that he buzzes heavily on one side. (Ironically, I do this too, after suffering a smashed face and heavy scar tissue as result of an incident with a softball). I switched him to a smaller MPC.. a PT65. He maintained the same placement on the lips and had much success with a wider rimmed, smaller MPC. That same lesson, his range increased to F above middle C with relative ease. (**Note** I am not an advocate for the easy way of solving problems on a short term basis). After we figured out how to work with his damage, we were able to tackle some buzzing issues outside the MPC. This, like many students was his weakest area. He relied upon the MPC to support his buzz.
With the use of a trombone MPC, and trumpet MPC, we were able to form and strengthen the muscles that he did have control over, and substantially help his sound and endurance.

Have you tried moving to smaller equipment? I suppose the wide rim will also offer you quite a bit of support.

[iiipopes]

The two guys who sit next to me in community band use the Rose Orchestral. It is closest in its actual size, cup depth and geometry to a Kelly 18. It has a moderately narrow rim, moderately deep cup that looks like a hybrid, not a really round bowl like a Bach 18, but definitely not a funnel, and a smaller throat.