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My section leader wanted us to play our music with a more edgy attack. I don't know how to explain it. It sounds sort of a controlled blat. Can you guys help me get that tone because it sounds awesome, but I cant get seems to nail the tone he's looking for.

Try any fiberglass sousaphone...

Yeah. We're playing these uber nice Conn 20ks. I think the key to getting the tone is alot of air, but I can't seem to harness enough air to blow through it. Is that the problem?

What type of mouthpiece are you using? If it's something fairly deep and/or funnel-like, you might want to consider switching to something shallower and/or cup-like. I might recommend a Marcinkiewicz N4, Miraphone C4 (TU23), or LOUD models LM-10 or LM-12.

Given that sousaphones aren't always the most "user-friendly" instruments, I've always tended to favor something that would allow me to kinda muscle the horn around. I've never able to get the kind of bite or control I like with Helleberg-style pieces, or any of the Bach 18/24 variants.

The LOUD LM-10 and LM-12 are copies of two of my mouthpieces, both of which I've used with great success on sousaphones. When I marched in the USC band, I used the mouthpiece that the LM-12 was copied from. It has a rim like a Marcinkiewicz N4, but the cup is radically shallow, with a pretty drastic undercut. It has to be seen to be believed. The throat and backbore are huge, and you can pour all kinds of air into the horn. Oddly enough, the mouthpiece is very efficient, and easy to play. In fact, if you try forcing it around, it *will* back up on you. Once you get used to it, though (which shouldn't take any time at all), it's a pretty intense weapon.

For the record, this mouthpiece was made for me by Ellis Wean in the late 80s, and is basically a copy of the mouthpiece he was using at the time. It was originally cut in acrylic, with a brass shank. The LOUD, in one-piece stainless, is much better.

Joe's got a two-week test drive policy, so you might wanna take one out for a spin.

...Dave

the elephant wrote:

GopherTuba08 wrote:insert basson into bell.. . . .play loud.

umm . . . basson . . . . . . . . ?

umm . . . section leader!

pulseczar wrote:My section leader wanted us to play our music with a more edgy attack. I don't know how to explain it. It sounds sort of a controlled blat. Can you guys help me get that tone because it sounds awesome, but I cant get seems to nail the tone he's looking for.

Maybe your section leader is a closet baritone saxophonist...?

Using a mouthpiece with a somewhat rounded bottom, analgous to a Bach trumpet "C" cup will also help reinforce the higher overtones, helping with the presence of attack, as opposed to the "Helleberg" or funnel shaped cup which actually suppresses higher overtones. Depth of cup is not necessarily the issue as shape, and some say Geib "parabolic" shaped mouthpiece cup also gives more "pop" or attack.

you answered the question yourself:
attack each note with a fierce ta , rather than da..