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Sorry for ANOTHER mouthpiece thread, but I've been looking for a source that can provide a good description of the rims of the different mouthpieces. B & S are the only mouthpieces that I've seen that provide a good description of the rim. All the other manufacturers mention the inner diameter and that is it. I ask because I'm currently playing on a Conn Helleberg and it is too sharp on the inner edge, I'd like something more rounded that can provide more comfort.

Thanks,

James

Do you want to change anything besides the rim contour? If not, you can always have the rim turned by Vladimir @ Dillons.

Also, some of the newest Conn 120S mouthpieces have a little bit more rounded rim than the really flat, sharp rim of a few years ago, while retaining the rest of the mouthpiece geometry.

Being as new to the instrument as I am. I'm unsure if I want other things to change or not. I have a hard time getting the low range to speak, unless I'm really warmed up and working the range. If I go off and play in the staff for a while, then the low notes get to air balling again. By low range I'm specifically referring to C below the staff and lower. Will more of a cupped MP help with that? I'm going to TMEA and will try out as many mouthpieces and tubas as I can. But screwing around with changing MP's while trying tubas probably isn't the best idea.

NDSPTuba wrote:Sorry for ANOTHER mouthpiece thread, but I've been looking for a source that can provide a good description of the rims of the different mouthpieces. B & S are the only mouthpieces that I've seen that provide a good description of the rim. All the other manufacturers mention the inner diameter and that is it. I ask because I'm currently playing on a Conn Helleberg and it is too sharp on the inner edge, I'd like something more rounded that can provide more comfort.

Just about everything on the market has a rounder rim than a traditional Conn Helleberg. There's just no way to describe how a mouthpiece will feel, and that's why we are left with simple statements like "slightly rounded".

Now, to the issue of notes speaking in the low register. This is not a mouthpiece rim issue. This is an embouchure issue. You will not solve this by changing mouthpieces, though you may mask it for a while. Getting a mouthpiece that masks this problem will just let you reinforce the problem and anchor it more deeply into your habits. Don't do it.

The Conn Helleberg is one of two or three archetype mouthpiece designs, and while a given player may not find it optimal, nearly any good player will find it completely usable. If you were having problems with a mouthpiece that used an "out-there" design, then it would be one thing. But problems with fundamental tone production using a fundamentally sound mouthpiece usually means it isn't a mouthpiece problem. My advice is to cure the disease rather than treating the symptoms.

With me, blowing airballs in the low register happens when I'm not presenting my embouchure with a sufficient air supply. With the embouchure loose for the low notes, the air has to be slow so that the lips can come back together without having to tighten them. The only way to get slower air is to use a larger aperture. Make sure your throat and teeth are making a big hole. When I'm blowing through a closed air supply, the airspeed and pressure increases and the low notes don't speak reliably.

Also, for low notes you use the soft part of your lips, which is the inside edge--the part that stays inside your mouth. You may have to roll your lips out a bit so that the soft parts are meeting, and roll them in so that the stiffer parts are meeting for high notes. Some people do this by extending their jaw on low notes. I know this is good advice but I have trouble doing it consistently.

But even if I'm exactly right in my suggestions, one good lesson will accomplish about 1000 times more than any amount of wordage on Tubenet. Don't buy another mouthpiece without at least one lesson with a good tuba teacher. That will be $75 far better spent.

Rick "who made this mistake and is still paying for it after decades" Denney

You may also find easing the weight of the horn off your bottom lip makes low notes speak more readily. When playing high notes, I was taught to lean forward slightly and tip the bell of the horn out so, when playing lower notes I do the opposite, slightly. All this should be done without changing the angle of your face to the axis of the horn. Try it and see if it helps. A very good tuba player taught me this and it improved my range a great deal.