Onec again, mouthpeice question

[Tom]

I screwed around with lots of different mouthpieces before really understanding that all I needed to do was pick one and go practice.

Thus, that's what I'd recommend

[Benjamin]

I own 2 Con 25 and I own 1 PT-48. My PT-48 came with my Tuba. When I first got it I hated it. But like the man above me in this post said if you pick one and practice you'll get good. I think the PT-48 is real good mouthpiece. But it all depends on you. By they way them PT ones ain't cheap, all the ones I seen were about $100.
Benjamin.

[WoodSheddin]

if ya don't sound good on it after a couple of days then send it back

[tubeast]

Tubachris,

here´s what happened to ME:
- played MW 46 F-tuba with 24AW mouthpiece. Figured sound to be OK in mid- and low ranges and blamed sound issues in high register on my personal limits. (sound tends to "bottleneck" above c1, f1 won´t always work)
- bought B&S 4097 rotary CC-tuba (equals PT20), chose PT50+ mouthpiece to go with it. And WHAM!! greatly decreased sound issues at ALL registers, including an increase in range on the upper end. Hardly any bottlenecking involved here.
- tried PT50+ on F-tuba and had broader sound all over, but the high range issues remained.

My point is:
-you, the horn and the mouthpiece form a team of three that must (or let´s say, WANT TO) work together.
-As long as none of those three have obvious flaws, (on a MP: no chewing gum or hamburgers sticking in the cup!!) you´ll be fine.
-The flaws of one in the team are VERY hard if not impossible to compensate by the other two. (Fight the cause, not the symptom)
-the work you put in as YOUR part of that team of three has the greatest effect on your performance, so that´s always where I start trying to improve.
- don´t be fooled by instant improvement with a new mouthpiece. That may be the effect of sudden difference. Wait several hours of practising before you switch.
Have fun
Hans

BTW, how´s that circular breathing coming ?

[phoenix]

A Laskey 30H works just fine with me on my Miraphone 1291, but it's up to you man. No one here knows what you would sound best on. I hear the stainless steel mouthpieces are worth a shot though. Keep trying different ones and see what you like more and try to actually get to some kind of music store so you can sit down and try likr ten mouthpieces at a time.

[Mitch]

Tubachris,

Before you spend too much money, wait a minute. It's important to keep in mind that the mouthpiece and the horn, in a way, have NOTHING to do with your sound. They are merely an extension of what you physically do to manifest sound. Looking for a magic mouthpiece that will take care of register and timbre issues will be an unfulfilling life-long search.
Find a mouthpiece that's comfortable on your face. That's it. The rest you should be able to do with your embouchure and air. Range, to speak simply, is merely a function of aperture and air speed. It IS that easy. A large aperture and slow air will produce a low note. A small aperture and fast air will produce a high note. The quantity of air will determine volume. It IS that simple.
If you want the secret to a solid range, send me a private message. It is ridiculously simple.
As for the mouthpiece, I would wager it's 10% of the issue, at most. It only amplifies what you're buzzing. In theory, at least, you should be the same player on any mouthpiece. If you're truly an efficient tubist, the mouthpiece should only be affecting the subtlest changes in timbre.

[JayW]

Two thumbs up to Mitch!!!!!!!

[winston]

.

[manatee]

I disagree with all those who say the mouthpiece selection doesn't matter.
If you go to a good hardware store, there are many hammers. All of them do basically the same thing, but they are different. Which one will HELP you build a better house? Which one will make the job easier?
Maybe because you have practiced, you will know.
Maybe like many of us, you will end up collecting hammers.

[elimia]

I tended to look for a mouthpiece that will produce a characteristic sound for the instrument. Then I stick with it and work on the more important parts of making music, namely air volume and control. Rather than buy a bunch of mpcs as the sound fix, I bought a $6 Voldyne spirometer to build endurance and air volume.

Amazingingly, the mpc I was initially sure was just too big to play high on wasn't the issue, nor was the embouchere really. It was the air. I identified my largest obstacle to just be the 'thickness' of the air column. Once I figured that out I've been a much better player. The embouchere wasn't a real problem anymore and the sound and endurance are much improved. I even sound nice in the high register on a pretty big mpc (for me at least).

On euphonium I look at the big ol' SM3 mpc Steven Mead plays. That mpc has been known to be overwhelming to some players. You think he gets that sound because of the mpc?

Mpcs - don't get so hung up on them! IMO work on a less gear oriented and more mundane approach - air column.

[MaryAnn]

It's six of one and a half dozen of the other.

When I was in my early years with the horn (i.e. from about 10 years ago to about 5 years ago) I went though mouthpieces like crazy. Every time I changed I could hear a huge difference in my sound for about a week, and then it went back to where I was before. Sometimes a new cup would make the high range easier, or the low range easier, but always after about a week I was back where I started. I stil have most of the cigar box full of them, too.

Then finally my embouchure and technique solidified to the point where my range and sound had only barely perceptible differences no matter what mouthpiece I played on. Hmmmm.

Then....I found a cup that obviously locked in the notes on my horn better over the entire range, and the sound also had somewhat more focus. Subtle but there. Later I found a rim that increased my endurance; didn't affect the sound noticibly but suddenly I could play longer. It took a couple weeks to adjust to the different way I had to articulate but it worked.

I have stayed with that rim and cup and will continue to do so. I sound pretty much the same on every mouthpiece I own now, but the current combination is easier to play on. There is no way I would have or could have noticed these subtle effects during the first five years I was playing horn.

On tuba I use a fairly low volume cup because I am so small, and it works.

MA

[jmh3412]

After many years playing on Wick 2L, just tried Mike Finn mouthpieces. A revelation - if you can get over the looks well worth a try.