POLL - tuba mouthpiece throats

[bort]

8.4 seems to be my jam... Tried a 9.0 for a while for fun. And it was fun. For a while...

[iiipopes]

Yes, I came down to the "P" machinist's letter drill size, .323 inches or 8.20 millimeters, from the Wick 1 8.43mm throat (what the British call the "bore" of the mouthpiece) some years ago. Life is much better with controlled breath support instead of feeling like exhaling into a barrel all the time. But any smaller, and my upper register goes flat. Also, my perception is that there is less resistance in a deep funnel mouthpiece compared to the same number throat size in a more rounded or shallower cup mouthpiece.

Even though I picked "as large as it should be," I can see some players who are blessed with a larger vital capacity, and/or play in orchestras or other settings where getting more air through the throat for a larger dynamic range is either necessary or desireable using a larger throat.

[Matt G]

I selected the obvious choice (bbq). My current (and only) mouthpiece is 8.3mm. It seems fine on the smaller horn, but off on the larger horn. Not having the options, I can’t trial things to see a difference.

When I receive my first ever blokepiece (yes I’m a blokepiece virgin), I’ll have a starting point for the big tuba.

Only a few times have I really zeroed in on throat size. I’m pretty sure the bore on the Warburton mouthpiece I had wasn’t much beyond 0.323 or so (I was limited to what tools he had on hand in 1994). The mouthpiece I really noticed was a Bach 1G bass trombone piece I had that was oversized in the throat.

[bort]

Wasn't Warren Deck's mouthpiece like 9.4mm or something?

[Matt G]

Wasn't Warren Deck's mouthpiece like 9.4mm or something?

9.52mm (3/8") per:

https://sep.yimg.com/ty/cdn/yhst-582095 ... heetv1.pdf" target="_blank

That's huge.

Each of us being unique and nearly every horn being unique requires some sophistication at the point of interface (mouthpiece). I'm glad a few folks are producing modular mouthpieces.

[tbonesullivan]

Seems to be a pretty "middle of the road" size. If it works, it works.

[GC]

It all comes down to resistance to me. Throat and backbore combine to determine the amount of resistance. Too little resistance, and I can't control anything without overblowing; my sound becomes washed out and without character. Too much resistance, and I can't get enough volume for some applications. 8.2 is enough for me for most mouthpieces, but a really small mp needs a bit bigger throat.

I don't presume that what affects me affects others the same way, though.

[tbonesullivan]

It all comes down to resistance to me. Throat and backbore combine to determine the amount of resistance. Too little resistance, and I can't control anything without overblowing; my sound becomes washed out and without character. Too much resistance, and I can't get enough volume for some applications. 8.2 is enough for me for most mouthpieces, but a really small mp needs a bit bigger throat.

I don't presume that what affects me affects others the same way, though.

Yes, so many people for get the AND BACKBORE part. Throat measurement is not an absolute determinant of how the mouthpiece feels, but some people are obsessed with it. I was for a time as well, but finally woke up and decided that all mouthpieces need to be judged by ALL of their aspects. Throat only REALLY matters if you are comparing two mouthpieces that are otherwise identical.

[barry grrr-ero]

I vote short ribs cooked one hour in a pressure cooker.