The difference a mouthpiece makes

[Michael Bush]

I've experimented with a whole bunch of mouthpieces in my Orchestra Grand Bass. Today I got an opportunity to try a Yamaha Roger Bobo Symphonie in it, and this little mouthpiece makes this monster tuba just come alive! The smaller the mouthpiece has gotten, the better my sound has been.

I was quite happy with what I was using before, and that mouthpiece isn't for sale just yet, partly because it sounds so nice in the Yamaha 103. But tonight I'm feeling like this little equipment change in the big tuba took me to a different level. I played about an hour before work and a half-hour at lunch, then fifteen or twenty minutes after work tonight, and I'm really amazed at the sound I heard each time. Focused, sonorous, ready access to a wide dynamic range.

Is this how it goes? How big was the mouthpiece Conn shipped with these things a hundred years ago? I bet it was little.

[Steve Inman]

Other comments have been posted regarding the Rose Solo (Roger Lewis?) and the shallower one of Bloke's mpcs (see "Sponsors" section for more info). Some have discovered that slightly shallower mpcs can help out a larger horn. But evidently, it needs to be the "right" shallower/smaller mouthpiece .... Congratulations on finding one!

[Michael Bush]

Other comments have been posted regarding the Rose Solo (Roger Lewis?) and the shallower one of Bloke's mpcs (see "Sponsors" section for more info). Some have discovered that slightly shallower mpcs can help out a larger horn. But evidently, it needs to be the "right" shallower/smaller mouthpiece .... Congratulations on finding one!

Yes, that's the trajectory I've been on. I started out thinking, "big horn, big mouthpiece," so I used a blokepiece symphony, which I had originally bought to use with an F horn that I sold before ever taking possession of it.

Then I read about the benefits of the solo with big tubas, got one and have played it with pleasure in this horn. And it's still fine. Better than fine. Very pleasing. This is this other mouthpiece I was referring to. If I had never put the Bobo in the horn, I never would have questioned the blokepiece. Still don't. But tonight I expect the Yamaha will become the workhorse. We'll see.

[Rick Denney]

It isn't just smaller mouthpieces, but also mouthpieces with a bit of a bowl shape. These mouthpieces add a little harmonic variety back into the sound, in addition to providing cleaner articulations. With a big tuba, woofiness is the evil to be avoided, and a crisp-sounding mouthpiece is a hedge against that. That same mouthpiece in, say, a Miraphone 186, might injure people.

I like Geib-inspired mouthpieces in my Holton. These aren't that small, but they are more bowl-shaped and are certainly not as deep as a typical funnel.

Apparently, the objective sound was different in times past. The mouthpiece that came with the Holton was a Revelation Model 52. I have one, and I think I could store winter coats in it. I call it the Woofmeister. No tonguing required (or, you can't tell that a tongue was used even when it was). It's fun as a curiosity but I wonder what it would take to make it sound orchestral.

Rick "noting that when a tuba doesn't provide frequency resistance, the mouthpiece or embouchure must" Denney

[Donn]

Is this how it goes? How big was the mouthpiece Conn shipped with these things a hundred years ago? I bet it was little.

Good question. The Conn "Giant" is the survivor I've seen from those days, and it's pretty small. 30-31 mm interior diameter, with a shallow, funnel cup shape. Large throat, large/standard shank.

There could be similar mouthpieces available new, but I don't know. Schilke 62, for example, is ostensibly in that category, but the cup is much more rounded and the throat much narrower, and it doesn't play the same. To me, the Conn has a crisper, brighter sound, contrary to what you might expect the way people talk about the evils of funnel shaped mouthpieces.

[windshieldbug]

I have both a Conn "Standard" and a Conn "Giant" mouthpiece, which are both Eb tuba mouthpieces.

[Donn]

I have both a Conn "Standard" and a Conn "Giant" mouthpiece, which are both Eb tuba mouthpieces.

What makes them Eb tuba mouthpieces?

[Rick Denney]

I have both a Conn "Standard" and a Conn "Giant" mouthpiece, which are both Eb tuba mouthpieces.

What makes them Eb tuba mouthpieces?

They are smaller, like Eb tubas.

Rick "kidding aside: the answer is design intent" Denney

[Donn]

OK, to put it another way, where do you get the idea they're Eb mouthpieces? Mine doesn't say "Eb" on it.

If there's an old Conn catalogue or something that conveys that impression, then does it say anything about the mouthpiece for an Orchestra Grand Bass?

[Michael Bush]

If there's an old Conn catalogue or something that conveys that impression, then does it say anything about the mouthpiece for an Orchestra Grand Bass?

I would pay money to know the answer to that.

[Bob Kolada]

I've never noticed much of a difference in my old Eb's (4 over the years) with either original mouthpieces, similar modern ones, or modern ones and have pretty much stuck to a Bach 18 for the most part.

[Wyvern]

The mouthpiece is the interface between you and the tuba and it is desirable to use one that is both right for you and suitable for the tuba. A poor mouthpiece choice will make weak characteristics in the player, or tuba worst, while a good mouthpiece will enhance to help the player realise their sound concept with that particular tuba.

As we are all individuals with individual characteristics, mouthpieces are a very personal choice.

I myself like a rounded rim of about 32mm inner diameter, so all my mouthpieces fulfil that characteristic with differing cups to help create the desired sound. I am currently using MF 'H' (in Neptune), PT-90 (in MW14 to give it tonal breath, or other tubas when darker sound desired), Schmitt 322 (main mouthpiece for PT-15), PT-65 (in PT-15 when brighter sound desired) and PT-60 (to use MW14 as cimbasso)