Trombone Mouthpiece Advice

[TubaTed]

I'm a tuba player just starting to learn tenor trombone. I wish I could play a trombone using a tuba mouthpiece.

Kidding aside, can anyone provide me with a few mouthpiece recommendations?

It's a small bore horn. I want something big, not too big, with a wide open throat and backbore. A Bach 6 1/2AL just doesn't feel right.

Thanks all!
Ted

[Trevor Bjorklund]

The 6.5AL is about as large a mouthpiece as you want to have on a small bore trombone. Just like with tubas, there is sort of a limited range of mouthpiece sizes appropriate for each trombone category. I don't know the Wick 5BS but a Bach 5G is probably a bit big for the horn.

I would recommend playing lots and lots of long tones and then some more long tones over your entire range. Keep the horn full of air and have a realistic sound in mind (as in, don't imagine the sound of a large bore symphonic player doing Mahler 3!) to strive for. After a few weeks, as you get more comfortable with the way your air and embouchure work (much faster air stream, more variation in the vowel shapes you use, etc.), you will have a better basis on which to choose a different mouthpiece. Wanting a wide open throat and backbore on your mouthpiece won't really change the way a small bore trombone will feel - it is a very different instrument/feel than you are used to!

And, although I hate reading this in a response, make sure you either have a teacher or a decent trombonist around for a while to listen to your tone and make sure you are playing the thing right...

[ken k]

focus your embouchure to the center of the lips and use less lip to play. As mentioned above, long tones will help you learn the feel you need, also slow lip slurs. Remember you are playing trombone, not tuba.

The ironic thing is this will also help your tuba playing. By centering and focusing the embouchure to the center of the lips more it helps to center and focus your sound on tuba as well. I only learned this after trying to teach beginning french horn and trumpet players at my elementary school. In order to get a sound on french horn I really had to learn to center and focus my embouchure. My tuba playing accuracy also improved greatly because of this.

Prior to this I always felt bigger was better, but that is not the case.
ken k

[Doug Elliott]

The 6.5AL is about as DEEP a mouthpiece as you want to have on a small bore trombone.
You can use whatever rim size works for YOU.

[Eflatdoubler]

If this were an alto trombone I would say definitely stay with a 6.5 or smaller.
On a small tenor, there is a little headroom (albeit not much!). You might experiment with a Bach 5GS, or a Wick, or another comparable mouthpiece (try a Griego 5 or 5M NY style). I have an Edwards .500 bore and use a Griego 6.5NY mouthpiece. On my Bach 36 (.525 bore) I tend to use a slightly larger 5 mouthpiece, although I have experimented with a 4. It all depends on what sound color you are after, and how it works for you...
My primary large bore trombone mouthpiece is a Griego-Alessi 5E on both my Bach 42 with greenhoe, and my Adams Euphonium. (I am a Griego associate, but I do feel they work best for me which is why I choose to be associated with them.) Go with whatever brand and model you personally sound best on! (Before anyone condemns me for mentioning what I play and that I am affiliated with a company- I never push a mouthpiece on anyone. Many people have tried out the mouthpieces I have, and while many have chosen to switch models/brands I have also told players to stay with what they have as they sound better on it)
I have experimented with a variety of mouthpieces and this is what has been my tried and true (trombone is my primary instrument).
As for where I am coming from on the tuba- I tend to use a Perentucci 65, or a G&W kronos on my e flat or small CC tuba.
If pitch is still good (and to me a trombone has so many more easy adjustments with a slide) and you feel secure with it and get the timbre you desire then play what is comfortable!

[ralphbsz]

I wish I could play a trombone using a tuba mouthpiece.

From a mechanical point of view, you can actually do that. Dennis Wick makes tuba mouthpieces with a shank that happens to fit large-shank trombone receivers (I think it's sold as "british shank" or something like that). I know a bass trombone player, who doubles on euphonium and tuba, and uses that Wick mouthpiece occasionally. He has shown me that it fits on a large-bore tenor trombone (a Bach 42). Playing a tenor trombone with a tuba mouthpiece sounds ... well, how shall I put it politely ... different. Like an elephant with a sinus infection. It makes the sound very dark, very loud and blatty, but preserving that trombone quality of "brassy" (probably referring to the straight, not tapered, bore).

Whether there is any musical value in playing a trombone with a tuba mouthpiece: Don't ask me. Probably not.

Sorry to not be better at describing brass sounds ... I'm a piano player, whose connection to brass music is having a kid who plays tuba.

[TubaTed]

Thank you all for taking the time to help me. Much appreciated.

I know there really isn't any "magic mouthpiece" that will help me play but might give me a little better edge. I'll scour for more info on those.

Back to PRACTICE and those dang long tones

Thanks again all!

[Donn]

I'd try some different rims profiles - the Bach mouthpieces I have are all very rounded, but there are other rim profiles if you look for them. Unfortunately this aspect of mouthpieces is not very well documented, and I don't have any specific recommendations there - my flatter rimmed trombone mouthpieces are either old (Olds, Conn) or at best not very common (Josef Klier) - but likely there are plenty of options. With a rim that suits you, a normal size mouthpiece for small bore trombone might work fine, once you're used to the instrument anyway.