Please help me with CC tuba mouthpiece!

[joshealejo]

Hello!!! Please I need help!!! I m changing to CC tuba, I played BB for some years, and want to try the CC now. I just purchased a 4/4 ST. Petersburg CC 209 but don t know what mouthpiece to use. The mouthpiece I used to play the BB was Bruno Tilz Walter Hilgers B2.
I ve been looking for Miraphone TU29, Dillon Chris Olka, I dont know much about other CC tuba mouthpieces , what mouthpiece do you recomends to me? I dont know if this helps but I use a Yamaha Roger Bobo Solo for my F Cerveny

Thank you all in advance!!!!

[tclements]

HUGE bump to 58mark's reply. Use what you have to 6-7 months to get used to the tuba. After that time, ask yourself, "What am I trying to accomplish with a new mouthpiece?" If you are happy with your current results, there is no need to buy a different mouthpiece JUST to get a new one. If there is an aspect of your sound/playing that you'd like to change, try PRACTICING those skills first. I am certain with a good teacher/coach, you can get to where you need to be. Congrats on the new horn, and good luck.

[Ace]

Stick with your present mouthpiece. It's entirely adequate for your new CC tuba. Follow the advice of those that have written above.

You sound as if you are a serious student of the tuba. Do you study with the tubist(s) in the Lima, Peru National Symphony Orchestra? They would probably be a good source of advice re mouthpieces.

Ace

[bort]

Make sure you at least have the right shank size first. You might fight with strange response issues if you have the wrong shank. Its worse on some tubas than others, but worth a consideration.

Good to hear from you. Hope my old Cerveny is doing well down there. I still haven't made it to Peru!

[joshealejo]

I really apreciate and thank you all for your time and replies!!! I will follow your advice and keep with my Bruno Tilz

@Ace Yes I m studying in the National Conservatory of Music of Peru unfortunately I did not seen my teacher theese last days cause we are in vacation here, I will give him a call for the advice!!!

@bort Dear Friend!!! Your Cerveny is safe here with me in Lima now It is waiting for her new friend to come to Peru Don not forget to tell me when you decide to come!! We have much to talk!!!

[barry grrr-ero]

Everything said here makes good sense, but I will digress a bit. Assuming that the receivers are basically the same, if you plug the same mpc. into your CC and suddenly discover that the octaves are more cramped - which will throw everything out of tune if allow it to - you may need to eventually make a change to something that has the same width but is slightly more shallow, or to a narrower funnel type mpc. i.e. Helleberg. Many CC enthusiasts don't like to acknowledge that most CC tubas are more challenged, tuning wise, than their BBb cousins. If you're already accustomed to throwing tuning slides about, this might not be a problem at all. I agree that you should give it time first, as it takes a while to learn how to 'blow' any new tuba. This is especially true if you're learning CC fingerings for the first time (you'll love low register complications).

Making a switch to a Helleberg type mpc. (narrower funnel) might make sense if you - like me - have trouble slurring smoothly with rotary valves. This is the dilemma I'm facing now, as my right hand simply gets too screwed up playing pistons at this later stage of life. I don't like the feel of Hellebergs so much (my chops swell), but they are a practical compromise. But I first want to see if I can't learn to slur more smoothly on a Geib type piece first. Anyway, GIVE IT TIME. Then consider what might make sense. Try not to make a radical change in mouthpieces unless you - and with the help of your teacher - feel that a radical change is necessary. See if changing just one element of a mpc. might make the difference you need: shallower cup (same width), narrower cup (slightly deep); smaller throat size; larger back-bore, etc. Many trumpet players get the results they're looking for by simply having the backbore opened up more on their existing pieces. You get the idea.

[bort]

@bort Dear Friend!!! Your Cerveny is safe here with me in Lima now It is waiting for her new friend to come to Peru Don not forget to tell me when you decide to come!! We have much to talk!!!

You bet! Best of luck to you!

[BATsforlyfethorbaer]

This is the best mouthpiece known to man! It's so big and looks incredible when you're playing too! Especially when playing things like Fountains of Rome or the Ride!! Yes!!!

I highly recommend you get one of these and use it on all your horns. It makes the F tubas and C tubas sound EXACTLY the same. You can just play higher on the F. I still have not figured out what mouthpiece makes my rotary F mid low range sound big... It's already like the biggest F on the market! What else do they want! I think it's a design flaw.

[barry grrr-ero]

Well silly me - I didn't realize that that was a REAL mpc.

[Jay Bertolet]

Lots of great advice posted here (plus some very comical advice as well) and I would follow the serious advice closely, it will serve you well.

I'll toss in one more thing to consider, kind of a longer term project for you. While you're learning your new horn using your current equipment, start asking around what other folks that are using the same horn you just purchased to see what they are using. In particular, pay close attention to whether or not the person you're asking is actually using your model horn and/or are they a prominent teacher that has student(s) that are using your horn. There are a lot of smart folks in the tuba community and there's no need for you to reinvent the wheel. After some time, it becomes clear that certain mouthpieces work better with certain horns than others. Build on the research that others have already done or at least use that as a starting point that maybe saves you some time and energy in your search. Always remember that every person is unique and that the combination of mouthpiece + tuba + player is specific to each person and what works for you may not work for the next person. Keep an open mind and search tirelessly. Good luck!

[bort]

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