Brass Clinic

Critical Choices on

By Adrian D. Griffin

Trumpet players rarely have justone mouthpiece. Some playershave managed to collect hun-

dreds in search of the holy grail ofmouthpieces: one that offers physical

Cup Diameter-Rim

'Cup

Throat

\

I -I—Shank

comfort, ease of playing, and thedesired sound. Mouthpiece parts arethe rim, cup, throat, shank, andbackbore. Each component has a dif-ferent effect on the comfort andsound of the mouthpiece.

RimMouthpiece rims are measured by

diameter, width, contour, and edge.The rim choice has the most influenceon the player's comfort and endurance;a medium-wide rim is generally bestand found on the most standardmouthpieces. A sharper inner edgeproduces a cleaner attack, while arounded inner rim creates a smoother,more rounded attack.

An edge that is too sharp it canreduce endurance by pushing into theflesh of the lips. However, a sharper edgemakes control easier hy allowing onlythe proper amount of flesh to vibrate.

In general, the more of the outsiderim a player has in contact with theflesh, the less free the lips are to res-

onate. If the rim is too narrow, it canpush into the flesh of the lips andcause a lack of endurance as well aspossible bruising.

CupThe cup of the mouthpiece influ-

ences the sound and responsiveness. Adeep cup will produce a darker soundand easier playing in the low register,but also slower response time becauseof the additional volume of air needed.A shallow cup will produce a brightsound, easier playing in the highrange, and a rapid response time.Shallow cups are best used for highplaying or small t rumpet (picco-lo/E>'/D) performance.

The shape of the cup also affects thesound. The bowl shape of a trumpetmouthpiece produces a brighter timbrethan the cone shape found on a flugel-horn mouthpiece. Professionals mayspecially order a conical cup for a stan-dard mouthpiece shank to get a dark,warm, mellow sound on the trumpet .

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Trumpet mouthpieces (above)are bowl-shaped, but flugel-horn mouthpieces (below)have a cone shape that helpsproduce a dark sound.

ThroatThe throat can best be described as

the hole in the center of the cup. Abigger throat allows the core of thesound will be warmer and richer andhave a clear, pure focus.

The stock throat size is 27, whichrefers to the size of the drill bit used tocreate it. High-school students typical-ly play a 27 or the slightly larger 26throat size. Professionals more com-monly use a 24 or 23, which allowsthem to move more air through theirmouthpieces. Using a large throatrequires a well-established em-bouchure and good endurance. Aninexperienced player playing with athroat that is too large will be flat.

ShankThe shank is the part of the mouth-

piece that is inserted into the receiverof the leadpipe. Brass players shouldclean the mouthpiece with a brushafter each use to keep deposits frombuilding up inside the shank.

For proper performance the mouth-piece must create a tight seal in the

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mouthpiece receiver. If a studentinserts his mouthpiece into the trum-pet and hears a metallic hitting sound,it probably means his mouthpieceshank is too slender and has extendedpast the mouthpiece receiver to hit theleadpipe itself. If the mouthpiece doesnot seal well, the resulting air leak willmake the trumpet nearly unplayable orat best extremely flat.

BackboreThe backbore is the interior cir-

cumference of the shank and animportant factor in the overall tonecolor when the mouthpiece meets thetrumpet. A bigger backbore will pro-duce a darker sound; a narrower back-bore will produce a brighter sound. Ifthe backbore is too large the playerwill suffer from reduced enduranceand flat intonation, but if the back-bore is too narrow it will be difficultto make minor adjustments in thepitch and sound.

Mouthpieces for BeginnersThe 7C or 5C mouthpiece is the

most common for beginners. Studentswith larger lips will be more comfort-able on mouthpieces with wider innerrims (the open center of the mouth-piece). The larger inner rim gives thestudent's lips room to vibrate; a nar-rower inner rim will pinch into thefleshy part of the lips, causing difficul-ties producing good tone, flexibility,and endurance.

Although students with thinner-than-average lips can play a standard7C mouthpiece, players with extreme-ly thin lips should choose mouth-pieces with narrower inner rims. Astandard mouthpiece would take morepressure for such students to play thanthey can muster, and beginners willquickly tire.

Some students may have a teardroplip, in which the front part of the top lipcomes down further than the rest. Sincethis lip formation can lead to an unreli-able fluttering in the sound, a down-ward air stream, and poor aperture con-trol, someone with a teardrop lip is gen-erally not well-suited to the trumpet.

If a student with a teardrop lip hashis heart set on playing trumpet andunderstands the difficulties associatedwith his lip shape, private lessons mayhelp him develop a good sound andembouchure strength. A student witha teardrop lip should look for amouthpiece with more rim surfacearea and a slightly flatter rim, both ofwhich help to stabilize the teardropportion of the lip. Its more pro-

nounced funnel-shaped cup also givesthe lips room to vibrate.

Selecting a MouthpieceIt is typical for students to get a new

mouthpiece after the second year ofplaying and again as they advanceinto college playing. Although amouthpiece can complement what aplayer is trying to do, it will not allowhim to do something he can't. Ideally,the perfect mouthpiece should easehis high range, blow free and easy inthe middle and low range, play intune, have good endurance and bephysically comfortable.

Before trying a new mouthpiece, stu-dents should warm up on currentequipment so there is a fair compari-son. The room should have goodacoustics or be a place where they arealready familiar with the sound.

Ideally, a teacher or another trumpetplayer should be present to give a sec-ond opinion and also mix up the stu-dent's mouthpiece choices so he doesnot know which one he is playing.This eliminates any preconceptions astudent may have. Students should restfrequently, keeping the chops freshand avoiding a biased result.

The Adjustment PeriodAlthough a new mouthpiece is a

small investment in terms of price, it is

Adrian D. Griffin is a graduate of theCincinnati Conservatory of Music andhas three advanced degrees in music per-formance and education. He was recent-ly named co-principal trumpet of theMonterrey (Mexico) Symphony. Griffinhas taught at all levels and is a clinicianand artist for Conn-Selmer andDansr/Denis Wick.

38 THE INSTRUMENTALIST / FEBRUARY 200*

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high in terms of adjusting to theembouchure change over the nextmonth. It is important that playerstake the time to make a good decisionso they do not waste a month of studyadjusting to a mouthpiece that ulti-mately does not work out.

After picking a new mouthpiece,players will probably notice a tempo-rary drop in endurance and range,which is completely normal. With anew mouthpiece, a trumpet player willuse the embouchure muscles slightlydifferently, and the initial excitementof discovering what a seemingly per-fect mouthpiece is often followed byfrustration as the muscles becomefatigued over the first week or two. Aplayer's chops return once the muscleshave rebuilt their endurance.

After getting the new mouthpiece,trumpeters should take a day or two offfrom playing to give the muscles timeto rest. After this rest period, startplaying on the new mouthpiece with aslow, easy warmup that takes littlepressure or movement.

Following the warmup, studentsshould ease into the practice routine,paying special attention to theembouchure. Daily practice should lastno more than 45-60 minutes for thefirst two weeks of the mouthpiecechange, so the embouchure musclescan be strengthened but not depleted.Exhausting the muscles will leavethem too tired to build endurance.

After two weeks the embouchure mus-cles should be acclimated to the newmouthpiece and the muscles should havebuilt up enough strength and endurancefor a regular practice routine. Put awaythe old equipment, otherwise the temp-tation to use it will be too strong. If thenew mouthpiece is not performing asdesired after one mouth, it may be a goodidea to begin the search again.

Different TrumpetsAlthough trumpets come in various

pitches (beyond the most familiar BI>and C), all trumpets use a standardtrumpet mouthpiece. However, cornetmouthpieces have a shorter and nar-rower shank; traditional cornetmouthpieces are funnel-shaped likethat of a flugelhorn, but modern cor-net mouthpieces are cup-shaped like atrumpet mouthpiece.

Most piccolo trumpet performers usea trumpet mouthpiece with a shallowcup and a narrower inner and outerrim. The receiver of the piccolo trum-pet may be designed for either a trum-per or cornet shank. The cornet fittingis preferred by most professionals: it

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responds somewhat faster because of itsnarrower backbore and shorter shank.

From Gold to PlasticMouthpieces are made from raw

brass and then plated. Because of therisk of brass poisoning it is illegal for amanufacturer to sell a mouthpiece to acustomer without plating.

Silver plating is standard and tendsto grip the lips better than gold. Aplayer who likes a firm set for hismouthpiece will be most comfortablewith silvet plating. Gold plating warmsup faster than silver and is also a littleheavier, adding some weight to themouthpiece. It allows the lips to movea little more freely.

Plastic mouthpieces are most oftenused for outside playing in cold tem-peratures or for casual buzzing in thecar. They are inexpensive and quitedurable but lack the sound quality of astandard metal mouthpiece.

Plastic or lucite rims are useful forplayers who have an allergy to silver orgold plating and can work well for coldtemperatures. These rims must be cus-tom ordered because they are made per

Continued on page 60

THE INSTRUMENTALIST / FEBRUARY 2008

What do you do outside of school?In addition to being District 8 presi-

dent of the Michigan School Band andOrchestra Association, I play in theJackson Symphony, teach trumpet inthe Jackson Symphony OrchestraCommunity Music School, and am anM.S.B.O.A. adjudicator for marchingband, solo and ensemble festivals, andband and orchestra festivals. I am alsoan adjunct professor at Albion Col-lege, Spring Arbor University, andJackson Community College. I usuallyteach methods courses or private les-sons. I have taught brass methods, amarching band course, and bandmethods, and have also coached vari-ous chamber groups. I did not have anycourses in the fall and only help outwhen needed.

What are your responsibilities as dis-trict president of the Michigan SchoolBand and Orchestra Association?

The biggest job is to keep everybodyhappy in the district. I help maintainthe organization, which organizes festi-vals and advocates for the importanceof music programs. Like any manager, 1try to keep the organization runningsmoothly. At times there is consider-able paperwork and during our confer-

ence in January, 1 preside over severalevents. I enjoy it.

How does playing in the JacksonSymphony Orchestra help yourteaching?

I use my instrument to demonstrateall the time. Rather than say some-thing, I will demonstrate by playing orsinging. During warm-ups we do echoexercises so playing regularly keeps mychops in good enough shape to lead byexample. Last fall the Symphonyplayed Pines of Rome and I felt the fearthat some of my students feel in a con-cert. It's a killer piece and I was reallystruggling to make sure we could playit appropriately. Playing in the orches-tra makes me sympathetic to what thestudents try to accomplish. Also, I lovenot being in charge sometimes.

What advice would you offer tosomeone just starting out as amusic teacher?

Find a mentor you trust and admireand do not be afraid to ask for help.Many of us stay in our rehearsal roomsand think our ensembles are so bad thatwe are embarrassed to bring someone into listen. We do not want an outsider tofind out that we are not good teachers.

1 was fortunate to have many greatmentors and examples of good teach-ing, including my father and mother,who were both music educators.

The first time you feel brave enoughto seek an outside opinion from a vet-eran director, it is so fantastic. The keyto feeling confident in the first year ofteaching is to get help. There are manystate and national organizations thatcan offer assistance. Local colleges arealso a fertile source for assistance.

Our band motto is "Building onTradition" and that's what drives theprogram. Everything we do builds onwhat happened last year. I put upquotes in my office and the mostrecent one came out of a Reader'sDigest article about the married couplethat founded the Panda Express restau-rant chain. They advised readers to"focus on being a good human beingand the rest will take care of itself."That's what I think we do as musicteachers. We get to know students par-ticularly-well over several years andwatch them grow and improve.

Dan Biaufuss is managing editor of TheInstrumentalist. He earned degrees inmusic education and media studies fromNorthern Illinois University.

Trumpet, cont. from page 40

request from the manufacturer as a partof screwrim mouthpieces. Screwrimmouthpieces generally cost slightly morethan standard mouthpieces and take amonth or two to make, so a plastic

If a mouthpiece is droppedand the shank dented, a true-ing tool can be used to restorethe shank's cylindrical shape.

60 THE INSTRUMENTALIST / FEBRUARY 2008

mouthpiece is a more economical choicefor the occasional outdoor performance.

Specialty MouthpiecesScrewrim mouthpieces were devel-

oped for players who use one rim butwish to change to different backboresand throats in different playing situa-tions. A large cup and backboremaybe more appropriate for symphonicplaying; a player can use the same rimwith a more shallow cup and tighterbackbore for jazz or lead work. Playersshould put a drop of valve oil on thethreads every other week or so to keepthe rim from locking to the cup.

A megatone mouthpiece is muchlike a standard mouthpiece but with asubstantial amount of weight added tothe body of the mouthpiece. The addi-tional mass allows for louder volumewith less distortion and adds warmthand darkness to the sound in all regis-ters. A megatone mouthpiece is stan-dardized with a larger throat.

The fluffy mouthpiece is a hybridcombining the cup of a flugelhornmouthpiece with the rim and shank ofa trumpet mouthpiece. This mouth-piece makes it easy to play with awarm, velvety sound perfect for quiet

passages or lyrical solos.Bent mouthpieces are useful for play-

ers who have such a severe under- oroverbite that it cannot be corrected bypushing or pulling the bottom jaw.These players play with an acutelydownward or upward slant to theirtrumpets. A manufacturer can bend themouthpiece as much as 8-12 degrees tocorrect the trumpet's position withoutadversely affecting the pitch.

Mouthpiece Repair ToolsAlthough major repairs should be

referred to a shop, a director can makelife easier by having a few simple toolson hand. For the occasional situationwhen a student gets his mouthpiecestuck in the receiver, a mouthpiecepuller is essential and makes quickwork of the situation. Do not ever usea wrench: both the mouthpiece andthe leadpipe can be damaged, escalat-ing an easy repair into an expensivesoldering job.

A mouthpiece trueing tool is amust-have in case of a droppedmouthpiece. If the shank is dented,the trueing tool is inserted into theshank and twisted, returning theshank to its cylindrical shape.