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Many talented brass players have problems in high note playing which seem inexplicable. Often there is no obvious reason. These days the general standard of teaching and playing sophistication at a professional level is at an all-time high, but there are, of course, many amateurs who have not had access to the best teaching.
Mouthpiece trials can be a dangerous sport! While we don’t suggest wearing a helmet, there are some steps you can take that will protect the sensitive area of your lips and muscles from damage. Follow the steps below and you should be able to walk out of your trial session unscathed and hopefully with a new mouthpiece!
What is winning, and how do I get it? The most appreciated parts of winning tend to be the beginning inspiration and the prize at the end, but what do you call all the stuff that make up the middle? In the end it tends to be all those middle parts which define winning more than the prize. Here is some great advice from Aaron Tindall on how to navigate your road to winning.
A manufacturer's website is probably one of your first visits when you search for a new mouthpiece. You want to know how they are made, the mouthpiece specifications, and what those specifications will do for you. Though it is not with the intent to mislead or harm you, most manufacturers will not include these 3 facts about their provided information that can impact your choice.
My long-suffering wife said, “You’re just never satisfied!”. Many a true word is spoken in exasperation. I had tentatively suggested, in about 1969, that somebody ought to design mutes that actually played in tune and worked in every register. We had been recording film music with Bernard Herrmann, who had helped to make all those Hitchcock films such a success. He was contemptuous of the old fibre mutes that I and my LSO trombone section were using. He called them "psychological mutes” and we knew what he meant.
The Heritage mouthpiece for Trumpet is Denis wick's newest installment to a long list of amazing tone-producing products for trumpet players. Both the HeavyTop and Heritage utilize additional mass to provide focus to the sound, but in much different ways.
A PRACTICAL AID TO A BEAUTIFUL SOUND, by Denis Wick
As every teacher knows, a good tone on any brass instrument needs a properly set-up embouchure; a good teacher will spare no effort to ensure that the student's embouchure is as efficient as possible. These days one may assume that the young player will have a reasonable instrument and a sensible mouthpiece. To this one must add what many teachers would regard as the most important of all - good breath control.
Your mouthpiece is a relationship of measurements, joined together to support you. Understanding the terminology and relationship is key to finding the right mouthpiece.