MELLOPHONE MOUTHPIECES

[5ofdiamonds]

I've tried them all-We got a guy up here in Rochester that carries 2-3000 moutpieces and you can try all day long if you want. I guess it's what you want. 14a4a is too sharp and shallow-I also have a 6v and I seem to bottom out on it. The CG 5s I used in The Statesmen and worked pretty good and had great luck with that piece. Now I'm in a 11pc mini corps you need that full sound with with No compromise- I went to the Bach 1C and I'm falling in love with that piece. My range is pretty good, but it gets tough at times, but for full sound and intonation the "toliet bowl" works for me!

Forget about it B)

[DSGMUSIC]

I have only used a Jerome Callet mouthpiece since using his mouthpiece when I played French horn with Sky in 1981 - currently it is the "Buddy" model.

Some mellophone players I have taught or marched with prefer the Benge Mello 6 mouthpiece, and some have used the King mellophone mouthpiece. (As Ray Vasquez writes - the Benge, Kanstul, Conn and King Mello 6 mouthpieces are probably around the same. )

Years ago most used the Bach or Giardinelli Trumpet Mouthpieces that they were most comfortable with, then might switch to a different size to adjust things like tone quality, range, brilliance, darkness, etc., over time. The mouthpiece I personally disliked the most was the Shilke 14A4A.

Doreen Sandor Girardi

[batmanrenegade]

Bach 1.5C Trumpet Mouthpiece (NOT ANYMORE!!!)

M 6 mello mouthpiece

Edited February 1, 2003 by batmanrenegade

[jazzkelly]

Deg 6V

[ScoutMello]

haslangerb@esuhsd.orglayed on a CG3 when I was on Soprano, and I personally hated that mp. Probably because I'm a horn player. I actually traded it for a mello mouthpiece when I switched to mello in 99. No reason for a horn player to keep a trumpet mp.

I liked the mixed line we used in Scouts. Trumpet players on mello 6v's playing the lead and second parts, and horn players on their horn mp's playing the 3rd parts. There were exceptions to this, like me, but that was the general idea. It's harder to tune with a horn mouthpiece, but the tone and pitch can be VERY nice, and was usually the type of sound that the mello line tried to emulate.

I have yet to try a KIanstul Mello yet, but I know that the Deg mello is MUCH better than the Yamaha POS that I'm seeing on the field. The closed wrap really kills the sound, and some of the higher partials crack REALLY easy.

Just my opinion.

[pitn0926]

Being a horn major at the time, I chose to use my horn mouthpiece (which was a Giardinelli C12). I know the upper register is flat, but the tone was so much closer to that of a horn, instead of the typical trumpet sound that I hear from mello lines these days. That drives me nuts.

From talking to others, most corps won't allow their mello players to play on a horn mouthpiece. To me, that's a shame. But oh well. It's just that most mello lines today sound like an extension of the trumpet section instead of having their own voice. If you want your tone to darken up, the easiest way is by going with a deeper cupped mouthpiece. A 14A4A is certainly not deep by any means. Another good thing to do would be to listen to recordings of the Chicago Symphony playing Mahler, Tchaikowsky, Richard Strauss......etc.. paying close attention to the horn section and try to emulate their sound. Now, a mello will never sound like a horn, but the more you try the better your sound will be.

[5ofdiamonds]

Nice thread guys,

This page has tons of great opions!!! Finding the right mp for the mellophone is tough.

I've love reading all the opions that are given because I want the best sound that I can give! I'm one of those nuts who sit at a show and pick out the mello parts, even if the show was good or even not so good I always say "yeah but did you hear that cool mellophone lick".

Keep up the search and spread your findings,I always come back to this page to "see who else" has to say!!

Wider and deeper is better!

Keep it com'in

Forget about it B)

[Roger Ellis]

Another 2 cents on a couple of issues that came up during this discussion. One is the register that is written for the mellophone section, as Ray Vasquez alluded to. The instrument has roughly a one and one half octave useful range. The farther that range is pushed on both ends, the more difficult the mouthpiece issue becomes, IMHO. I have always played second mello because I find it difficult to consistently sustain volume and good intonation above G when using a mouthpiece intended for the instrument, such as the Kanstul M6. Another issue is the matching of instruments and mouthpieces. What I mean here is that consistent results will be more difficult for a mello section to achieve if there is a mix of horns (Kanstul and DEG) in the line, and/or if there is a large variety of mouthpieces being used. Combine extremes in the register that the parts are arranged in (high or low) with mixed horns and mixed mouthpieces and you are in for some interesting intonation problems. It makes sense to me to decide what sound you are after (example - dark, large lush sound a la Phantom Regiment) and then experiment regarding what it takes (mouthpiece wise and technique wise) for your players and your instruments to achieve that sound. Final caveat - in my experience it is difficult to convince most players that they should change from the mouthpiece that they are used to using.

[csugrad]

OK. Some thoughts have crossed my mind today after reading the last couple of posts. Can we define the actual role of the mellophone? To me it is the difference between the Soprano and the French Horn. I choose to associate it with the Flugelhorn. That being (I am probably wrong) it seems to me that too many people cross the threshold in both directions when trying to find a MP that satisfies all areas of playing. I know I have posted earlier on here with some mouthpieces but I had another revelation. Has anyone ventured to try a meelophone with a few DENNIS WICK mouthpieces? I ask this because WICK is known for maintaining the V-cup style of the old cornet from the European days yet the V-cup does not max out like a standard mellophone MP does today nor does it come close to a fully shaped french horn MP. In theory it sounds to me like it just might be a perfect match for the mellophone in reaching the mello sound of a french horn while keeping some ability to play the upper register like a soprano when needed. I'd be more than curious to what other thoughts might be on this.

I love this topic too! Keep it going! :)

[Crownmember]

i used an UMI 6v this year, i think . . . ;)^