MELLOPHONE MOUTHPIECES

[trptjock]

In response to the Denis Wick mouthpiece selection. I have experimented wtih many mouthpieces for mellophone and found that a Denis Wick 2 (cornet) with a cornet to trumpet adapter works the closest to the sound of a middle voice due to the mouthpieces deep-V cup and larger throat (like what is used in cornets in Europe).

Now the second thing to consider is the register in which the mello is played in a majority of the time (primarily from low C to G above the staff and possibly B-flat above that). If you are to achieve a true middle voice, then you would need to have the mellophone section play on french horns. The octave displacement, tone quality and various registers lends itself to a great sound that can truly fill out a hornline. In the hornlines of old (1981-92), there were french horns being used primarily as the main middle voice and now they have gone by the way-side and have been substituted by the mello. What a shame. Listen to the 89 regiment show and tell me what you think of that sound vs. the 93 show. 89 used 5 mellos and 10 horns, the 93 show used 10 mellos. A thicker sound on key points in the show and a bit more middle push throughout.

As Brass Caption Head, I am leaning towards getting the mello section to play on Wick 2's (cornet shank) and the bari sections to play on Wick "Steve Mead" 4 (bari shank). I have purchased both mouthpieces and tried them on the instruments we use this year and am very pleased with the sound that is produced from them.

Just my opinion.

[MelloChik05]

hehe...I actually have never in my life played on a mellophone mouthpiece, or any cup moutpiece for that matter. My horn teacher made sure of that. I use my regular horn mouthpiece (Holton Farkas MDC) with an adaptor. My sound is darker than most other mellophones in my section, which, for me, is desirable (I can't stand bright sounds).

[Screeaamer]

In my opinion there is no real mellophone mouthpiece that gets the desired sound out of a mellophone. The UMI (King, Conn, Benge, Kanstul) Mello 6 or 6V are essentially the same mouthpiece. The only difference is that the 6V has a deeper V cup than the straight 6. Yes they do give a good tone, but get brilliant in the upper register and the lower register does not speak as easily as some other mouthpieces I have played.

I have spoken with some of the staff from Regiment from this past year and the mello line is using Bach 1 1/2 B (cornet) mouthpieces with a cornet to trumpet mouthpiece adapter. It really does get a larger, darker sound.

I am currently testing many mouthpieces with the Kanstul mello I own (for testing purposes) and have tried the following:

UMI Mello 6v

Bach 2 (cornet) with adapter

Bach 1 1/2 C (cornet) with adapter

Bach 2 C (trumpet)

Bach 1 1/2 C (trumpet)

Bach 1 1/2 B (trumpet)

CG3

Denis Wick 2 (cornet) with adapter

Schilke 18, 20 (trumpet)

Marcinkewicz Model 300, 1S, 1.5S (cornet)

I have found that the Bach 2 (cornet) and the Wick 2 (cornet) both get a very rich and dark quality to the sound. Actually keeps the upper register in check intonation wise. The both have a nice free-blowing lower register. The Bach has a bowl shaped cup which will get a sound with more edge in the louder dynamics, while the Wick is a very deep V cup that keeps the sound focused and dark at all dynamics. The deep V on the Wick does make the horn play flat at the louder dynamics though.

In essence, the mellophone is a strange instrument that really doesn't lend itself to a conventional mouthpiece without altering the characteristics of the instrument. Should a mellophone be a warm sounding instrument to not be played in the upper register, or should it be used in all registers to create a different quality throughout the arrangements of the particular hornbook.

My opinion (and that is all it is), is to keep the mello as a middle voice that has a large rich, dark quality sound and to use a mouthpiece that gets that sound with the least amount of compromises in intonation and comfort.

I am currently the Brass Caption head for the Blue Stars from LaCrosse Wisconsin and only offer my opinion. I am also the professor of trumpet at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. I have tried the conventional mellophone mouthpieces and they just don't get the sound needed for the type of music our hornline is looking for.

But what the h### do I know.

What are your thoughts.

Also, in my opinion, the Kanstul horns are far superior than the Dynasty horns due to the quality of the metal, craftsmanship and sound quality they produce. The drawbacks to Kanstuls is their inconsistency. Dynasty are a more consistent instrument from horn to horn. But you can have two Kanstul mellos with sequential serial numbers and they play completely different. Perhaps, it was a fluke during manufacturing.

food for thought

Geoff,

That was one of the Longest Posts I have seen you post!!!!

As for Mouth Peices, Vince you should remember Gino's little rant about Mellos....

6V end of story.

Cullen.

[Screeaamer]

Scratch that! I saw the Avitar and thought it was Geoff... must be the valve oil I have been drinking.

Cullen.

[MellophoniusMajorus]

You know, I'm one of those people who says that it's not the piece of metal in front of your face...it's your face. Meaning, it's the player...if you want a dark sound, you can get it if you work at it no matter what you use. All the metal is is an amplifier of what your mouth is doing. Oh yeah, BTW, I use a UMI 6...on a (hold your breath for this one, you mello buffs) YAMAHA MELLOPHONE!! MUAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! And I like it! Heh heh...

B)

Catch ya later~!

[TerriDitt57]

hehe...I actually have never in my life played on a mellophone mouthpiece, or any cup moutpiece for that matter. My horn teacher made sure of that. I use my regular horn mouthpiece (Holton Farkas MDC) with an adaptor. My sound is darker than most other mellophones in my section, which, for me, is desirable (I can't stand bright sounds).

Hey, that's my horn mouthpiece too~!

How's that adaptor working for you? I never tried it.