m_basey Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 no problems with sound, blend, or range. have argued this point with many. I have found, that generally, that the people who think they never have a problem with sound or blending or the people that stick out in a hornline. Most likely to busy arguing then to listen to themselves. If we could all be so perfect to never sound and quality issues. The 1992 Star contra line had serious blending issues in the early season. Jim Mason ordered 16 UMI Helleburg mouthpieces for us. Blending problems went away immediatly after the mouthpieces arrived. In fact, I haven't play anything but a Helleburg since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevsBari02 Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Teal uses the UMI 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notasop Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I have found, that generally, that the people who think they never have a problem with sound or blending or the people that stick out in a hornline. Most likely to busy arguing then to listen to themselves. If we could all be so perfect to never sound and quality issues.The 1992 Star contra line had serious blending issues in the early season. Jim Mason ordered 16 UMI Helleburg mouthpieces for us. Blending problems went away immediatly after the mouthpieces arrived. In fact, I haven't play anything but a Helleburg since. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> umm... that is why we 2 ears and only 1 mouth. more important to LISTEN than argue. it is your choice what you play on. glad you found something that works for you. that is what this thread has been about. would you change now if told to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerMellophone Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 This is an article I found from one of the most respected brass teachers and instrument makers in recent history. "Pick a mouthpiece according to individual characteristics. Using the same mouthpiece throughout an entire section will not necessarily produce a perfectly blended sound (unless all players have the same teeth, lips, jaws, breath control, etc.). In fact, if you want similar sounds with different players it is essential that they have different mouthpieces. The mouthpiece is an equalizer." You can read the entire article here: http://www.dallasmusic.org/schilke/Practical%20Physics.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchromik Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Thats a nice article. Lots of it makes sense, but when it comes to mello pieces the problem is selection of cups. The mello 6 sounds great because of it's cup, but the diameter isn't for everyone. If someone made a cup like the mello 6 in several diameters the world would be a better place. Of course someone like Kanstul or Curry who is all CNC might be able to copy the cup in different diameters, but it would co$t. As said before many of the Star Alum mellos are experimenting with the Curry TF cup. This could be our mello piece for future. And we can all get a diameter we like! I'm on a 3! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notasop Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 This is an article I found from one of the most respected brass teachers and instrument makers in recent history."Pick a mouthpiece according to individual characteristics. Using the same mouthpiece throughout an entire section will not necessarily produce a perfectly blended sound (unless all players have the same teeth, lips, jaws, breath control, etc.). In fact, if you want similar sounds with different players it is essential that they have different mouthpieces. The mouthpiece is an equalizer." You can read the entire article here: http://www.dallasmusic.org/schilke/Practical%20Physics.html <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thank you! Glad someone realizes that everyone is different. And that comfort is important and relevant to how one is able to play their instrument. My else are there so many different sizes, types, etc. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravedodger Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 (edited) I can't think of a single symphony that requires any member to play any specific horn or any specific mouthpiece. How many symphonies (good ones)have blend and balance issues? I use whatever mouthpiece I happen to have with me at the moment. Edited February 4, 2005 by ravedodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerMellophone Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 I can't think of a single symphony that requires any member to play any specific horn or any specific mouthpiece. How many symphonies (good ones)have blend and balance issues? I use whatever mouthpiece I happen to have with me at the moment. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Chicago makes their trumpet players play one of their matched set of Mt. Vernon C trumpets, but they all play a different Bb and all have different mouthpieces. It is actually quite common in the orchestral community to have sections all playing the extact same model of horn. You will see all 8D horn sections and all 229 Bach strad sections all the time. They never make anyone play on a particular mouthpiece though, and if you can't blend then you simply don't get the job or you get fired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravedodger Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 (edited) I forgot about that! I believe there were once four symphonies that required 8D's. For two of those groups, that time passed quite a while ago. There are even groups that prefer to stay away from the 8D all together, because of the distintive tone it has (but I love my M series). So what happens to the next guy that hooks up with Chicago, but he can't get a Mt. Vernon? I'd be willing to bet that would be out the window pretty fast! If I remember correctly, while giving a master class at Vanderbilt, William Vacciano said that for a number of years in the mid-90's, New York had difficulties finding a good third trumpet player. The problem wasn't the Mt. Vernons or Callicchios that came out of the bags, but it was that everybody of that caliber is trained to be a lead or principle player. They just didn't have the ability to blend into the rest of the section. Blending is the key, of course. I'd be willing to bet that the most important piece of equipment in a musician's inventory isn't necessarily the instrument in his hands, rather it's those two funny looking things attached to the sides of his head. In drum corps you can definately tell the difference between horns. Ever notice the brighter sound of DEGs compared to Kings, even with the same mouthpiece? The reason some people believe in using uniform mouthpieces is to get the most homogenous sound possible with more inexperienced players who don't have the embouchure development and ears to make proper blend and balance changes on their own. It's the brass tech's secret cheat. rambling late-night post, sorry Edited February 4, 2005 by ravedodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerMellophone Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 (edited) So what happens to the next guy that hooks up with Chicago, but he can't get a Mt. Vernon? I'd be willing to bet that would be out the window pretty fast! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The Chicago Symphony owns the matched set of Mt. Vernon C's. The trumpet that Bud Herseth played for most of his 55 year Career is not his own, and it will go to Chris Martin, the next principle, assuming he accepts the job. I have been able to confirm that Chris Martin has accepted the job on a 1 year trial basis. The CSO is currently looking for a possible replacement for the Mt. Vernon set as the horns are starting to wear out. They have been working with Yamaha and the new "Chicago C" that Yamaha just released is fruit of this effort. It is basicly and exact copy of the CSO C's with some modern technology mixed in. The goal of the Yamaha C was to sound exactly like the CSO's. From what I have heard, they have been pretty successful. The reason some people believe in using uniform mouthpieces is to get the most homogenous sound possible with more inexperienced players who don't have the embouchure development and ears to make proper blend and balance changes on their own. It's the brass tech's secret cheat. The "secret" is about the worse thing they can do if they want a truely balanced section. As the article above mentioned they should work with each individual student and try various mouthpieces in order to find the one that has the sound to match the rest. Indentical mouthpieces will NOT produce identical sounds from different players. :edited out some typos. Never post late at night :P : Edited February 5, 2005 by SoonerMellophone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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