Corps Mouthpieces

[J_Wilson]

maybe i'm wrong here but...

horns using different mouthpieces sounds like the snareline using their their favourite sticks- which just doesn't happen

in order to get the same sound there just has got to be some kind of uniformity

the drumline, especially snare players have to change technique all the time to meet that of the line- horn players could change theirs just a little bit too to use the same mouthpiece

[Dave]

First, I don't think there's any such thing as a completely uniform sound where everyone sounds exactly the same, regardless of mouthpieces. If you took individual players out, they'll still have their little quirks that make them individuals. It's just a matter of using your ears to achieve good intonation and uniform tone quality that makes hornlines sound good.

As for comparing drum sticks to mouthpieces: they're not the same thing. The principles involved are different, and the sound and color of a drumline is affected by what kind of sticks they use. I was at a master class with the Boston Brass, and J.D. Shaw, their horn player (and arranger for Phantom) said that if you were to put them on different mouthpieces, they would still sound pretty much the same as they did on their normal mpcs because it's their playing style and facial construction that affects their sound more than their mouthpiece. A mouthpiece is just a tool. The craftsman is the one who really decides what that tool produces.

[RoyalAirsBlue]

Just a side note.... I just got a new Asymmetric Mouthpiece (OPera 545) from John Lynch.

I is incredible. Took a few days to get into the groove, but it increased my range 1/2 octave and totally eliminated lip fatigue. This is a testimonial, not a an add.

[kimelabari]

good feedback,

I don't recall being asking when I marched in BD's hornline to play on a specific mouthpiece, but things grow and change.

kimela

[jrmcnulty]

Well, I have to say that to me mouthpieces are a matter of personal preference. You have to find the right one for you. It depends on what is comfortable to you and what you can produce the best tone. As for corps that requires a particular mouthpiece, I think that it is a good starting point. You would think that same instrument + same mouthpiece = same tone. However, that is not always the case and that should be addressed case by case.

I myself always like to try new things and see if they will work for me. What is important is that if it does not work for that person then do they get the option to go to something that does work for them? I would hope so.

JRM

[Guest mafields627]

I think when requiring a person to play on a mouthpiece, at least for trumpet, the order of importance of characteristics of the piece would be:

cup diameter

rim shape

cup depth

throat/backbore

The first two affect the individual player more than the last two however, the last two will affect the sound more than the top two. I think as long as everyone was on the same brand, using the same cup and throat, the diameter/rim could be varied.

[Blaringbrass]

Personally i think you do get a more uniformal toneal quality when on the same mouthpieces, but i think on Bb horns it is much more harder to tell who is doing what with their brass lines mouthpiece wise. I believe that most line that do use "same mouthpieces" usually have 1 or 2 mouthpieces for that individual to choose from when they make the line so it may or may not be the end of the world. But really all it comes down too is if you really hate playing on prescibed mouthpieces then dont try out for a corps that uses them. If it dosent bother you that much, then go for it. I hate to be that blunt but that may be your only choice.

Edited December 10, 2002 by Blaringbrass

[Dave]

Well, it's not a problem, and corps can have any policy they want. My point is simply that I disagree that having uniform mouthpieces will result in the same tone. If you're dealing with clones, maybe, but you're not. You're dealing with people who have different facial construction and react different ways to different physical stimuli. It's not what you're playing on (within reason; if you're playing on a dented dime or a toilet bowl, it can impact your playing, IMO most often negatively), it's how you're playing.

[David-F]

I guess this is where Drum Corps has come to, no longer taken what they have and using it the bast way they can now it's taken what you want and making them what they want. I agree there is something said about trying to get the sound you want from the players you have. How may peopl out there remember the double cup mouth piece, I ve seen them and heard them but have never played on one, they give any horn player a unique sound(Harry James used one) with the music many of the corps are going to these days I just don't think you would want some of your lower trumpets or sopranos using them. Yes it's true there are some mouth pieces we like and some we don't, and it apears that the way things have gotten today instructors feel that in order to get the little edge they think they need to beat out another horn like is a more unified sound between horn players, the eases and fastest way is same mouth pieces. Yes I know two people can get different tonal sounds using the same horn and mouth piece but try to get the same when one guys has a Bach 5C and another has a Shulkie 6A4A or 13A4A, I bet there are a lot of lower soprano players playing on 13A4As, it maybe a great lead mouth piece but there is no way you can get a full rich sound with the notes on the staff. Yes I can see there is a need for some kind of control, especialy with the horn lines of today. Back when I marched corps were just starting to get into attack and release and control, intonation, you know the things you can get ticks for, now sound is the focus.

[Real-ity]

On one hand I think "the mouthpiece is the instrument, it's the source of the sound.. so it should be uniform" on the other hand I have "the mouthpiece is the instrument, it's the source of the sound... so you should be comfortable with your source."

I guess since percussion lines standardize on sticks.. size, taper, nylon, wood.. etc, I assume that it would be the same reasoning behind a brass standardization. I marched my own mouthpiece, a 3C, and I don't think I would had liked a change. But everything else is standardized... why not the mouthpiece too? It also adds another level of strictness to the corps atmosphere. You do it cuz they say so. You learn to play the way that the staff tells you to, you play on the instrument they tell you to.. on the mouthpiece they tell you to.

There's a certain level of uniformity behind everything in a drum corps, so chosing a certain mouthpiece for each section I would definately understand. If you let everyone do whatever they wanted you'd probably hear some day "please bring your own Bb instrument to camp".. oh wait.. nevermind.