Mouthpieces!!!

[Paulver]

I've been researching F tubas recently, and in the process, I was struck by an idea. I'm playing on a Miraphone 186 BBb with a Laskey 28H mouthpiece, and after playing in the upper register for awhile, I tire out, and pitch accuracy and tone hit the skids. Then, I opt for dropping down an octave for some of the higher notes.

I'm not an "accomplished" tubaist!! I'm just a guy who picked up a tuba in my band room one day, a long time ago, and taught myself how to play it, and I now play occasionally........ not steadily. But, when I practice and play regularly for a few months, I'm fairly decent at it.... both technique and intonation/tone-wise.) Instead of jumping right in and getting an F tuba and learning how to handle it, I thought about first trying a different mouthpiece ....... like a Laskey 28G or a 28F, in order to try and secure and/or firm up some of those upper pitches and possibly extend my range just a bit.... by maybe a third or so, and most likely help with my endurance, BEOFRE I made a major purchase of an F. That said, it would maybe/probably take a little away from my lower range, but....... it's a much less expensive way to approach the other issue and it seems like a logical idea. And.... it would satisfy my curiosity regarding my upper range.

............. Any opinions on those mouthpieces????????

[Mary Ann]

Nope on the mouthpiece, but wonder how you are defining "the higher notes." Some mean, like, G at the top of the staff, and some mean an octave above that.

I did make the high range more accessible by going from my 7B to what appears to be a "7/8 sized 7B type cup." Which is narrower by a bit, slightly less deep, but actually has a bigger bore. But -- I had to re-open-up the low range, which took a couple weeks, the difference being the lesser width, mostly, I think, for both.

[Paulver]

Bb......top of the staff...... and up a little further..... not much. I'm not a tuba screecher. Up another octave? I couldn't play that high if you held a gun to my head!

Just looking to go a little beyond what I'd mentioned.

[donn]

Mary Ann raises an important point here. The notes you're looking for, though perhaps below the screech range, are well above the range where the tuba usually makes its important contribution to an ensemble. In other words, you really need to play an octave or two lower, and you need a mouthpiece that delivers down there. It seems to me that a 28F would not be that mouthpiece, though to be fair I've never played one.

It doesn't mean the mouthpiece necessarily has to be big, though. Faces are not all the same. If you want to experiment with a smaller mouthpiece, I'd suggest the Schilke 66. It's small, but not so shallow.

[Paulver]

A slight change in the direction of the previous topic.

After a couple of recent conversations here, with some local brass and tuba players, and a few store people, I remembered some discussions I'd had in the past. This morning, I finally found some notes on a couple of conversations I had with Scott Laskey before he passed away. His first choice/recommendation for my particular tuba, and given what type of playing I do, was a "28G." I couldn't locate that model anywhere. Shortly after that, Scott passed away, and his family shut down the business. I managed to locate my present mouthpiece in Arizona...... not exactly what he had recommended, but it was the closest thing I could find. So, I bought it.... and liked it, compared to what I was playing on previously. After I got that one, I basically forgot about the other, and gave up on the search.

Based on some of my most recent conversations, and the fact that another company bought the Laskey brand and is now making the mouthpieces again, I'm very curious about the 28G..... again.

I'm not foolishly looking for a miracle cure. Just looking for a little boost, so to speak. Does anyone on this site use this mouthpiece, and if so, what's your opinion of it?

[russiantuba]

The Laskey 28G is a Geib-Style mouthpiece--I don't use it, but I have had great success with a copy of the Conn Geib (Lee Stofer) and my CC mouthpiece is a modified Geib (Sellmansberger Symphony).

Here is a word of caution--getting an F tuba will NOT improve your upper range. I suspect some of the fatigue is from slotting issues on your horn from wasted efforts. The best ways, IMO, to control upper range is to 1) build up to it, and 2) do control exercises in a controlled fashion (lip slurs/lip flips that isolate the interval), and more importantly, working with hearing the intervals. An F tuba MIGHT help with slotting the pitches at first, but opens other issues.

I do think a bowl shaped mouthpiece will help your horn. I play piston tubas, but always prefer the bowl shape ones for a better tone color, and on a rotor tuba like yours, the Geib style works great. One of the schools I teach at has Miraphone 186 BBbs, and the students were using PT 50s. I have switched most of the students to bowl shapes (RT 88, loaned my Geib, etc), and not only have I noticed a increase of range, but more tonal stability and quicker response. YMMV.

[Paulver]

All: Thanks for the opinions and info. I've already printed your remarks and put them in the tuba section of my music library.

Russiantuba:

I had already begun working on some of the things you are suggesting..... as a warm-up routine. (Found the exercises on-line. Written by the IUP tuba prof that I was introduced to last year. Former student of Jim Self) Been doing them for a week or so......the lip slurs and interval drills, and tonguing exercises. The octave slurs (jumps) are a bit of a bear for me, but I keep doing them. I'm beginning to notice slight improvements in the range, intonation/tone, as it's getting a little bit more comfortable to play "up there". (At this early point, though, I'm not sure if it's just a psychological thing or it's really happening.) Endurance is gonna take more time. Will keep the routine up for a few months before I come to any definitive conclusions.

That said, I have also arranged to test the two mouthpieces I previously mentioned. It turns out that the Laskey rep for the Northeast is from my area, and went to a local college here. She also had a prof there who is a good friend of mine. His father was one of my professors in college. (Amazing what happens when you simply make a few phone calls and ask for info!!) She recognized my area code as being close to her hometown, and she called me back almost immediately. So, I'll be able to try both mouthpieces for an extended period of time to see if either will help..... or not.

Still, I'm curious about F tubas, as tons of German band music is written for that type of tuba. Playing it all on a BBb gets very tiring, playing in the upper register most of the time. Not to mention trying to figure out all of the different German directions, repeats, D.S. signs, etc.