I think my mouthpiece is too big.. Says the euphonium player...

[anadmai]

When I purchased Albert, my Dillon 981S, it came with a mouthpiece, but it was suggested I try a Laskey 28K mouthpiece. After buying it, I noticed there was already a mouthpiece with the horn. I was told the Laskey was the better mouthpiece.

I am normally a Euph and Baritone player. I play on Wick Heritage for both (4.5AL for the Euph and 6BS for the Baritone). The OD difference between the two isn't much. The 28K is like 32.51 and on the Wick Scale, it's practically the biggest on the chart. I feel the 28K is way too big for me. I feel very sloppy playing it.

I've gone and ordered a Wick Heritage 4L. The OD is 30.50 as compared to 32.51. as compared to the 25.85 of my 4.5AL.

I'm hoping this helps me some.

[donn]

Mouthpiece measurement hasn't been standardized to a science yet. If you've tried it, I expect you will see the problem. I see Laskey compares it to a Schilke 67 (and others, but that's the only one I have), and sure, the 67 is a hair larger than the typical starter. The figures you cite are normally seen as Inside Diameter, by the way.

It's your face, and while you may perceive a sort of consensus about the range of sizes that work best, of course what works best for you is between you and your tuba. If the Wick 4L feels like the right size but sounds thin, you may be able to get something deeper, increasing the volume with little or no increase in width.

[bloke]

Most brass and woodwind instruments (which are designed to use with a mouthpiece) tend to sound better with a mouthpiece in place...

...at least, that's my theory, but I'm not an acoustician or anything like that...

[gocsick]

When my son started tuba in 6th grade, he was given a Bach 25 by the school to use with the beat up 3/4 Yamaha (105?). It is pretty small for a tuba mouthpiece. I kept it around and it sounds really good on an old 3 valve Eb of mine, provided I am not playing below Bb below the staff. Can't play false tones to save my life with the little mouthpiece.

Might be worth a try for you.

[Pauvog1]

You might really like the Wick 4L or 5L on that horn.

If you want a higher end option, I'd look into a Sellmansberger Imperial with a rim opening on the smaller end. Bloke (Joe Sellmansberger) can provide some great recommendations.

[humBell]

(I am resisting the temptation of sharing the wisdom of Don Hertzfeldt)

Not sure i really have wisdom to share of my own, but i would encourage ya to find one that really works for you for most of your playing, but give the larger one occasional playing time as well just to see what you can do with it. As you get accustomed to it, perhaps it will take differing levels of effort, but they might produce something worth the effort in the lower ranges? Or more air?

Not sure what i'm trying to say, i just know the two mouthpieces i bring with me most places might differ by... an 8th of inch? Haven't measure them, but i feel i benefit by trying things on both of them.

[BRS]

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[humBell]

Everyone’s face and dental structure are different. Shoes come in different sizes for a reason.

...

More than one reason shoes come in different sizes. Sometimes it follows what they're used for, and it isn't wrong to familiarize how to be comfortable with the snow boots when your faced with frozen tundra of an subarctic bass line.

I guess i'm still figuring things out, and sometimes i found that what is easy and sounds good to me to play by myself, perhaps gets lost or is an airhog when i try to match volume in a group, while the course and ugly sounding one blends beautifully.

Also from my youngest tuba playing days, i got a love for Conn mouthpieces and an (undeserved) antipathy for Yamaha mouthpieces. In later days i think i figured out it was just because the Conns let me make any old sound, whereas the Yamahas really only sounded with a solid pure tone, but did that very well and cleanly, if i but had the focus for it back then.

[bloke]

OK. a "serious" post:

Almost every time that I have decided that a mouthpiece that I'm using with a particular instrument isn't right (and this includes from my own line of mouthpieces/components), I eventually determined that the mouthpiece I'm using is too large - either in all ways or in some particular way (and I'm not referring to "because I'm mostly accustomed to...", but I'm referring to what actually suits a particular instrument).

This is something that no one ever discusses, and I suspect that no one will comment on this part of my post and pretend like it's not even here:

Since almost no lines of mouthpiece offer this option (with the same everything else), I don't believe that most people have any idea how much a different rim contour changes the playing characteristics of a mouthpiece and/or their own ability to access their instrument), and - further - how much a different mouth opening (with the same rim contour) changes the playing characteristics of a mouthpiece. I have found one particular rim contour that works really well for me, but I use three different mouth openings on my instruments depending on which instrument with that same rim contour, and with different cups, different throats, and different back bores.

This just happened last week I've been stumbling around with my own components for over a year trying to find a little bit better mouthpiece for one of my instruments:
It finally occurred to me to step down about a half millimeter in the mouth opening using the rim contour that I prefer. I don't know why it didn't occur to me before, but things were greatly improved (and with another of my instruments, that same rim contour works best when it is a half millimeter larger - as far as how much lips fit within it... and with yet another my instruments, a full millimeter smaller with the same rim contour).

summary: seemingly never discussed
- the effect of a different rim contour
- the effect of a the same rim contour, yet with more or less of a person's vibrating lips exposed within the rim

parenthetical afterthoughts:
> My understanding is that Mr. Herseth (CSO trumpet) only moved to very large trumpet mouthPIECES after an injury, and previously was doing just fine with a 7C trumpet mouthpiece. His signature C trumpet mouthPIPE (tube) was/is actually quite small, and it's basically a B-flat trumpet mouthpipe on a C trumpet with the larger end chopped off - whereby the bore doesn't even reach the valve section bore size of the instrument.
> I'm thinking that the "anything that's bigger is better" era of tuba playing (that began around 1980 or so) hurt tuba playing and hurt the way that tubas sound. I think we're still suffering from that, and haven't quite emerged from it. That's just my opinion.
> I'm not sure that practicing to become strong enough to play a certain mouthpiece or even strong enough to play a certain instrument indicates that a mouthpiece such as that or an instrument such as that are necessarily good choices.

[donn]

Well, I think it may be fair to say that

• practicing with mouthpiece and instrument has some potential to improve results,
• relative results with various mouthpiece and instrument combinations can change in the process, and
• that's because some mouthpieces and instruments that take more practice to play well, can get you a more interesting sound.

Of course cup diameter is far from the only factor involved there, but it's one thing that can be specified clearly enough that you know what you have, or will have if you acquire it.

I'd be happy to read about the effects of rim shape on playing, but what's to say? One may have certain preferences. Me too, perhaps, though I think I'm not as picky as some. There are various playing situations, too. And lip thickness, you know, that could have something to do with it.

[bloke]

Cup diameter and rim profile may well not be the most significant things to change in a mouthpiece, but what I'm trying to say is that they (and rim profile in particular) are usually totally overlooked as being significant...
... and of course practice is going to improve anyone's performance, but I'm trying to suggest that some mouthpieces and some instruments are unnecessarily difficult to play...
... but Donn and I have trolling contests with each other, and I believe I just lost this round.

[donn]

Then there's the question of possible FD outcome from gear that's too strenuous.

[Mary Ann]

Then there's the question of possible FD outcome from gear that's too strenuous.

Although I will report that my TSFD outcomes (violin, tennis, horn) were not from bad equipment but from bad teaching in which the technique of producing what was demanded was not made available, and the TSFD comes from continuing to slog away at it anyway. That scenario obviously could also occur with good teaching and unsuitable equipment.

I found out that those who develop TSFD do have brain differences, but I don't know what those differences are or what technology was used to determine that.

Joaquin Farias, who successfully treats FD using whole-body methodology (his web site is very interesting) says even those who have TSFD still need to re-train the entire body. Many musicians have been delighted with the results.

[tclements]

Over the years, my students have had the best results with the good ol' Bach 4G, on the compensating euphoniums. Try it before spending a ton of dough.

[Schlitzz]

NO mouthpiece will have an effect on bad viola operation.

[GC]

The Wick 4 is a good doubler's mouthpiece. The 5 is another alternative that works well for euphers and bass trombonists. No mouthpiece, though, is a perfect solution, and every mouthpiece will have fans and detractors. If it doesn't work for you, get advice from other doublers and move on.

[Ace]

Over the years, my students have had the best results with the good ol' Bach 4G, on the compensating euphoniums. Try it before spending a ton of dough.

Yes, indeed. I even used a Bach 3G on my Czech euphonium.

Ace

[donn]

The Wick 4 is a good doubler's mouthpiece. The 5 is another alternative that works well for euphers and bass trombonists.

I liked the 5, would be interested to know more about the difference between the two, beyond the cup diameter.

[Mary Ann]

NO mouthpiece will have an effect on bad viola operation.

One of these days you're going to make a comment like that in front of the wrong person who has the capability of having you hired or not. Food for thought, huh?

[tofu]

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