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Re: Mouthpiece Recommendations

Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2018-01-29 18:10

The key word the this post is he is -"Just starting out again." Second clue, "I'm on a number 2 reed."

Why would anyone suggest a tip opening of around 1.13 to 1.20? This is called getting bloody lips!

We need to be careful with too open mouthpiece recommendations. A lot of them are way too open, such as the B40, the BD5, and even the M30 which will most likely play flat, because it is too long so he will have to buy a shorter barrel when playing the upper registers or bite to play in pitch if he is in a group. Of course check a meter to be sure. As we all know you can test 20 Vandoren mouthpieces and not one will play the same.

The Selmer Focus is a very good recommendation.

Maybe after a year if he plays a lot it would be a good time to try more open mouthpieces. I repeat - Maybe...

Yet he doesn't have to.

Remember Harold Wright played on a 1.01 tip opening and Robert Marcellus was around 1.10 as recorded, but it was actually 1.09 according to most of my record keeping. Some of these mouthpieces listed above start at 1.13 and go up to 1.20. Yet both Harald and Robert had no issues filling and ringing the halls of their orchestras.

He needs to be comfortable and get a nice sound, without getting bloody lips.

Large tip openings doesn't mean big sounds. The German players hardly ever go over 0.950, but they also fill the orchestra halls with beautiful warm sounds. Yes I know they are playing German systems, but the concept is the same. I also realize things are different now, but maybe that is a bad thing. Not a good thing. My choice of words must be noted, German players have a warmer sound and the word dark often means dead, because the sound doesn't always project. The German mouthpieces have a shallow baffle and chamber and we want that deep dug out Zinner chamber which often causes the notes not to ring out to the back of an orchestra. But up close the Zinner's sound really sweet. 20 to 30 feet away they are dead. There isn't that ring that Robert and Harold got. Even Ricardo with the Philly Orchestra has been seen playing on a crystal mouthpiece made by Pomarico because his Zinner was that dead sounding. The Pomarico is stamped Backun, but Backun doesn't know the first thing about mouthpieces. The Mitchell Lurie crystal mouthpieces were also made by Pomarico and I was the person that adjusted the facings on some of them, using diamond dust.

We Americans kind of all have similar sounds. Let's get away from this and force mouthpiece makers to make great mouthpieces again. Right now Selmer is close, but they aren't there yet. Since they've been sold I hope they don't stop making the Concept and the Focus.

Yet the actual "German Zinner" mouthpieces not the American ones have shallow baffles/chambers. These are warm sounding. Order a few if you don't believe me. I already did.

Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces

Yamaha Artist 2015

Post Edited (2018-01-29 18:59)

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