9/29/2012

Expand Basic Skills With A Bach 3C Trumpet Mouthpiece

By Patrice McCoy


After the novice has played for a couple of years, it is always a good idea to change the mouthpiece of the trumpet. The initial pieces are designed to aid the newcomer in developing skills which can then be expanded upon as their technique and ability improves. The next logical step is to use the Bach 3C trumpet mouthpiece.

A player needs to understand why it is important to change the tip as they progress in their instruction and capabilities. The mouthpiece is an intricate combination of a rim, cup, backbore, and a bore. These areas combine to produce a variety of sounds and are so highly influenced that the measurements are made to the 1/10 of a millimeter.

Each piece is made to compensate and develop the sounds a player produces, hiding or strengthening playing weaknesses. The usual tip a novice begins with is very narrow, this is necessary to develop the techniques and basic skills of a brass instrument; a larger size is the natural progression to produce cleaner sounds and greater skills. This transition can often be difficult for a student.

With the switch in size, a player will often find it difficult to immediately reach the higher notes due to the air force necessary to achieve them. A student will notice an immediate improvement in the quality of the sounds which they are able to produce with the larger bit. Once the physical demands have been adapted to, the temporary problems are quickly forgotten.

Generally speaking, the rule for playing brass instruments is to use the biggest size possible. The more narrow a tip is, the poor the quality and less range it provides. The mouthpieces are also able to be paired to the individual player based on their preferences, skills, and desired music.

Deciding on a tip can be especially difficult for the novice player. It is a common mistake that the new player will want to try out mouthpieces which rarely provides the necessary change to gain greater abilities. A novice will often select a tip that is similar to the narrow beginner's tip they are accustomed to which offers no challenge or improvement.

Choices in the tip are influenced by the player's mouth, jaw, teeth, lips and embouchure. To best illustrate this, consider the lip to cup ratio. A person who has heavy, thick lips will be better suited to a larger cup because their lips will fill the tip better than a person with smaller, thinner lips. The jaw, teeth and mouth will affect the ability to comfortably form their lips around a mouthpiece as well.

To help a student develop their abilities, instructors will often suggest changing to the Bach 3C trumpet mouthpiece for better quality, control, and expand physical capability. This is the midlevel switch which enables more refining of skills before moving to advanced custom pieces. Some novice players can find this step difficult to accomplish due to the combined technical difficulty and physical challenge it presents.




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