For the student musician and those who enjoy music as a pastime,
a medium-sized mouthpiece may be desirable.
Trumpet/Cornet - 7C
Trombone - 12C
What Every Brass Instrumentalist
Should Know About Mouthpieces
A mouthpiece consists of the rim, cup, throat, and backbore. Bringing these various components into proper relationship constitutes the art of superior mouthpiece production. In choosing a special combination of rim, cup, throat, and backbore designs, consider these effects of each:
| RIM | |
| Wide | Increases endurance |
| Narrow | Improves flexibility, range |
| Round | Improves comfort |
| Sharp | Increases brilliance, precision of attack |
| THROAT | |
| Large | Increases blowing freedom, volume, tone; sharpens high register (largest sizes also sharpen low register). |
| Small | Increases resistance, endurance, billiance; flattens high register. |
| CUP | |
| Large | Increases volume, control |
| Small | Relieves fatigue, weakness |
| Deep | Darkens tone, especially in low register |
| Shallow | Brightens tone, improves response, especially in high register |
| BACKBORE |
| Except in general terms, it isn't possible to identify backbores by size because they also vary in taper. Various combinations of size and taper make the tone darker or more brilliant, raise or lower the pitch in one or more registers, increase or decrease volume. In each instance, the effect depends in part on the throat and cup used in combination with the backbore. |
Resource:
Selmer Bach
Copyright © 2001 Music Central Inc.
