160 Holt Road
Plainfield, VT 05667
Email: information@storkcustom.com
Phone: (802) 454-1004
The Perfect Match:
Trumpet Meets Mouthpiece
An Interview with Phyllis Stork
From The
International Trumpet Guild Journal,
Vol. 19, No. 2, December 1994
The following has been re-edited and augmented for this web site
JEAN MOOREHEAD LIBS, Pedagogy Editor
What is the true role of the mouthpiece?
To adapt to the idiosyncrasies of a player's physical make-up and translate
them into an aesthetically pleasing result vis a vis the instrument.
There are nine basic elements in a mouthpiece that can be manipulated to obtain the optimum performance results for a given player. About half of these (i.e., inner diameter, rim width, rim contour and cup depth) are designed to accommodate the individuals physical characteristics, The rest (bore, backbore, overall length and gap) are more geared towards balancing these physical attributes to the instrument being played.
Of those elements of the mouthpiece that are designed to be fit to the player the most critical is the inner diameter (sometimes referred to as cup size.) This aspect is meant to correspond to the size of a player's lips. It should be large enough to allow the inner red portion of the lips to fit inside the rim. The larger the lips, the larger the inner diameter needed. Other variables, such as rim width (wide, narrow, in-between), contour, (flat or with a high point, semi-flat), and bite (curve of the inner edge, sharp to round) all have a great impact on performance. These aspects must guarantee the player's lips comfort and support while allowing for the greatest number of vibrations to be caught. The player who has trusted these elements to luck rather than careful analysis is without a true understanding of the basic mechanics of his own playing technique. This can be very dangerous when confronted with either changes to equipment or personal physical changes.
Just as the player must be fit to the mouthpiece, so must this combination now be adjusted to produce a good balance of resistance with the instrument. The input of air from the player must be such as to allow the instrument to perform to its peak performance level. The criteria for this involves proper pitch and full sound. In addition, the player must be able to move the air at the velocity needed (with sufficient vibrations) to produce the upper register. In simple terms, larger-bored instruments require more air to function at their peak level of performance.
Other factors - density and composition of brass, and angles of arcs in slides, to name a few - will also cause instruments to respond differently. The way in which this balancing is accomplished is by adjusting the overall volume of the mouthpiece. This volume can be measured in terms of the inner diameter size, cup depth, and size of the bore and backbore. Literally, by deepening the cup, opening the bore and enlarging the backbore of a mouthpiece one can increase it's overall volume. Generally speaking, the greater the volume of the mouthpiece, the greater the input of air that is required to gain a specific velocity. Tightening down the mouthpiece (decreasing the dimensions of these same elements) will require less air to reach the same velocity. Solving the problem of "balanced resistance" truly requires an individual solution, as no two people are physically alike. Differences in physical strength, dental formation, size of the oral cavity, lung capacity and various other factors all affect the amount of air pressure that a player can exert on a given instrument. Thus, by intelligently manipulating the appropriate aspects of mouthpiece design, the mouthpiece can become the equalizer needed in properly balancing player and equipment.
These problems fall generally into two categories. The first is physically observable problems, like pulls, tucks, and excessive movement or tension in the lips, neck, or facial muscles. The other problem appears as flaws in the playing technique - poor range, bad intonation, faulty attack, and lack of endurance.
On the strictly physical side, pulls are generally classic symptoms of a player who is using an inner diameter that is too small. If the player were to attempt to play with his lips in a normal embouchure setting, nothing would come out. Too much lip in the mouthpiece will not vibrate with any freedom. Consequently, this person develops a playing technique where he literally pulls the lip (usually the top one) somewhat out of the mouthpiece so he is now exposing just enough lip to produce a sound. The problem with this set-up is that this player is now playing in the inner membrane of the lip where there is no musculature to protect the tissue from bruising or from cutting off the blood. To make matters even worse, by playing so far down on the lip, this person has greatly decreased the amount of exposed vibrating surface. This defect will have a drastic impact on his ability to play in the upper range.
Tucks are usually caused by just the opposite problem - an inner diameter that is too big. This player is unable to maintain the surface tension of his lips over the area of the lip that is being exposed. In order to keep the lips from simply being blown apart, the player adopts the technique of allowing his lips to collapse onto one another. Logically, the harder the person blows, the greater the degree of tuck. These players usually wind up with their bottom lip touching their teeth by the time they attempt a C above the staff. Once that happens, the air flow is stopped and there is a complete meltdown.
Finally, you have the problem of excessive tension. Solving this type of problem can really requires an adept diagnostician. Perhaps the most typical scenario pictures the player with enormous tension in the neck muscles. This is often the result of an aperture that is far too open. Without a good seal to resist the air, the player must create resistance somewhere else in order to keep the air from being sucked away as quickly as he can summon it. (Did you ever get the feeling that you were playing into a vacuum cleaner!?) This player creates resistance by placing the tongue very high in the mouth, closing the throat or in the case of a really fine technician, varying degrees of both. Tone quality and poor intonation are major tip-offs here. Ironically, this player is most often accused of not using his air properly or not knowing how to breathe correctly. In reality, until this person closes his lips, no amount of air will be sufficient to do the job. This problem can be caused by using the wrong inner diameter size. The bore size of the instrument should also be viewed with suspicion in these cases.
As for flaws in playing technique, intonation problems set off the loudest alarms for me. For example, take the player whose pitch hangs increasingly sharper as he ascends in range. One probable cause for this defect is a mouthpiece cup that is too shallow. Some players simply overcompensate by going into an overkill mode regarding cup depth. The raised pitch indicates that he is really overpowering the capacity of the mouthpiece. Going with slightly more cup will bring the pitch back in line and, as an extra added bonus, will improve the sound as well!
On the other side of the coin, poor intonation throughout the range of the instrument often indicates that the cup of the mouthpiece is too deep. In this case the player is unable to sufficiently power the volume of the cup. Remember, the greater the volume, the more air required to maintain a constant velocity.
In general terms, a heavier mouthpiece can work to darken the sound, add intensity to the core of the sound, and stabilize tone quality. It can also slow down the response and cut down on projection. Understanding these properties allows for intelligent choices regarding its use. For instance, while a darker sound with more core and stability would appear to many as upside characteristics, the accompanying downside must also be reviewed. Core and stability can easily spiral down to a kind of boring rigidity in timbre. For example, the player who regularly enjoys shading his tone (i.e., light to dark) may find that a heavier mouthpiece will not respond to this kind of manipulation quite as easily as will a normal weighted one.
Heavy mouthpieces have been around in one form or another for a long time. What we are seeing today in the "more mass to the brass" version is really just a poor man's version of a popular craze of the forties. Back then, sterling silver mouthpieces were all the rage. Tommy Dorsey owned one and certainly seems to have done okay with his!
On the other side, the popular trend among jazz players not more than thirty years ago, was to go lighter on the mouthpiece in order to quicken response and projection. Indeed, there are certain manufacturers whose basic mouthpiece blank (outer shape design) is purposely lighter than the standard weighted trumpet mouthpiece. It was common practice to have other manufacturers blanks skeletonized (have some brass removed) in order to achieve a completely different timbre profile.
One need not conclude here that cutting down on projection or response is always a negative. For players who would like to darken their sound, or perhaps more importantly, for those who have been requested to darken their sound, it can be a great cosmetic. Likewise, for the player with sledgehammer attacks, the extra weight can go a long way toward compensating for such natural propensities. Again, using weight as a variable gives one more control over the mouthpiece. The amount of weight used should reflect the kind of effect the player hopes to achieve. Not every use will require the same proportions. The old maxim "an ounce will cure, a pound will kill" is certainly very much to the point here.
160 Holt Road
Plainfield, VT 05667
Email: information@storkcustom.com
Phone: (802) 454-1004