In a message dated 3/3/2004 3:37:11 PM Eastern Standard Time, Xwing2231 writes:
> The mouthpiece I use > now is the original off the Kruspe. All brass. It is rather deep but works > well over the entire range for me where my Conn 7BW was > noticeably better in > the higher range. Why did you switch from the 7BW? Do you play primarily on the F horn, or the Bb horn? Players who use and teach using the F horn as the primary instrument tend to favor mouthpieces with deeper, vee shaped cups. The optimum cup depth for a mouthpiece can be described as a ratio of the overall horn length. That presents a dilemma for double horn players who play two instruments of different lengths. In general, the Bb horn requires a shallower cup than the F horn to produce about the same timbre. The reason this tends not to be common knowledge is because if you switch suddenly to a more bowl shaped cup, your new sound will be disturbingly bright until you learn to fill the horn properly with the shallower mouthpiece. Interestingly, this immediate difference probably defines exactly the problem you are having with your high register using a vee cup. The adjustment that you make over a week or two to get your old sound back is the adjustment you need to clean up your high register. To keep the 'pop' tone of the mouthpieces consistent, a shallower cup usually requires a slight increase in cup diameter. Interestingly, the combination of shallow cup and large diameter facilitates low playing because it doesn't waste energy trying to produce bass. Expert bass trombonists and outdoor sousaphone players know this trick. It takes the mud out of the tone and puts it back in a part of the spectrum that projects cleanly. If a 7BW, not a very deep cup, worked, try a Bach 3 or Schilke 31B for a few weeks. Scott Laskey is making a complete line of horn mouthpieces based on shallower cups. He converted me to a 31Bh while he was still at Schilke. It extended my range both up and down, and I much prefer my recorded sound. If you are going to continue using a deep, vee cup, I would suggest you get your hands on a good quality F horn, and practice playing it full range. A Reynolds Contempora or Conn 4D can be gotten on eBay for about $100. If you can develop real facility on the F horn, your high range problems should greatly diminish on the double.
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