Orlando makes a good point. After using Alexander horns for ten years,
it made a BIG difference to use a German mouthpiece. All of the Klier
and Tilz mouthpieces I tried worked better than anything else I had
used. The Paxman mouthpieces (including Halsead Chidell) were designed
for a more varied array of horns, with the Paxman and Alexes being the
most widely used in England, though 8-D's and Holtons are also popular.
Once I got started on the mouthpiece research, it was more to educate
myself as to what was out there, so as to have a larger range of options
for my students, rather than as a search for a "magic bullet" for my own
playing.
Once noteworthy characteristic of the English (Denis Wick should also be
mentioned) mouthpieces is that they are designed to center on the
harmonic, or slot, very strongly and to give a tone that has a lot of
core. I find them a little more work is needed to achieve certain
"poetic" qualities, but boy do they work great in the orchestra for loud
playing, especially at the end of the day when one might be getting tired:)
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