If I were playing a standard F horn, amoderately deep funnel easily produces
the classic F horn tone so important to develop in young players before moving
them on to modern equipment. For anyone interested in applying physics and
common experience to choosing a cup shape, let me throw out some information
that might not lead you to the conclusion you already feel in your heart, but
that might aid some on doing some personal experimentation.
The tone you get from a particular mouthpiece you may be using is very
dependent on your personal concept of sound. Most of us learn to get the sound
we want from the equipment we have. The obvious option is to change equipment.
Suddenly changing to a deeper or shallower cup will make a very predictable
change to your sound, but that initial change takes about a month to develop,
until you achieve tyhe best sound you can get on the new equipment. This can
lead to the very common love/hate relationship with a different mouthpiece
every few days. Scott Laskey one explained to me that the proper depth of a
mouthpiece scales with the length of the horn, which makes absolute sense from
a phsics point of view. This implies that the deep funnel we like so much on
our F horn is going to be too deep for our Bb horn, to produce a matching
sound. Pop tone, a measure of the cup volume, has been found to be a very
important factor to mouthpiece performance. If the deep funnel is s
hortened to more closely match the Bb horn, the cup volume diminishes, raising
the pop tone. Increasing the diameter of the cup, which most strong players do
over time, gets the pop tone back down. A so called bowl shape cup is also
used to increase volume. Before I lose players who prefer a funnel over a
bowl, look at successful bowl shaped cups, and you quickly see they are really
'S' shaped. The bottom retains the funnel shape, and the volume is added just
below the rim. Bach 3, or Schilke 31B, are very popular examples.
As far as low playing goes, a deep funnel certainly favors the production of
low notes, but that is very misleading to mouthpiece selection. I was
specifically trained in fourth horn playing. The most difficult aspects of
playing fourth are developing agility and a clear sound in the low register,
but are absolutely essential to put a good bottom on a quartet. Since the horn
plays an octave above it's length, the advantage of a deep cup is mostly
irrelevant. Also, starting and stopping a long column of air is a slow
process. An F horn with a deep funnel cup is going to be muddy and slow.
However, a Bb horn with a shallower cup can move much more quickly, and doesn't
waste energy trying to produce bass that the horn is not designed to play in
the first place. It just muddies the tone.
I find my Paxman 42M to be my best horn for playing fourth parts. With the F
attachment on it and a few 'long' fingerings, I've even got enough F horn, C to
C, to blend perfectly in that octave. Don't be afraid to experiment a bit to
establish your own preferences.
-Original Message-
From: G [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: The Horn List horn@music.memphis.edu
Sent: Tue, 12 Jul 2005 20:11:43 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: [Hornlist] mouthpiece rim contours/dimensions
Do rim contours/dimensions influence tone? If yes
- how so? - and - what
might the physics be behind this?
Hi,
Yes.
Some rims have a flat surface, with a definite inside
edge. These rims can aid in staccato, as well as a
more defined attack to a note, but can be a detriment
to smooth legato playing.
Some rims are more rounded on the surface, with less
of an edge going into the cup. These rims can aid
legato and slurs, but can be a detriment to staccato
and more defined attacks.
Which leads directely into the mouthpiece, which to me
has more of an effect on tone than the contour of the
rim...some mouthpieces have more of a cup, or bowl
shape if you will. These mouthpieces can aid in a
clearer high range, but can be a detriment to a good
clear low range. Basically, the more cup, the brighter
and more 'trumpet-like' the tone.
Some mouthpieces have straighter sides, more like a
funnel. These mouthpieces can aid in the production of
a clearer low range, but can be a detriment to a good
clear high range.
Which leads directly to the bore, or diameter of the
hole at the bottom of the cup, or funnel, of the
mouthpiece. A smaller size bore can create a clearer,
brighter high range, but can be a detriment to a
clear, open low range.
Some mouthpieces have a large diameter bore. These
mouthpieces can aid in the creation of a more open,
clearer low range, but can be a detriment to a clear,
open high range.
Farkas explained it best in The Art Of Horn
Playing...you should find a mouthpiece that runs right
down the middle of the extremes. A mouthpiece with a
rounded surface and slight edge, with an inside that
is between a cup and a funnel. That way you get a good
compromise between