your mouthpiece might be too big if...

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modelerdc
Posts: 275
Joined: Thu May 03, 2018 9:34 pm

your mouthpiece might be too big if...

Post by modelerdc »

This is kind of tongue in cheek, as I would never seriously suggest we all play the same arbitrary size. What's small for one can be large for another and just right for somebody else. Nonetheless we sometimes see players struggling with mouthpieces that are too big for them, at least at some point in their development. This is mostly bass trombone stuff, but sometimes tenor players gets this disease. So I suggest that if more than a few of these describe you then...

Your mouthpiece might be too big if:

Your tuning slide is always all the way in.
Your high notes sound like electronic static or white cotton balls of fuzz
Your upper range is flat compared to your mid range. And gets really flat when you are tired.
Your bass trombone mouthpiece works about as well in a tuba as it does on a trombone. (tenor players whose mouthpiece works better on bass trombone parts than on tenor trombone parts)
You pride yourself on your dark sound, but everyone else thinks it's dull.
Others musicians mistake your sound for a Euphonium.
Your jury comments talk about characteristic sound.
Bass trombone players who in brass quintet find it easier to play the tuba part than the trombone part
Tenor trombone players who own the 3rd part in trombone quartet.
You can play a 3 octave B flat scale as long as it starts on Double Pedal B flat.
You have to play twice as loud as everyone around you just to be heard, then suddenly you're too loud!
You can't play soft, attacks are insecure, your legato takes a break, your tone doesn't even get going until forte!
You secretly keep track of what size mouthpiece everyone else plays, and take a secret pride that yours is bigger.
In fact if they made a bigger mouthpiece you'd buy it!
you've had custom mouthpiece made that are bigger, or have drilled them out yourself.
You suck on fast moving parts, but if there's one loud low note, you'll play it as loud as possible!
You trombone has been compare to a weapon.
And you thought this was a compliment.
you rationalize that filling up the bottom of the ensemble is more important than playing Bolero
Because you can't
Your warmup sounds like a truck without mufflers, and is best done outdoors.
you would date a female trombonist if she would go out with you, (fat chance) but secretly you think of the trombone as a mans instrument.
You count the number of low notes in your parts and grouse that there's not enough to display your art.
You dream of owning your own contra bass trombone. One in F and one in B flat!
Common, everybody has to puff their cheeks when there as open as possible down low!
Your hear a recording and the bass trombonist has a short solo about three notes long and it becomes your favorite track on the album!
You have four different embouchures, one that works in the mid range, another for the F attachment range, yet another for pedal notes, still yet another for really low pedals, and you're still looking for one that plays high notes!
Consequently you find that flexibility exercises are over rated.
You hear others talk about focus, and you realize that the mouthpiece throat is all the focus you need for pedal C. Maybe if I take the lead pipe out that will help!
Your instructor wants you to play some lyrical solos but you pick tetra ergon because it goes lower
You get thrown out of Trombone Choir for taking the bass trombone part down an octave (that happened to me once!)
You have as many etude books and solos for tuba as trombone.
You are disappointed that Bach Cello Suites only go down to low C
But this means you can take them down an octave!
You memorize mouthpiece specifications, look at horn porn, and peruse forums like Trombone Chat!
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harrisonreed
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Location: Fort Riley, Kansas
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Re: your mouthpiece might be too big if...

Post by harrisonreed »

Hmm, reading the first reason made me ignore the rest of it.

Sort of like the first page or so of The Hunger Games. I got to page two.
Screenshot_20201215-170950.png
I read the first three lines twice, and then closed the book.
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Oslide
Posts: 159
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 9:13 am
Location: Switzerland, BL

Re: your mouthpiece might be too big if...

Post by Oslide »

modelerdc wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 12:38 am Your mouthpiece might be too big if.....
:good:
I love it! (don't play bass trombone, though).
Ceterum censeo to fetch All of TTF
Gary
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2019 10:39 am

Re: your mouthpiece might be too big if...

Post by Gary »

My mouthpiece might be too big if I am mistaken for a Ubangi.
Basbasun
Posts: 494
Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2018 3:03 am

Re: your mouthpiece might be too big if...

Post by Basbasun »

LOL I think this is very funny! :D






Yes I play bass.
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