TromboneChat

Is it neccesqry to use a diferent mp when playing second trombone? I currently play on a stomvi 5a

It depends entirely on 2 questions:

1. Are you blending well with the first and bass trombonists?

2. Are you getting the sound you want with an ease you’re comfortable with?

Your colleagues and the conductor can answer the first question. Only you can answer the second one.

No.

No

Nope. Depends entirely on you, and the blend of your section. You will see a lot of mouthpieces recommended for 2nd trombone that have a deeper cup, while you will see some mouthpieces with shallower cups recommended for principal or solo work. However, what matters is the end result.

I play in a section where the 2nd and 1st player both play Bach 5Gs. Our regular principal also plays one, and I know many people with Bachelors and Masters degrees in trombone who play Bach 5G mouthpieces or ones of a similar size.

Nope!

F'em!

Not neccesary and usually I don't, but it could be something to experiment with as well as different leadpipes or whatever can affect the sound other than you. The same reason you may want different sizes of horn on the first, second, third and fourth parts.

First the desicion depends on you and what you want from your playing, then it depends on the guys you are blending with. What works with them. I often want a light, crisp sound when I am on first in a Big Band, a sound that sits on top of the section. I often think of my King 2b as the ideal lead horn for this. If I need a more fat sound on first because the context requires this I might choose the YSL-891Z instead. The mouthpiece in both cases be a 11C-ish mouthpiece. On second I could use the same horns but I would lean more to the fat kind of sound that produce more "mass" to back up the first player. Since there are also more solo work in the second part I could use a horn that is a little warmer. In my case the mouthpiece would be the same. Unfortunately I have much less experience on the third part, but I might go for the same two horns and aim for clarity and mass. I could also go for a horn that has a valve if the music needs that. The mouthpiece I would use would be the same or it could be a bit larger. I might give a try with my YSL-892ZX or a .525 kind of horn and use my Hammond 12 M. It is about the size of a Bach 5. All depends on the music. Fourth is another thread.

If it is symphonic music and three trombones and a "light" sound is required then I would probably use my YSL-892ZX .508 tenor with a Hammond 12M on first, a Bach 36 on second with the same mouthpiece and a Bach 42 on third also with a Hammond 12M mouthpiece. Unfortunately this is not the case because I'm not on all parts More common is a Bach 36 on top and Bach 42 on second and a bass on third or both first and second are .547 horns if I'm on second and first choose to play .547. In classical I might also use my Bach 6 3/4 C mouthpiece on first if it is possible to scale down even more. I could use a smaller horn like a Bach 6 model VII .485 tenor in place of an alto for example and I could then use either a Hammond 12M or a 6 3/4 C mouthpiece on a .500, .508 or .525 horn if I'm on second in a section that uses an alto.

The Yamaha Nils Landgren mouthpiece is also a very nice small mouthpiece for classical playing. I have found it fits any small bore .485 to dual bore .500/.530 Kanstul 760 and give a clear beautiful sound. The Nils mouthpiece is slightly larger than the Bach 6 3/4 C which gives a slightly warmer sound and therefore I think it fits classical music a little better for me.

/Tom