TromboneChat

Hi everyone! In high school and college I played a Bach Bass Trombone 50B with a Schilke 59 mouthpiece. Then I didn't play for 33 years. This year I picked it back up, bought a new bass trombone and a Schilke 59, joined 2 community bands and a swing band and I'm enjoying it more than ever. My technique, particularly tonguing is not as crisp as it used to be and I'm wondering if a different mouthpiece might help. A Dennis Wick 1AL was suggested to me as a solution. Any thoughts on a mouthpiece that might be more suitable for a returning bass bone player?

Schilke 58 or just keep working with what you have!

I play 1/8 notes from Bb to e, f to b, and and low Bb to e, when warming up on on tenor and a little lower on bass, using a metronome. Then triplets. Then 1/16 notes. I was instructed to use a hard “tu” attack for this. The speed can be increased over time. I like the MetroTimer with the upgrade. It is cheap and it works. When I came back to playing I thought I was doing it right but I was not.

I think you would be better served by taking a couple of lessons with a good teacher than a mouthpiece search. The Schilke 59 is a good mouthpiece.

Tonguing problems are usually really tone production problems.

The Schilke 59 may be a good mouthpiece eventually, but you may need something a bit smaller as you work your way back. The Schilke 58, Bach 1 1/2 G, or even that Wick you mentioned might be a good "interim" mouthpiece. My guess is after about 2 weeks or so you can go back to the 59 with no problems.

I'd also like to suggest the Alan Raph warmup. It's a series of trigger notes starting on E (V2) and going down in 1/2 steps. Set a metronome at Q=80 or so. Four whole notes, then 8 half notes, then 16 quarter notes, then 32 eighth notes, then 48 triplet eighth notes, then 64 sixteenth notes. Work on clean articulations. You will find that as you go lower the articulations get more difficult. If you really can't play them, stop for the day and try again the next. You will see major improvement in your lower range, especially when you can play the full set in Db or C.

Also, I second Gabe's suggestion of a couple of lessons. Doug Elliott does them over Skype. Not sure if Gabe does, but he's a great bass trombonist (and teacher).

Some quality time sitting in front of the Arban book is a more reliable fix for articulation/technique than a new mouthpiece.The 59 is probably fine, a 1AL would also probably be fine. I personally find Wick mouthpieces more comfortable than Schilke, but my face and your face may be different.

Have a lesson with a pro bass bone player, around the cost of a new mouthpiece but will serve you better

Maybe including Remington’s “Tonguing on a line” exercise in your warmup.

Thanks everyone! Lots of good advice here. I bought the Arban and Edwards books and will stay with the Schilke 59 for now and try to work through my response issues.