Doctor Mouthpiece
Ask Dr. Mouthpiece anything about brass mouthpieces- how they work, what you need…
Tongue Position and the War on Excessive Volume in Equipment Set Up
Perhaps the most confusing of all mouthpiece conundrums is the problem of balancing the resistance between the player and his equipment set up.
At least once a day I get a call from a player complaining about a feeling of tightness in the mouthpiece. A feeling that one can’t get enough air into the mouthpiece, especially when ascending into the upper register, even to the point of feeling choked. The most natural reaction to this feeling, and the common wisdom in solving the problem, has been to open things up. Open the bore, deepen the cup, open the back bore, do all three together!  However, in 95% of these cases, in spite of how counterintuitive it seems, the answer lies in tightening something down.
How your lips dictate your mouthpiece choice
This issue of Dr. Mouthpiece deals with qualifying lip type and size. Many readers admit not having any real understanding or true way of knowing what is meant when I have outlined the basic groups of thick lipped vs. thin lipped players. When doing a consultation,...
The basics of rim shape and cup shape
This week’s questions were sent to us from Japan; however they are universal in that they concern the very most basic elements of mouthpiece design: rim shapes and cup shapes. Helping players navigate their way through these decisions is part of our mission. Q: What...
How to choose a mouthpiece
This week I chose to feature two questions because they are connected by a common link. In both cases, the players seem to think of mouthpiece selection as some completely arbitrary process totally unrelated to their needs either physically or application wise. It’s...
How the bore size affects you.
I really appreciate your paper on "lip flesh" (abbreviated term) for I, when young and inexperienced, was a victim of the one way and one size fits all syndrome. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being very fleshy, I would rate myself as 7/8 and tend to bottom out on...
Can endurance be permanently lost by a huge mouthpiece?
Can endurance be permanently lost by a huge MPC? Shouldn't it be gained because more effort is put in, so the body will adapt (like lifting weights)? Oh boy, this is a doozey! My first take on this is to remind you that not every endeavor benefits from...
Bach-ify your mouthpiece? The backbore myth
I guess Bach-ify is a silly word. Maybe I should have said Bach-sounding, or Bach-like. Whatever version of the term you like, it is a pretty standard concept. You know, the tone color, the attack, that sort of thing. Bach rules in the orchestral world. The Storks,...