I have found a mouthpiece for my Soprano-trombone

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imsevimse
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I have found a mouthpiece for my Soprano-trombone

Post by imsevimse »

Hi

I have searched for a mouthpiece for my Soprano-trombone for decades but have not found anything that:
1. gives a trombone-like sound smaller than an alto, but soundwise closer to an alto- than a trumpet.
2. can be played in tune.
3. can be played with ease.
4. can play the whole register from :bassclef: :line4: and up at least two octaves.

I began fiddeling with a Jupiter Soprano in the early 90-ies and it has been a real challange to make it sound trombone-like. Six years ago I bought a Kanstul Soprano which is a much better instrument but still it has been a problem with mouthpiece.

Now I think I found the piece that makes all goals I have on my wishlist possible. I got three mouthpieces with my Monke Barock Sackbut. On the Monke the original Monke mouthpiece felt very weird. The second was a "Heide" that gave a more adequate Sackbut sound and that one will be my choice on the Monke as I learn to play it. The third was an "unnamed" mouthpiece that gave a very small and bright sound but was very easy to play. My friends who listened suggested this might in fact to be an alto-sackbut mouthpiece. They didn't think the sound I got with it made it sound like a Sackbut. I decided to try it on my Soprano-trombone instead.

The soprano has a removable leadpipe and without that the Bb on first is in tune with a=440. The mouthpiece is wide as a 11C but has a extremely shallow cup. The sound is absolutely more trombone than trumpet now and it gives the range I think I will need, and more. I played arpeggios up to octava :trebleclef: :space2: yesterday and up there they are good and very trombone-like.

The single drawback is the lineup on each position. On first position the only tone that is in tune is the low Bb. The f must be played on sixth position and the Bb above on fifth. The d on fourth. The f above that (double high f on a tenor) is found on a very, very raised 4 position that nearly equals with the third position. F# is on ###3 that is almost equal to 2:nd position. G, G# and A are as expected in 4, 3 and 2. Bb (double high Bb) is to flat on the first. I get it in a very, very raised 3rd pos ( equals to 2:nd). I guess the strange lineup of partials is to be expected with NO leadpipe and this oversized mouthpiece. A few of the positions are everywhere, but I think I will learn those with time and a tuner.

Before I have had best result with a flugelhorn mouthpiece but it is very hard on my chops so I could not practice that much. Now this is not a problem. This mouthpiece will not be a killer to my lips. With a flugelhorn mouthpiece or a trumpet mouthpiece the horn has barely seven positions and the low e and b on 7:th are not possible because the slide falls of. With this mouthpiece the e and b can be played, it is even possible to lip down an eb on seventh if I must.
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Last edited by imsevimse on Sun Jun 17, 2018 5:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
afugate
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Location: Oklahoma City

Re: I have found a mouthpiece for my Soprano-trombone

Post by afugate »

I wonder if Doug Elliott has a combination that would work for soprano?

--Andy in OKC
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Matt K
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Re: I have found a mouthpiece for my Soprano-trombone

Post by Matt K »

I has a similar experience. Doug made me an alto sacbut shank for when I was in a consort and it worked really well on a slide trumpet I played briefly. In hindsight I should have had a shallower cup made, I just used his c cup that I already had. But I also seldom use it anymore so I'm not disappointed in the least!

If I we're playing something like that with any degree of regularity, I'd probably just bite the bullet and buy something like a Bach 1C and just get my chips used to it. Or go like, ST94, ST A. But I need to get better at the horns I already have before I start experimenting that far out of my comfort zone!
brtnats
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Location: Louisville KY

Re: I have found a mouthpiece for my Soprano-trombone

Post by brtnats »

I use a Wycliffe signature on my Jupiter soprano. Not *exactly* what I'd actually trumpety, but definitely trumpet-leaning. I can play 2 octaves of F no trouble, but I don't have the support to play much higher for long. Plays pretty well in tune too. I bought it used off a Facebook group.

Matt
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Doug Elliott
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Re: I have found a mouthpiece for my Soprano-trombone

Post by Doug Elliott »

I have some extremely shallow cups that work well, but it's always a mind game playing up an octave from the feel of a tenor rim.
I have a nice Minick soprano and I wish I could make use of it but so far I just don't have the time to put into it.
"I know a thing or two because I've seen a thing or two."
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