At the moment I'm playing the Cavatine by Camille Saint-Saëns. I stumbled over a youTube video with just the accompaniment and it's good enough for minus one practice.
I'm doing it on different mouthpieces to see what mouthpiece size is best (for me) to use on that piece and especially if I use my .500 Lars Gerdt Bb/G trombone. Obviously that would be only small shank mouthpieces.
I compare my Bach 11C which I beforehand would consider to be on the small side to two different Bach 6 1/2 AL mouthpieces (one of them gold plated), my Yamaha signature Nils Landgren, my Denis Wick 6BS and my Shires signature Marshall Gilkes. I also added my Hammond 13M and 12M and 12MXL, but not much excitement because I would expect those mouthpieces to work (for me), because it is what I would use on my 36BO.
The test
All these mouthpieces work, except the Bach 11C and the Yamaha, but what's better varies. The 11C doesn't fit this piece because it gives me some limitations in the low register. The scale-run that starts on the low Bb and comes twice are not as clear on the leading notes as I would want it to be to play the adequate nuance (needs work), and the pedal Ab that comes closer to the end is a little weak (could be a lot of work). On the other hand everything else works well and the second soft lyrical movement of the Cavatine fits this mouthpiece very well. The final loud Db is easy and full of colors even in a fortissimo.
The Yamaha is about the same, just with less brilliance.
With the Bach 6 1/2 AL all things above work better and the pedal Ab has no weakness at all. The brilliance is also there and the final Db is as good and even fuller in sound compared to the 11C.
The Denis Wick has a sharper edge on the rim (is what it feels like to me) but works very well despite this. Sound is darker compared to the 6 1/2 AL, less brilliance. Pedal Ab is on the contrary much fuller compared to the 6 1/2 AL. It's just when I play that loud final Db where I feel some limitations with this mouthpiece together with this piece. It works but the sharp rim gives me more work in the adequate nuance and I'm starting to feel some fatigue. After that end note I wonder how long I would last on this mouthpiece if this is what it feels like after just a single take. I wonder what an hour of practice would feel like? Do I need to investigate this?
The MG Shires works real well too and I like the edge of the rim a lot. This is the mouthpiece I usually switch to when I play classical music on this .500 horn. It gives the horn a deeper voice compared to the earlier and it sounds and makes the horn play larger than a .500. Pedals are great. The whole register works well. No wonder since it is a Marshall Gilkes mouthpiece
Backside (what I think) is less brilliance (for me) with this mouthpiece if I compare it to the 6 1/2 AL. What to choose will depend on what sound I want in a particular piece. In this piece I would go for brilliance so the 6 1/2 AL wins, but under other conditions I think the horn with this Shires mouthpiece would cover any of my normal classical needs. I've used this Shires MG signature with the Lars Gerdt for gigs with a brass quartet and it blends really well there. The only exception where I could hesitate to use this combo for classical is when I play 1st with a wind orchestra. Last time I knew the second player had a .547 horn and the 3rd player had a double valved Bach. In that setting I feel I need more volume. I usually bring my Bach 36BO and use my Hammond 12M for those gigs. I also know some listen with their eyes. I hesitated last time but in the end I choose the Bach 36BO for convenience. I did it mostly because I felt the other players in the section would want me to play a larger horn. When I started to play with the group they said I should use a .547 horn. It has taken some time before they accepted the 36BO. They would look sceptical at my .500 Lars Gerdt horn if I'd brought it
The result
If I would play the Cavatine in public on my .500 Lars Gerdt 216 Bb/G horn I would use the silver 6 1/2 AL because that's the smallest mouthpiece I can play the whole register on with ease and also what makes it easy to produce a good sound on. The second choice would be the gold plated 6 1/2 AL. It's not the same on lips, that's what differs. Next choice would be the MD Shires. The Hammond 13 and 12M, 12MXL works too on this horn, but less brilliance and more work.
/Tom