Hey Bach, why the "C"?
Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 12:11 am
I've been working things up for actual upcoming gigs (!) and discovered that a plain 11 fits me very well. There have been other mouthpieces that I've clicked with, but on this piece (with my unrefined chops) I'm able to attack without spitting, I'm able to actual include grace notes in my melodious etudes, I'm able to play quiet and lip slur, ... having a blast doing little style things that used to be relatively clunky for me.
I saw Posaunus threw a lot of great conversation topics in a recent thread, so why not include that here:
Yes, they are more mellow than the C. I can understand feeling buried in a brassy setting. But ... it's a different world now: I'm close mic'd and essentially 100% PA in the rock band this is all for, not something that was possible when the C took over the family. I really want this to work.
There's a 7 around here somewhere and maybe a 9. Probably worth finding them and taking another spin!
I saw Posaunus threw a lot of great conversation topics in a recent thread, so why not include that here:
I now have two plain 11s, and in addition to the cup being deeper and more conical than my 11C, which just feels like a tight blow to me, the throat appears significantly bigger on both. I'm wondering if this is the aspect that is really resonating with me, the guy who barely thinks about airstream? The rims on my two samples are different: the 2000's one is larger/flatter than the Mt. Vernon. But they both play waaaay better on my .508 than anything else.Posaunus wrote:Not that it's of world-shaking import, but I'd like some clarification about the Bach small-shank trombone mouthpieces and their history.
1. First, didn't the "Non-C" cups (e.g., 12, 11, 7, etc.) historically precede the "C" cups (12C, 11C, 7C, ...)?
2. Is it true that the C cups are a bit shallower than the non-C cups, giving a more "brilliant" sound and facilitating high range - but that the rims are (roughly - within Bach's rather wide tolerance range) identical to their non-C sibling? [So an 11C has the same rim I.D. and shape as an 11.]
3. I find it strange that about the only Bach mouthpieces discussed on this forum (probably representing what trombonists play) are the C version (12C, 11C, 7C). Why? [I tend to prefer 11 to 11C and 7 to 7C.]
4. I see these mouthpieces as being grouped by some into two "families" - I guess based somehow on cup (and rim?) shape:
• 12C / 7C
• 11C / 6½AL / 6¾C [I presume that the 6 (I've never seen one) and 6½A are also in the 11C family?]
5. I've recently tried a Bach 9 mouthpiece. It plays pretty nicely (though it's considerably bigger than Bach's Cup I.D. spec.). Which family does the Bach 9 occupy?
Thanks for any information you can provide.
Yes, they are more mellow than the C. I can understand feeling buried in a brassy setting. But ... it's a different world now: I'm close mic'd and essentially 100% PA in the rock band this is all for, not something that was possible when the C took over the family. I really want this to work.
There's a 7 around here somewhere and maybe a 9. Probably worth finding them and taking another spin!