Seems pretty clear to me that Brandon likes a slightly shallower piece for solo work, and a slightly larger piece for ensemble work. They had to be called something.
No one is saying you can’t use either one for whatever you darn well please. They are named for the application for which they were designed.
It “ain’t rocket surgery”.
Mike Taylor
Illinois Brass Band
Fox Valley Brass Band
Hi Magikarp,
Your message seems a bit “harsh”, but I’ll try to answer as best I can. I don’t recall saying using a “soloist” mouthpiece can’t be done in a band or “impossible” as you say. I’m not quite sure where you read me saying those things. At any rate, as I said in my message, mouthpieces are personal for different players. Even the great Steven Mead has had several iterations of his line as he has moved through his career. He now is playing on a shallower and more rounded cup. Also, one must keep in mind that while I might love playing big and free on a larger mouthpiece, that sound and concept doesn’t fit into the scope of my job as a wind band euphonium player. When I’m in front of a group as a soloist, I find a shallower cup easier to soar over the group (something I don’t want to do sitting IN the band) and easier to play louder without sacrificing endurance. Again, these are what works for me. No one is saying anyone has to play anything. If a “soloist” mouthpiece works for you in a band setting, go for it. The guys at MB decided to call the shallower one the “solo” model. I use them for the exact situations I mentioned.
Mike, thanks for the response.
Brandon Jones
Principal Euphonium - The United States Air Force Band, Washington, D.C.
bmjones82@gmail.com
Magikarp: I was struck by that myself. Please remember that when we type a message, sometimes the words can seem more pointed than we intend, especially in short messages.
Having said that, it was nice that Brandon had a chance to offer more perspective.
Certainly it's true that any of us may not "get along" with a particular mouthpiece that may be widely used. I used a 4AL for a long time (now I'm using a DC4). I tried the popular 51D-style mouthpieces a few times and did not feel they were what I wanted. That is how I usually phrased my opinion, but I suppose I could have said that I could not work with one of those. Then there is Brian Bowman, who liked that mouthpiece, and (I assume) didn't think the 4AL was right for him. For many years, both Brian and I were principal euphonium and soloist with a military band (wind band).
Our choice of mouthpiece (and horn) is made to support they way each of us wants to sound and the way each combination supports us in that effort.
Dave Werden (ASCAP)
Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
Adams Artist (Adams E3)
Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
YouTube: dwerden
Facebook: davewerden
Twitter: davewerden
Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium
I love that explanation! I feel as a college student, I’ve rotated through mouthpieces as I’ve learned from different professors. My 2 undergrad professors had 2 different ideas on euphonium sound (albeit they were trombone players). However, now that I’m moving on towards a masters degree in music, I’ve found myself wanting to find something that fits the sound I personally want. Especially taking my former teacher’s recommendations in account for finding the “perfect” mouthpiece.
Adams E1 Gold Brass Bell and SS Leadpipe
Undergrad at Angelo State
Future TA at University of Oklahoma
Brandon Jones
Principal Euphonium - The United States Air Force Band, Washington, D.C.
bmjones82@gmail.com
My apologies, I have misread what you were saying about “one mouthpiece” (example 4AL) being suitable for everyone, rather than one mouthpiece being suitable for all work. I totally agree about one generic type of mouthpiece not being suitable for all gobs - no brass band euphonium player I know would even countenance anything as small as a 51D, although thankfully the willy-waving over who was using a 0AL or 1.5G has died down.
Last edited by Magikarp; 06-05-2022 at 01:17 AM.
Brandon Jones
Principal Euphonium - The United States Air Force Band, Washington, D.C.
bmjones82@gmail.com