YEP321S Mouthpiece Upgrade?

[PaulCan]

This is a health-related question.

I'm a novice player, large build, age 74, using the standard Yamaha mouthpiece supplied with this horn, labelled as "Yamaha Canada 48". I'm interesting in recommendations for mouthpieces which mainly help with high register. I am at risk for glaucoma, and keeping inter-occular (eye) pressures lower is my chief concern. i'm quite happy to compromise on coloration or lower register issues.

FYI, the YEP321S is medium bore 14.5-15.5mm (0.571-0.610")

Thanks!
Paul
Canada

[RickF]

Hi Paul and welcome to the forum. I’m trying to remember what mpc Yamaha offers with its 321 model. I think it’s Yamaha 48 but not sure. Maybe a Wick 6BY mpc might work for you.

[PaulCan]

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, the mouthpiece is labelled "Yamaha Canada 48". Can you be specific on why the 6BY might be well-suited to my situation?

thx Paul

[aroberts781]

I'm sure Rick can provide his own thoughts, but in general I think the 6BY has rim diameter on the smaller side (it is actually pretty similar width to the Yamaha 48, at least by the specs), which can help with higher range playing. Also the Wick B cup is a bit shallow, especially compared to the Wick A cup that many like for euphonium (e.g. Wick 4AL). And the Y indication is the shank that would be best fit for the YEP-321. According to Hickey's website it "fits all U.S. and Japanese (Yamaha) euphoniums with "small shank euphonium" receivers. Shank is slightly different than those on standard small shank trombone mouthpieces."

In my own experimenting with different mouthpiece sizes on euphonium and tenor trombone, I have used Faxx mouthpieces just since they are a bit cheaper. I think for a mouthpiece to help with high range, you should probably look for a smaller rim size, although there are other opinions on that. Generally a shallower cup would help with high range as well. My suggestion would be to try a Faxx small shank 7C, which would be a bit narrower rim diameter than your Yamaha 48 and fairly shallow, or try a Faxx small shank 6 1/2 AL, which would be a similar diameter to the Yamaha 48 but probably a little deeper cup. To me, the benefit of this approach is that for the price of one mouthpiece, you could try out two mouthpieces with small changes to your existing setup to see if either a slightly smaller rim or slightly deeper cup are helpful for high range and pressure.

[dsurkin]

[snip] Faxx small shank 6 1/2 AL, which would be a similar diameter to the Yamaha 48 but probably a little deeper cup. [snip]

The Bach 6.5AL and similar models (Faxx and others) work very well on the Yamaha 321.

[PaulCan]

Thanks for the input so far. I have a Bach 6.5 AL from my trombone days, and used it for awhile when I got the 321, but switched over to the Yamaha 48 about 8 months ago - it somehow "felt" better at the time. Now, after several months of lessons and practising, it may be time to revisit the 6.5 AL. I'll do that to see if my upper range kicks in a bit easier.

I'm still open to other thoughts on this. Again, please note that this is to reduce back pressure on my eyes for the higher range. Intonation etc. effects are secondary.

Thx! Paul

[PaulCan]

Follow-up question: would having a wider mouth and lips make a difference in choosing a rim diameter? Likely, the 6.5 AL was made for average mouth sizes.

Paul

[RickF]

I’m 75 y.o. and have had glaucoma for a number of years. Eye drops daily at bedtime help keep IOP (pressure) in control. Also had surgery for glaucoma on one eye a few months ago. My Dr. never said anything about playing a brass instrument may cause my IOP to go up. A smaller mpc will help with high range but it’s a trade off for lower notes and can effect tone too.

When playing in a higher range I know I need faster air to vibrate the lips at a higher frequency, good support from my diaphragm for a good tone. There’s also a trick some use that I think Roger Lewis (tuba player) shared on TubeNet many years ago. Try rolling your lower lip inward some for high range. He used the analogy of hitting a drum head in different areas of the drum. If you strike the drum head near the edge it makes a higher pitched sound than if you hit the drum in the middle. That’s because the drum head is tighter or firmer near its rim. Likewise the outer edge of our lips are firmer too.

Was able to find Roger Lewis’s post from 2004:
http://forums.chisham.com/viewtopic....d5ba8eb#p29184

[iMav]

They make tenor trombone jet tone mouthpieces…but I assume those wouldn’t sound all that good on a euphonium. (But would, technically, probably meet your one condition of helping with the high register.)

[ Don't take my advice, BTW. ]

[PaulCan]

Thanks for the lip tip, Rick. I think I have done this subconsciously at times to reach B4

Here are 2 links regarding IOP, brass musicians, and glaucoma:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21234587/

https://www.local802afm.org/allegro/...for-musicians/

Paul

[MikeS]

Thanks for the lip tip, Rick. I think I have done this subconsciously at times to reach B4

I recall Steve Sykes saying, when talking about playing high notes on tuba, that he tried to, “bounce the airstream right off the rim of the cup.”

[daruby]

The Yamaha 48 is pretty close to the Bach 6.5AL, perhaps just slightly smaller. I don't think there are many good choices specifically tageted at high range, since the Yamaha 48 and Bach 6.5AL are already on the smaller side for euphonium playing. I personally use a Wick 4AY (a 4AL with a small shank) on a 321. But the two mouthpieces you outline are actually pretty good choices. Focusing on making your embouchure more efficient by using your air as described by Rick is the best bet IMO.

Doug

[iMav]

Was able to find Roger Lewis’s post from 2004:
http://forums.chisham.com/viewtopic....d5ba8eb#p29184

Fantastic thread! Looking forward to trying some of these concepts myself tomorrow.

[PaulCan]

Thanks for all your inputs. I used the Bach 6 1/2 AL yesterday and things went well. I’ll continue with it.