Brass Mouthpiece Guide

Welcome to the expansive world of Woodwind & Brass mouthpieces! Here at Mouthpieces.co.uk we offer a huge variety of mouthpieces, which of course can only mean one thing… A huge amount of variables!

Below, we have outlined the crucial elements of mouthpiece anatomy for you to use as a resource when deciding on which mouthpiece you are going to buy. Crafting a world class mouthpiece good enough for public consumption is a very technical subject which brings along jargon into the retail industry that can often leave us musicians dazed and confused.

DISCLAIMER!
This guide isn’t going to simplify a vast subject; that would be a wild claim. Instead, we will break it down into bite size chunks allowing someone who has never purchased or upgraded their mouthpiece before to make a solid decision when ordering on our website WITHOUT even play-testing the mouthpiece. If you are reading this and pondering, “well I am a very experienced player, I can manage all the technical details that come along with mouthpieces, I invented quadruple tonguing” then fear not, this guide will cater to all abilities and technical appetites.

Some people may look at brass mouthpieces and think there are more similarities than differences. Of course we aren’t referring to the size, as these can vary greatly depending on which instrument it’s for. More so the design language and its consistency throughout the brass family. Actually, there are major differences in brass mouthpieces which are often easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Below we will outline the crucial areas of the brass mouthpiece anatomy which most affect your tone, timbre and just as importantly how it feels.

Given there are so many factors we would have to consider when writing this guide, we just want to acknowledge that beginners and younger pupils will be looking elsewhere in the market for a mouthpiece that suits them. Professional and hobbyists will once again be looking for other areas to which they need to address within their own sound. However all of the above will be destined to find one thing in common, that is COMFORT!

Every player's mouth and lips are of different size and shape so there isn’t a one fits all guide. When picking a new mouthpiece you should be striving to have clarity of buzz through different registers.

Before making any changes to your setup it is useful to get an understanding of how mouthpieces are designed. We have outlined the different areas within the mouthpieces anatomy to help you make a confident decision. As there are so many variables from player to player both physically and amounts of experience. We encourage players to research the individual mouthpieces they are considering on the product page as there will be more detailed information about that specific mouthpiece there.

 

Rim

Let’s start at the top of the mouthpiece, the rim. Before we go mouthpiece shopping, let’s go sofa shopping. Products are so easy to find online with a multitude of pictures, videos and reviews you don't even have to leave the comfort of your home. The same can be said for mouthpieces. When sofa shopping you will more than likely be working to a criteria to suit the decor of your house. The same applies for the mouthpiece with the sound and experience you are looking for. On top of this it’s unlikely that you’re going to try and find an uncomfortable sofa which is unbearable to use for any length of time, you want something comfortable. This is where the rim is so important.

A narrow rim can be more flexible and give the player access to upper/lower extremities of the instrument's range with more ease. Whereas the wider rim can be more comfortable after a longer period of playing. Players will often try to find a happy median. It is also worth knowing a sharper edge can ultimately help a player articulate the note with more control.

 

Cup

This area of the mouthpiece is very easy to find, it is the cavity which scoops down after the tip which actually looks more like a soup bowl.

With regards to cup design, depth and diameter are the factors that affect your sound the most.

Cup depth (distance from the top of the cup to the bottom of the cup) has a massive impact on your actual tone. Tone is a term that is bandied around all the time by musicians. Simply put, is your sound going to be full and warm and on the darker side of the spectrum, or the complete opposite being thin, buzzy and bright. Deeper cups lean towards fuller and warmer sounds with easier access to lower notes. Whereas shallower cups are the opposite.

Cup diameter (distance across the middle of the cup) is responsible for the initial air capacity. The larger the diameter the louder you’ll be able to play, it’s simple physics - there is a bigger area in which you can fill with more air! On the contrary, a smaller diameter means less air but often more control and importantly, less fatigue.

 

Throat

This is a vastly debated subject which can throw a spanner in the works if you are misinformed. Throat size is everything, it directly affects the resistance.

The throat begins at the bottom of the cup and encompasses all of your vibrations from your lips before travelling through the instrument, so it is key to make sure you have the right length and diameter to suit your needs and experience level.

Generally speaking, a longer, narrow throat increases resistance and offers a more brilliant sound. Whereas a short but wider throat can often be favoured if it is more volume you are looking for. Similar to the cup, this would require more air and may leave your lips tired more quickly. A throat too small can also encroach on the instrument's intonation due to the restricted airflow flattening the higher register and sharpening the lower.

 

Backbore

The backbore is the last area in which the mouthpiece has the opportunity to shape your sound. After that, it is down to the natural sound of the instrument.

Don't think of the backbore as a separate entity; it's actually a transitional part of the mouthpiece whereby when the throat widens into the final size, you are left with the backbore. You can probably see a pattern occurring here, that every miniscule change in size and shape can drastically affect the sound and flexibility of the mouthpiece. The backbore is no different. Tone, pitch and volume can be affected depending on the design of the backbore, But more often than not manufactures will design the back bore to accentuate or complement what has happened further upstream.

You guessed it, a narrower backbore will increase the overall resistance and generate more overtones within the final sound and appear brighter. A more open backbore can make the lower extremities sound more full and impactful and deliver a darker tone.

 

Shank

The shank is all about the fitment of the mouthpiece to the receiver. Thankfully you aren’t the person designing this so you don’t have to worry so much about whether it will fit or not.

Trumpets, cornets and horn mouthpieces have a standard size shank. For trombones and lower brass there are two options, both small and large. Depending on where you are on your playing journey, and of course if you play lower brass, shank sizes might not have cropped up yet, as beginners are often on small bore instruments wielding small shank mouthpieces whereas professional large bore instruments use a larger shank mouthpiece. So do be careful when ordering a mouthpiece for lower brass, be sure to order the size that suits your receiver.

 

Conclusion

We have a huge range of mouthpieces so do take your time when perusing our site. Each product has a detailed description about the mouthpieces attributes and paired with this guide, you should be able to make a well informed decision and order the perfect mouthpiece for you. Also, if you have been learning with a teacher and the time has come where you need a new mouthpiece, then do take their recommendation on board as they will have been hearing your sound progress and should know right away what mouthpiece you might be best suited to.

Only you know what YOU want from your sound, only you have YOUR budget, only you have YOUR chops. As discussed, all of these things have to be taken into consideration when buying mouthpieces. Some players spend a lifetime chopping and changing mouthpieces in search for the perfect sound, but more often than not they haven’t learnt their new mouthpiece for long enough to unlock its potential. Although it should feel comfortable straight away for you, there is no substitute to taking the time to get to grips with your new mouthpiece.