Why British cellists may no longer fly to New York

Ah, mouthpieces are indeed extremely personal and the subject of fanaticism - don't know much about horn mouthpieces, though. As a tuba player, I'm partial to Schilke for my upright and a Conn when I have to play sousaphone, my daughter the trumpet player won't play anything but a Stork Vachianno.

You're right that brass instruments tend to deteriorate (red rot comes to mind), but really well cared for instruments can last almost indefinitely with some work (such as replating valves). Particularly good individual exemplars though, instruments with high individual and fine sounds, grow in value. Flutes are the most obvious examples. There are people who can do amazing things with a 19th century Louis Lot flute, and some old Haynes and most old Powells are worth far more than new ones. (This is less true as the orchestra tuning inches up past A=442 and the oldest flutes were tuned to A=435 (international pitch) and then A=440 until the past 10-15 years - the newest flutes are pitched A=442 -- but there are a number of top players who prefer older instruments, especially Powells (like my daughter's) that Verne himself made in whole or part.)

Re: as I understand it, horn mouthpieces at the professional level seem to be custom made in two parts to match the specifications of the player's embrouchre and desired tone. They are in two parts (maybe tuba ones are as well) with a rim that screws onto the cup.

Rims are interchangeable and are easily lost (or stolen). My son recently mailed a rim out to be duplicated and the envelope was slit open in transit and the rim stolen. Guess the robber thought it was a wedding ring. Anyhow, that resulted in lots of hand wringing and consternation, to say the least. He then had to mail his spare which he was scared to death to do, this time in a bubble envelope and insured. Fortunately, this time all worked out.

Sounds like they're Doug Elliot fans - he's the best known maker of two part mouthpieces, although you can get them from most anyone. The idea, at least for tuba and trumpet players, is to always use the same rim shape, but to vary the underpart depending on the instrument one is playing (as you know, tuba players often play several horns of differing size and key, and classical orchestral trumpet players usually have C, Bb, Eb, D, and Bb/A piccolo trumpets (and sometimes G and E trumpets as well), for each of which they will prefer a different cup depth, cup shape, backbore and drill - although some people use more or less the same mouthpiece for most things - my daughter uses only 2, a 'basic' mouthpiece with a medium deep cup for everything but piccolo trumpet, and another with a shallow cup and backbore designed for piccolo trumpet.

Many of the very top trumpet players do not use interchangeable kits, but some do. Likewise with tuba players.

Glad to hear things worked out for your son, I know I was nervous while I had may main 'piece out for replating a few years ago.

Sounds like they're Doug Elliot fans - he's the best known maker of two part mouthpieces, although you can get them from most anyone.

That sounds right. All I remember is that my son borrowed a kit consisting of various types of rims and cups and he and his teacher at the time tried different combinations until they came up with what they thought worked best.

I'm always amazed when I go to an orchestra concert and see the array of different trumpets (and mutes) lined up in front of the trumpet section. Takes a lot of versatility.

I'm always amazed when I go to an orchestra concert and see the array of different trumpets (and mutes) lined up in front of the trumpet section. Takes a lot of versatility.

Apparently, the different trumpts are more about ease of doing things than possibility - almost everything can be played on your basic Bb trumpet, even the range now played on piccolo trumpet was originally played on valveless clarino trumpets that were actually longer (and hence had an open bugle harmonic series that began much lower) than a modern valved Bb trumpet. In order to play a full chromatic scale, these instruments were played in an extreme high register where the harmonic series made it possible in different keys with different crooks. I have a friend who specializes in playing clarino, but few modern players master it. At any rate, your range on a Bb is pretty much your range - the issue is the ease and security with which they can be played, and how the fingering patterns 'lay' for a particular piece that determines which trumpet to select. Each key trumpet has a different 'cash register' (the register where most common playing is easily accomplished). Orchestral trumpet parts are traditionally not written in concert pitch, but in the key of the part so it looks like "C" and trumpet players learn to transpose by sight (as do horn players and almost no one else). Because the Bb trumpt is pitched in Bb, it's typically easier to play in flat keys on a Bb - and most band music is written primarily in flat keys because most of the band instruments are pitched in Bb or Eb (flute, oboe, basson, and horn and sometimes tubas being the exceptions). Orchestral music is often written in sharp keys (D is the easiest laying key for the violins), and so orchestral trumpet players 'basic' instrument is pitched in C (concert pitch) because the fingering patterns in the sharp keys lay easier. When a trumpet part is mostly pretty high for a C trumpet, players will often select an Eb or D trumpet so that the range of the music will be within the most comfortable range of the instrument. The timbre of the instrument also is a factor in selection - a higher-pitched trumpet will be 'brighter' all other things being equal.

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