Date: Mon, 09 Mar 1998 21:25:16 +0000
From: Nick Drozdoff <ndrozdof@interaccess.com>
Subject: Cheater Mouthpiece

I have noted some interesting posts regarding so called cheater mouthpieces.

IMHO, I think that one of the most damaging things that a young student can be told is that he/she must use only one mouthpiece for all of the music they are required to play.

I have seen young players using Bach 1C's in trying to play Maynard charts.  They struggle in frustration.

Bobby Shew once told me that "you never try to hammer a nail with a bannana, you use a hammer!"  I'd say, a carpenter has a box filled tools.  If he wants to drive a 12 penny nail, he uses a hammer, not a scrwedriver, and if he wants to run a screw, he uses a screwdriver.

I use a Bach 1&1/4 C stock with a Tanabe sound sleeve for virtually all of my legit stuff.  On legit B-flat or small combo jazz playing I'll use a Bach 6B with the sleeve.  I have other mouthpieces for E-flat trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, etc.  Now, when I have to play lead (some of my gigs have plenty of written double C's) I use my Shew horn with a Black and Hill modified Roger Ingram mouthpiece (a 25 hole) threaded onto a Warburton #11 weighted backbore.  Am I cheating?

IMHO, NO!  I'm simply using the correct tool for the job!  Now, it takes patience and skill to devlop the ability to properly play these small mouthpieces without bottoming out, but this patience will pay off.

OK, now many readers will say "Hey!  I know guys using big mouthpieces and they rip double C's and beyond all day long!"  Well, everyone is different. Their chops are different.

What I do and publish works for me, so I'll conclude with the proviso that my comments may not be for everybody.  I just hope that, perhaps, this post, along with the other thoughful comments, will add to the hopper of intersting ideas.

Peace.

BTW, Burt, I couldn't resist!

Nick Drozdoff