Mouthpiece (brass)
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
A brass mouthpiece is the part of a brass instrument that a player blows into to make a sound. The purpose of a mouthpiece is to send vibrations down the instrument to make a musical note.
Larger mouthpieces are used on larger instruments, and smaller ones are used on smaller instruments. This is because a larger mouthpiece makes a lower sound, and a smaller mouthpiece makes a higher sound, and bigger instruments make lower sounds and smaller instruments make higher sounds.
Contents |
[change] Different parts of a brass mouthpiece
Part 1: Inner rim
Part 2: Rim
Part 3: The contour, or shape, of the rim
Part 4: Rim edge
Part 5: Cup
Part 6: Throat
Part 7: Backbore
Part 8: Shank
A mouthpiece has many different parts, and all its parts have different names.
- Rim - The rim of a trumpet mouthpiece is the part that makes a circle at the top of the mouthpiece.[1]
- Cup - The cup of a mouthpiece is the part that looks like a bowl. It is where the player blows into.[2]
- Throat, backbore, and shank - These parts of the mouthpiece attach the cup and the rim of the mouthpiece to the rest of the instrument.[3]
[change] Different ways to make a brass mouthpiece
Some very small changes in how a mouthpiece is made can change the sound of an instrument a lot.
| Part of mouthpiece | How it can change the instrument's sound |
|---|---|
| Inner rim diameter | Larger inner rim diameters, or the inside part of rims that are wider, are good for playing low notes, and smaller diameters help a player play notes that are higher. |
| Rim width | Wider rim widths, or rims that are wider, are good for letting a player play for a longer time, but they don't let a player play as many notes.[4] |
| Rim contour | Flatter "rim contours", or the shape of the top of the rim, are usually on trumpets with sharper "rim edges" (see below)[5] |
| Rim Edge (also called Bite) | Sharper rim edges, or rim edges that are less curvy, don't let a player play for a long time, but they let them make a better sound.[5] |
| Cup Depth | Shallower cups, or cups that aren't as thick, help out a player to play very high notes, but the notes that they play do not sound as good. Deeper cups, or thinker, wider cups, make a very good sound, but don't allow a player to play very high notes.[6] |
| Cup Shape | Semi-spherical cups, or cups shaped like a half-circle, make notes that are easy to tell apart, and conical cups, or cups shaped like cones, play notes that are harder to tell apart.[4] |
| Throat diameter | Larger throat diameters, or wider throats, help a player to play louder, but they don't make the instrument sound as good. Smaller throat diameters sound very good, but do not let a player play as loud.[7] |
| Backbore | More conical backbores, or backbores that are shaped like cones, sound more "full", but more cylindrical ones, or backbores that are shaped like cylinders, give a sound that is clear and "choppy".[7] |
[change] Things that brass mouthpieces can be made out of
[change] Gold plating
For a very small amount of people who can afford it, some players gold plate their brass mouthpieces, or cover them with a thin layer of gold. This makes the sound of the instrument better than with any other mouthpiece.[8] For some people that are allergic to silver, this is the best (but not cheapest) way to play a brass instrument without getting sick. Gold does not smudge, so it only has to be cleaned with soap and water once in a while.
[change] Silver plating
Silver plating is almost always used on brass mouthpieces because it doesn't cost too much money and a silver-plated mouthpiece helps a player make a pretty good sound. Silver plating is not as expensive as gold, but it is sometimes very important to have if a player plays a certain way. Silver-plate gives a clearer sound than gold and is good for styles of playing that need a lot of volume. Also, silver needs to be cleaned more often because it smudges easily.
[change] Plastic
Another type of mouthpiece is a plastic mouthpiece. These mouthpieces are good because they never break or dent, they don't cost as much as silver or gold mouthpieces, and they are good for playing outdoors. They are very often given to players in marching bands. They don't make as good sounds as silver or gold mouthpieces, though.
[change] Steel and titanium
Two of the newest things mouthpieces can be made out of are stainless steel and titanium. They are very rare, and are only made by a few companies. Steel and titanium mouthpieces don't vibrate as much, so they make a very clear sound, require much less cleaning, and they do not need to be silver plated.[9] However, they are much more expensive than mouthpieces that are silver or gold plated.
[change] See also
[change] References
- ↑ Facts about parts of a brass mouthpiece
- ↑ A study of brass mouthpieces
- ↑ All the parts of a brass mouthpiece
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Information on different mouthpiece styles, and how they make a brass instrument sound.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 information on rim countours
- ↑ Information on cup depths
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Information on trumpet throats and backbores
- ↑ Campbell, Murray; Greated, Clive; Myers, Arnold (2004). Musical Instruments. Oxford University Press, p. 179. ISBN 0-1981-6504-8.
- ↑ Information about steel and titanium mouthpieces
