In selecting trumpet mouthpieces, I have some theories for myself.
Although these rules have changed many times in my trumpet career, I still have some general rules when making these choices.
Here is a list of mouthpieces that I have used with Bb trumpet over the years:
1987: 7C Vincent Bach
1989: 5C Vincent Bach
1990: 3C Vincent Bach
1994: 14B4 Yamaha (first year in the professional orchestra)
1996: B6 Monette
2000: B6M Monette
2001: B6D Monette
2003: B6D Prana Monette (holding orchestra principal post in 2004)
2009: 14B4 Yamaha #25 Throat
2010: 14C4 Yamaha
2011: 14D4 Yamaha
2014: 2SO Pickett (first year full-time with standard orchestra)
2015: 1.25 Vincent Bach #25 Throat
The following are my observations when trying out different mouthpieces.
Deep Cup
Pros:
Better sound (in my opinion)
Easier to do soft articulate
Easier to control the articulation
Easier to play lyrical
Cons:
Harder to play high (but possible)
Intonation on the high notes could be difficult
Bigger Rim
Pros:
Bigger sound
Easier to bend around to get good intonation
Cons:
Lost endurance
Harder to play high notes
Bigger Throat
Pros:
Easier to play high notes
Cons:
Tend to be flat
Endurance gone very fast
Harder to articulate
When I am familiarised with the rim of the mouthpiece, I will move to a deeper version but with the same rim.
In general, when I choose mouthpiece for myself, I always go for the feel as my priority. If I feel I can control how I play and get what I want, that mouthpiece will be the one for me.
I try to narrow down my selections to 1-3 mouthpieces and put them to a real situation test, probably in an orchestra rehearsal or practice session with piano before solo. This is the only way to know how it felt performing with those mouthpieces and of course, to know how they response and how I can handle them. Usually, I will have 2 answers from this process: ‘Perhaps’ or ‘No’. Of course, I will have to keep playing on them for quite sometime.
There is no ONE mouthpiece that fit me forever. I always keep changing my mouthpieces in the depending on performances.
If I play the principal role in the orchestra, I will choose a mouthpiece that is not too big but has a nice sound and the best overall. However, if I have to play the principal role in a pop concert, it will be a different selection.
If I play mostly on lower parts in the orchestra, I will choose a little bigger and deeper mouthpiece, to get a bigger sound to blend with the principal player, trombones and horns below us. If I play in a recital or brass quintet, it will be a different selection too. Additionally, it also greatly depend on the type of trumpet and ensemble settings.
There are so many factors that a professional musician has to think about before choosing the mouthpiece to play in different situations. And you know what, in some cases, I even have several mouthpieces to standby on the music stand just to change in different passages. For example, there are many passages in Mahler’s 2nd Symphony that I have to play very soft on high range. Thus, I will change to the deeper mouthpiece to ensure that I will be able to perform it well.
So how do I select a mouthpiece?
First, I go by feel, and then, the responses I get from them.
Hope this helps you guys to get an idea how I select the mouthpiece for my career.
Lertkiat worked as a Principal Trumpet of Bangkok Symphony Orchestra for almost two decades before moved to be a member of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra last year in August. He is also a principal trumpet of Siam Philharmonic Orchestra. He was a trumpet professor at Silpakorn and Rangsit Universities in Bangkok, Thailand.
He has appeared as a soloist with The Bangkok Symphony, Nusantara Symphony, Chulalongkorn University Symphony, National Symphony, Galyani Vadhana Institute, HK Tak Min Philharmonic and Siam Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as the, Bangkok Silpakorn Wind Orchestra, Hong Kong Chamber Wind Philharmonia, Silpakorn University Wind Orchestra, International Trumpet Guild Conferences.
Lertkiat has also performed with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Malaysian Philharmonic, Nagoya Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony and Macao Orchestras.
Born in Bangkok, Thailand, he had entered to Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University and graduated with an honor in Composition major. He had taken lessons and master classes with several world famous trumpeters such as Wynton Marsalis, Stephen Burns, Henry Nowak, Pierre Dutot, Rob Roy McGregor, James Thompson, Konradin Groth, Mark Gould, Thomas Stevens, Zdeněk Šedivý and Håkan Hardenberger. In September 2000, he was awarded scholarship to studying at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts under Laurence Gargan.
Since 1996, he had been participating with the Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) for Asian, European, North American and Australian tour with Maestro Sirgiu Comissiona and Maestro Richard Pontzious. Lertkiat studied trumpet with Professor Edmund Cord and Edward Hoffman during his seven summers with AYO.