Archived under: Equipment, Mellophones & Marching, Mouthpieces, Teaching | Curry
I Just got in a Drum Corps, What Mouthpiece Should I Use?
I have been asked this question twice recently, and I know that this is one that comes up for horn teachers and players often.
The first suggestion is don’t use a Mello 6 or any similar mouthpiece if possible. The plain fact is this is just not a very good mouthpiece. It would work OK over a summer if you had to use it, some brands are better than others, but my first suggestion again is don’t.
I would prefer that you use a small horn mouthpiece, something like a Yamaha 30C4 would be ideal. But this may not fly with your corps—they will want you to use a “real” mellophone mouthpiece and may dictate to you exactly what you have to play on.
If they give you any options the one best, moderately priced option is the Curry 1HTF mouthpiece. This is marketed as a type of large/deep trumpet mouthpiece but is a great mouthpiece for mellophone and is in use today in a number of corps.
What I like about it most are two qualities. First, it is a much more professional feeling and sounding mouthpiece. That is, the quality level is well above that of a bottom of the line “what came in the case” mouthpiece. No brass player on any other instrument would use the mouthpiece that came in the case! Why should we have to? The second great quality of this mouthpiece is the inner diameter is very close to that of most common horn mouthpieces. It will fit your face; you don’t have to make any adjustments to the mouthpiece. Also please note one other related big plus to this mouthpiece: it is available in a range of inner diameters. The 3TF has for example the same inner diameter as a 3C trumpet mouthpiece and will feel great to players coming from the trumpet, and the 1HTF has a diameter that is right for a horn player.
And to any directors that are reading this, PLEASE do a back to back test on these and whatever you are using if you have never looked beyond the Mello 6, there have been major developments in mellophone mouthpieces in just the last two years or so, it is really time to move on. You will hear the difference and your players will be much happier as well.
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