From the Mailbag: Why Do I Sound So Good On a New Mouthpiece For a While, Then Crash?

QUESTION:
Twice now I’ve switched to a different mouthpiece after using another for a long time.

On both occasions my tone has been better than ever for the first ten days or so, then craters for a while. I can understand the cratering, because the lip muscles are having to readjust to the new mouthpiece. What I don’t get is why the tone is so great there for a short while.

ANSWER:
This question hits on a universal mystery that is fairly typical of what happens with a new mouthpiece. Without the benefit of mind-reading powers and x-ray vision, one can only postulate on what is actually happening.

I do believe that there is combination of physical and psychological ingredients in this phenomena.

Excited with the new mouthpiece and the improved results, the player might go a little overboard with extended practice sessions or new techniques. After a period of time, the muscles rebel and the chops feel weaker instead of stronger.

As to why tone quality may be immediately improved with a mouthpiece switch, I can only explain it like this: after a steady diet of salad and steak, a switch to fish and potatoes is bound to produce a different effect on the mind and body for a period of time.

An embouchure may react to a new mouthpiece change like a change in diet. The new flavors invigorate and test out new taste buds that were not there before.

With a small change in a mouthpiece — a different rim, a slightly different diameter as examples – this improvement might just stick and the muscle memory learning curve may be fairly low. Like adding a new seasoning to the meat or changing to a different kind of salad dressing.

With a more radical change in a mouthpiece, there is a bigger learning curve for the embouchure to adjust to. It is no longer a matter of adding a little spice to a steady meal plan, but rather it is a major shift in diet.

At first the new flavors will taste and feel delicious, but in time the body’s physiological rhythms will react.  They rise and fall over a period of a few days  — or even weeks — in order to adjust to this radical change.

This is why I prefer small changes in a mouthpiece and an extended trial period. An accurate decision is difficult to make based solely on a two-minute trial period.