Posted by Rick Denney on December 30, 2002 at 20:29:46:
In Reply to: HELP MEH! posted by Tim Engle on December 30, 2002 at 19:57:31:
Try the Steven Mead line from Denis Wick on your euphonium. As a tuba player, I like the SM3, but I also play the slightly smaller SM4 from time to time. You'll not wish for a bigger mouthpiece than these.
Chuck Jackson, a working pro, is selling his Yamaha rotary tuba like yours after many years of playing it well. The 641 is perhaps the least consistent of Yamaha tubas, but don't write it off completely, unless your teacher agrees that it is unsalvageable (you do have a teacher...right?). The 67C4 is not a huge mouthpiece, but the Yamaha might well do better with a large mouthpiece, or at least one with a lot of volume. I find myself lately playing largish mouthpieces on 4/4 tubas and smaller mouthpieces on bigger tubas.
If you want a tuba mouthpiece with a smaller rim, try a Conn Helleberg. It is not that large in diameter and has a sharp, narrow rim that you may like. But it is quite deep, and keeps the bottom end of the tuba sound intact. It seems to me that a soloistic sound and a sonorous sound may not be exactly the same thing. If you want a rounder tone, you should probably look to yourself and not your mouthpiece. Which brings me back to your teacher. If you don't have one, get one. Even one or two lessons with a symphony pro will sort out a bunch of things for you, and will get you more than a new mouthpiece.
Rick "who thinks that a much bigger trombone mouthpiece could meet the need for a smaller tuba mouthpiece" Denney