Posted by Jay Bertolet on November 21, 1999 at 16:30:52:
In Reply to: Mouth Pieces... Does it matter? posted by Jared on November 21, 1999 at 15:09:52:
My suggestion regarding mouthpieces for the younger player is to try and select a mouthpiece that is "characteristic". What I mean by that is try to select a mouthpiece that isn't designed to favor one type of playing over another. For example, if you use a mouthpiece that favors the high range (maybe one that is fairly small) you might run into problems later because all your early high range development might not be as strong or complete. I try and steer my students toward the most "vanilla" type mouthpiece I can find so that they tend to develop all facets of their playing equally. That way, after the player becomes more advanced and can recognize what strengths and weaknesses they have in their playing, my students can later select a mouthpiece that is more tailored to their own playing and do so confidently because they have a more complete picture of how a particular mouthpiece can help or hinder their playing. As a result of this philosophy, I generally recommend a Bach 18 as a standard mouthpiece but you should try all similar mouthpieces and choose the one that fits you comfortably. Make sure that the rim is comfortable on your face. Maybe a comfortable rim will lead to hours and hours of practice! Good luck!