Mouthpiece Alignment

 

Hello everybody!
This is my own Buzzing Corner, a place where I'll be writing my thoughts about trumpet playing, instruments, and general issues.
I don't want to teach you nothing, I would just like to share my experiences with you. Talk about trumpet issues and how I've overcome them.

This is something I have learnt from Stephen Burns and Bob Malone and I must say that really works!
Of course there will be people that will say that it doesn't make any difference to them. But for me, it does.

What is this??
Nothing special and I can't explain it from the scientific side, but the risults are there and I'm doing it on every horn I have since I knew about it.
It would be better if you have someone with trained ears to listen to you. Otherwise you can play with your bell pointing towords a mirror, this will give you a better idea of what's coming out from your bell.

The only things you need, are:

- your mouthpiece
- your trumpet

Holding your trumpet as usual, insert the mouthpiece into the receiver and take a letter on your mouthpiece as "point of reference".
I use the 22/24 figures of my underpart and I place them in a 12 o' clock position, as pictured.

I now play a couple of G Major Arpeggios until the the D.
Pay attention to the feeling, the response and to the sound color's eveness and memorize them.
Now rotate your mouthpiece "clock wise" and rest your "referral point" exactly in the middle between 12 and 3 o'clock if you imagine the receiver as a watch dial.  As pictured.

Play the same pattern and try to listen to the differences. Is it better or worse?  

Go on, turn the mouthpiece with the "referral point" on the 3 o'clock position, in this case where the

25H on the receiver is.

Repeat the whole process and if it sounds better then the previous positions, memorize it. 

Go on and turn again the mouthpiece in the position between 3 and 6 o'clock.

Play the same thing. Is the sound more resonant? Is the tone's color more even?
Or maybe it's worse than before...
Carry on and put the mouthpiece on the 6 o'clock position

Play the same thing again and repeat all the process clockwise, until you'll get back to the original position at 12 o'clock.
Usually there are TWO spots where it sounds better, the response has improved and the slotting is also better.  By now you should have found at list one.
You will also have noticed that there are some spots where it sounds really weird, or stuffy.
My magic spot for example is on the 3 o' clock, so I play all the time in this position.
For me it makes a sensitive difference, like the 95% of the people I showed it to.
Of course there will be people that will say that it doesn't make any difference to them.
This helps me to optimize my relationship with my equipment and in this way, I'm certain that when something doesn't work, the problem it's me :).
It makes a big difference also on smaller horns like Eb or Piccolo.
I'll show you in a different post, how to optimize your Piccolo too.
I hope it helps!