2022年7月25日～30日アルコバサ（ポルトガル）にて行われた
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全編英語です！
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About My Mouthpieces
First of all I am honored to be able to join in this wonderful event Gravíssimo!. Thank you so much.
My English is not very good and may not be conveyed well.
Therefore, I have written down the content of the talk in writing in advance.
I am sorry that you may already be able to read the contents.
I will also use VIDEO during the talk.
I will upload the text to my Website at a later date if anyone wishes.
Now I would like to start the conference.
Last time I spoke at this event I talked about the impact of shape and weight.
Let's start with a quick recap.
Generally speaking, the heavier the weight, the darker the sound and the stiffer the sound, the farther away the sound will sound.
So what actually happens when the weight is heavier?
Suppose we have mouthpieces of the same weight.
If the weight is placed on the rim side, it is easier to control the sound.
However, the tone tends to be more monotonous and the overtone is a little less in the lower register.
Now let's look at the case where the weight is on the cup.
Overtone in the lower register will increase.
However, if the weight is too heavy, it creates a sense of resistance.
If the cup and shank are weighted
The sound will be more coherent, but the sense of resistance will be the most, and since the rim and cup are light, the overtone will be felt less.
Now, let's look at the weight of the cup and shank.
If the mouthpiece is made as light as possible, the response will be quicker.
However, when you play a loud note, the sound will be broken immediately.
If you make the mouthpiece heavier, it will hold its tone as long as you want it to, even at high volumes.
Which weight suits you best depends on your playing style and body.
I recommend a weight between 180g and 300g.
180g is the schilke Helleberg 2 or Laskey 30H.
300g is the weight of some of the mouthpieces I make.
So far we have talked about the outside.
Next, let's talk about the inside shape.
The inside diameter of the rim is a very important place.
If the inside diameter does not fit you, you will not be able to play even if you practice.
The best way to find a mouthpiece that fits you is to think about the thickness and softness of your lips.
If your lips are thick and soft, a larger inner diameter is fine.
If you have thin lips, a smaller diameter is fine.
The shape of the rim is also important.
Flat or wide rims give a sense of stability.
A round or thin shape will give you better lip control.
If you are dissatisfied with your mouthpiece
you can often improve it just by reviewing the rim.
Next, let's look at the cup.
The cup is an important place that determines the character of the sound.
If it is shallow, the sound will be brighter.
A deep cup makes the sound more subdued.
A V-cup makes the sound darker and a U-cup makes the sound clearer.
And the throat.
This is the place that determines the thickness of the sound.
When you breathe out, the energy is condensed in this area.
It is not the case that a larger size produces a louder sound.
What is important is that your breath becomes a natural sound.
It does not matter if it is small, as long as you can play as you want to play.
For trombone
6.5mm to 7.3mm is a good size.
For Thin Shank, 5mm to 6.3mm is good.
Bass Trombone should be 7.2mm to 8.0mm.
Euphonium is a little bit larger.
For Tuba
Bass Tuba should be 7.5mm to 8.0mm.
Contra Bass Tuba and Bb Tuba from 8.0mm to 8.6mm
If designed exceptionally well, a 9.7mm mouthpiece can also be played.
WD-24 is such a design.
Next, let's look at the back bore.
This is the place that determines how the sound is spread out.
It affects the pitch of the sound.
It is a place that should be changed according to the compatibility with the instrument.
If you have a WHF or other maker that allows you to change the back bore, please change it when you have a problem.
If you have a WHF or other maker that you can change, please try changing it when you have a problem.
And about the shank
After much research with Sergio, we decided to use a short shank.
The short shank allows you to enjoy the direct response of the instrument.
I think it is best suited for solo and ensemble playing.
I think the short shank was used for the opening ceremony.
The normal shank is good for orchestras.
The normal shank gives a deeper sound when compared with the same mouthpiece.
About the difference of plating
Generally, silver plating is used.
Silver plating gives a subdued sound.
In contrast, gold plating gives a brighter and more brilliant sound.
Gold plating is also effective in preventing allergies.
Silver plating fits better on the lips and gold plating is smoother.
You can choose according to your preference.
However, recently the value of gold has been increasing and the price of gold plating is rising rapidly.
I am sad to say that the price of gold plating has gone up three times at the factory where I work.
This is all I have told you so far in the last issue.
This time, I will mainly talk about why my mouthpieces are different from mouthpieces made by other companies.
I make my mouthpieces in a very unusual way.
My friend Mr. Shiomi made a video on Youtube about how I make my mouthpieces.
The first thing I take care of is to always measure and keep the perfect thickness.
I always measure before machining so that the error is within 0.01mm from the center.
Sometimes the thickness deviates during the process, in which case I stop the machine, measure again, and re-machine.
This is a different process from mouthpieces made with a CNC lathe.
The reason why we are so particular about this is because when the mouthpiece is installed, the ability of the mouthpiece changes depending on its orientation.
The reason why we are so particular is because we want to minimize the change in performance depending on the orientation of the mouthpiece when it is installed.
I hope that the mouthpiece will always show its maximum effect.
Next, the mouthpieces are subjected to Material Treatment, which was developed by my teacher.
This is a technique he developed when he was working for Yamaha, and he had hoped to incorporate it into Yamaha's technology.
Unfortunately, due to cost and technical difficulties, he was unable to incorporate it into Yamaha mouthpieces.
My master started a company called AtelierMOMO about 20 years ago, and I have continued to make mouthpieces for the company to this day.
Material treatment is the process of changing the state of the metal to make it optimal for playing.
By changing the size and arrangement of the particles that make up the metal, the metal vibrates more efficiently and the effect on the player is altered.
The metal changes little by little while the mouthpiece is being cut.
We reset the condition of the metal once and remove stresses and other factors from the metal.
After that, we adjust the size of the particles to complete my mouthpiece.
The finished mouthpiece is very responsive and has a wider range of dynamics from p to ff, which will expand the range of your playing.
I am often contacted by customers who want a mouthpiece made by another company.
However, it is necessary to understand the original metal condition in detail in order to get the maximum effect.
However, I have to know the condition of the original metal in detail, so I have to do a lot of research in order to get the maximum effect.
If you want to have a new mouthpiece, I will make a complete copy of your mouthpiece from the outside to the inside.
To see how much of a difference it makes, there is a video on Youtube of me doing it to a trumpet bell.
Did you feel the difference in sound?
The first step is to firmly increase the density of the metal and then ease it down to a good state.
This will increase the overtones and reverberation of the sound.
Do you have any questions at this point?
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