Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Nobody uses Monette tuba mouthpieces???


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Leland on April 25, 1999 at 19:47:30:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Nobody uses Monette tuba mouthpieces??? posted by Joseph Felton on April 25, 1999 at 13:09:29:

One outrageous equipment-related claim I've heard Dave Monette say:
At a workshop/clinic, he talked about how the trumpet mpc design in use today was originally meant to be played on an A trumpet rather than Bb. To demonstrate, he used a non-Monette mpc on a normal Bb trumpet, played it himself, and showed how when the middle "C" is in tune, the high C will be flat and the low C sharp. He then pulled the tuning slide out a half-step (so it's now effectively an A trumpet), and played again, demonstrating that the octave C's now tuned almost perfectly. His point was that his mpc's are designed to be used on a specific key of instrument -- the mpc's for Bb and C trumpets are different, and so on.

While entertaining, I had some problems with this. First, as soon as a valve is pressed, the horn goes into a different key, and the "A vs. Bb mpc" argument becomes quite moot. Plus, while he has different designs for Bb and C trumpet, his tuba mpc's are meant for either BBb or CC tubas, last I heard. Lastly, he was the one playing the demonstration, not someone else; he could play however he wanted.

I've only spent an afternoon on a Monette tuba mpc, so I can't say how well it works. Seems pretty snotty to not offer a trial period, IMO. Everything else in his brochures that describe playing concepts (mostly adaptations of Alexander techniques) works well -- certainly better than a new mpc alone. The claims that you'd need Monette equipment to play well is too silly for me to take seriously, though. I'm still not sure what to make of his whole thing yet.

Seeya,
Leland


Follow Ups: