Posted by MikeBrooke on July 10, 2003 at 08:30:36:
In Reply to: what is a good euphonium mouthpiece? posted by Kingson Leung on July 10, 2003 at 00:41:34:
In my opinion, a good euphonium mouthpiece is the one which feels the most comfortable to play and offers the least number of compromises. I own both a BB1 and an SM3M and both have their own strengths and weaknesses. The rim of the BB1 is a little to small for my taste, but the mouthpiece produces a very sweet sound with my Willson. The SM3M, has a larger diameter rim, which is more comfortable, but the combination of rim and cup size is just too tiring and it has a "tubby" sound. The interaction between the player, the mouthpiece and the horn is very complex, which is why a mouthpice may work for one player and not another.
To solve this problem, I settled on a Doug Elliott, which has interchangable rims, cups and shanks. I was able to come up with a mouthpiece that has about the same cup as the BB1, but with a larger rim.
My advice is find a music store which will allow you to try several mouthpieces at one time and return the ones you don't like. I think you'll be able to tell pretty quickly which ones work and which ones don't. After playing on the remaining mpc's for a while, you'll determine which is "best" right for you.
Good Luck,
Mike Brooke