TromboneChat

Just curious?

If you talk Bach mouthpieces what is a large bass trombone mouthpiece and what is a small one?

I'm a doubler and have not really thought about this much when it comes to bass mouthpieces. I know what mouthpiece I like but when we sometimes talk about a horn that wants a small bass mouthpiece I'm not really sure what is considered to be small or large.

I know a Bach 2 G is a small one but what about a 1 1/2 G or a 1 1/4 G. I have no mouthpiece bigger than a Bach 1 G.

Any thoughts?

/Tom

None of these are qualitative statements, just quantitative ones. I'm not saying small is bad, or vice-versa.

I'd consider 1.5 and smaller small, 1.25 medium, and the Bach 1G is an oddity. The rim is not in the "large" category of bass trombone land, but it's very deep. Kind of like the Wick 00AL.

If we talk about absolute beginners on bass trombone, things may be a little different.

But talking about players with some experience I would basically confirm what Aidan says:
Bach 1.5 and comparable pieces are on the smaller side, 1.25 medium, 1 or bigger is large.
However this is not a qualitative judgement and does not make choices good or bad, just what I see or have seen in my surrounding.
Also as seen in many discussions, there seem to be regional differences where maybe a 1.5 is average/medium.
I would say in Germany it's not specifically different than elsewhere, but I could be wrong.

GermanTrombone wrote: ↑Fri Apr 24, 2020 3:39 am ...
Also as seen in many discussions, there seem to be regional differences where maybe a 1.5 is average/medium.
I would say in Germany it's not specifically different than elsewhere, but I could be wrong.

I would note this. I would not say a 1.5 is either small or large. It is probably the expected value for a bass trombone mouthpiece size. I would consider small or large to be compared to this value if there were no other context given.

Cheers,
Andy

To me 2G is small, 1,5G would be medium small and 1.25G medium large, 1G is big. That is the biggest Bach piece, there are other bigger mouthpieces out ther though.
I did practice on 1.5G today, sounds big enough down to the lowest pedal and up as high as I dare today.

1960 2G was small, 1,5G was big.

In 1963 my father went into Manny's in New York (a major pro shop back then) and asked them for a bass trombone mouthpiece for me. They sold him a 1 1/2 G (I still have it).

Doug Yeo joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1985, when he played (or at least successfully auditioned) on a single-valve bass trombone, with (probably) a 1½G-sized mouthpiece. (Please correct me, Doug, if I am wrong.) Of course he moved to larger equipment over his 27 years with the BSO.

Gordon Hallberg, Doug's BSO predecessor (1971-1985), played a Giardinelli 1G mouthpiece (roughly the size of, but different from a 1½G).

I attended many BSO concerts at Symphony Hall and at Tanglewood during their tenure, and have that glorious sound imprinted on my brain. (Making me an out-of-date old codger, I guess.) In my fading memory, the sound (from the Symphony Hall first balcony) was never too loud, never overwhelmed by the brass.

If you get a chance, take the time to read Doug's articles on sound levels.

Posaunus wrote: ↑Fri Apr 24, 2020 1:17 pm Doug Yeo joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1985, when he played (or at least successfully auditioned) on a single-valve bass trombone, with (probably) a 1½G-sized mouthpiece. (Please correct me, Doug, if I am wrong.)

This article from Doug says he was playing a Schilke 60 in college:

http://www.yeodoug.com/resources/faq/fa ... piece.html

Andrew

TheBoneRanger wrote: ↑Fri Apr 24, 2020 6:05 pm This article from Doug says he was playing a Schilke 60 in college:

http://www.yeodoug.com/resources/faq/fa ... piece.html

Andrew

Wow. Andrew, thank you very much for that link. I had not seen it before. I know (from another Yeo article) that Doug auditioned for the BSO on a single-valve bass trombone, but did not know he was using a mouthpiece as large as a Schilke 60! Did Ed Kleinhammer also use a 60?

I guess this partly explains the difference in the BSO brass sound from the Hallberg tenure to the Yeo years!

Doug Yeo and Yamaha certainly were dedicated teammates in the process of designing a mouthpiece and a trombone that worked for him. Kudos to all.

TromboneChat is a humbling, great place to get an education!

Edward Kleihammer joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra 1940 (!) most likely with a 1 1/2G. When in Stockholm in the 80th he did play a Schilke 60, bored out.